By Hasan Hattab

Some people in Western Mindanao hit the government's peace panel for deviating from what were agreed upon during the agenda setting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last December 8-9, 2009.

One school teacher from Sulu, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said, “the government again returned to its old tactics of reneging from what were previously agreed upon by both panels. The Bangsamoro people are almost pushed to the wall and they do not have any more places to go to except to do anything within their own capacity and limitation.

In August 2008, armed conflict between the Philippine military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front broke out in the provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao and even in Basilan due to the aborted signing of the MOA-AD which was already initialed by both panels but the government refused to sign it. As a result of the conflict, more than half million innocent civilians were displaced while some of them were even rendered homeless.

The draft of the government on comprehensive compact offering the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the MILF is an old tactics of the government to renege from what were previously agreed upon.

“The Muslims in Western Mindanao are already fed up of the government's delaying tactics in solving the Mindanao problem. Perhaps it is now high time for the entire Bangsamoro people to wake up and prepare themselves to go to war should the government keep on reneging from previous agreement and continue fooling around,” the teacher said.

He added that “for almost 40 years now, the Bangsamoro people are trying to achieve peace by talking with the Philippine government. But it seems that the government is continuously fooling the Bangsamoro people while at the same time receiving huge amount from donor countries to help the ravaged Mindanao.”

“Enough is enough,” another civilian said.

“We cannot anymore afford to swallow the government's treatment for the Muslims in Mindanao. It is our message to the Philippine government that it should change its attitude if, indeed, it is wants for peace in Mindanao.