Kauswagan: a time for war, a time for peace

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte (MindaNews/23 March) — In the aftermath of the March 21, 2000 declaration of “all-out war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by then President Joseph Estrada, nearly a million residents fled their villages, several combatants – soldiers or rebels - were killed or injured, a number of displaced persons died of preventable diseases, houses were burned, crops destroyed and many were traumatized. But the conflict also gave birth to groups that have, since then, been busy helping build peace. “Pakigdait Inc. a non-government and interreligious institution is one of those organized to address the post-conflict effects to relationships of people in Kauswagan town and to revitalize the Muslim and Christian dialogue, to (temper) prejudices and biases revived by war,” explained Abel Moya, program manager.

Moya, who was in the conference room of the Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod town with leaders of the United Religious Initiative (URI) who are working together for interfaith cooperation in seven countries, said “we wish to inform the world that it is fundamental for peacebuilding to start in the area where the conflict started.”

“For the past years, we have sown peace and conflict management in Kauswagan town and then in all conflict-affected towns of the province until we became part of an international network of peacebuilders and interfaith workers,” he said.

The group looked into the roots of the Kauswagan problem and found it to be a conflict over land.

The rebels occupied the Kauswagan town hall, the military came, then President Estrada declared his “all-out war” against the MILF on March 21, 2000. [More at MindaNews]