Catholic bishops oppose military offensive vs Abu Sayyaf

MANILA, Philippines - Catholic bishops on Thursday expressed opposition against the all-out offensive launched against the Abu Sayyaf after the release of a television news team and a Mindanao professor. At the sidelines of the 12th Asia Pacific Policy Forum held at the Australian Embassy in Makati City, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo - president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) - said a military offensive against the bandits will only worsen the conflict in Mindanao. Lagdameo said instead of pursuing a military solution, the government should advocate a “non-violence principle" in dealing with problems in the region. “We would not agree with that strategy which is all-out-war. What we should be sponsoring is (an) active non-violence principle which is actually based on respect for life and respect for the other person and even converting one’s enemy into friends," Lagdameo said. Earlier, the military said it has started its offensive operations in Sulu in pursuit of the abductors of Cecilia Victoria “Ces" Oreña-Drilon, her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, driver Angelo Valderama and Mindanao State University professor Octavio Dinampo last June 8. For his part, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said the government should look deeper into what prompted the perpetrators to conduct the kidnapping, saying political and economic reasons may be the root causes of the incident. Ledesma noted that the Bishops-Ulama Conference has been working for a peaceful solution to the Mindanao conflict through peaceful inter-religious dialogue for the past years to send a strong message that “religious leaders are against violence." "We would like to hear this with our faith… If there is any conflict, it maybe because of the political and economic situation," said Ledesma, a known peace advocate in Mindanao. Ledesma said bishops are worried that a massive military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf would, like in the past, harm civilians including women and children. “All-out-war must not mean indiscriminate violence on everyone on the other side because there are a lot of innocent people involved here and that what makes the situation in Mindanao difficult," explained the former CBCP vice president. Ledesma revealed that there have been instances in the past when bishops would offer to mediate during conflict situations in Mindanao including some activities involving the Abu Sayyaf but these moves were done in secret. “There are a number of religious leaders who come out to intercede or negotiate. Possibly their role is not too much publicized. In situations like this where innocent parties are involved, there would always be appeals for religious leaders to help," Ledesma said. As this developed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the offensive operations launched by the military in Sulu will not imperil the holding of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) election in the province this coming August. "I don't think it would affect the election. Preparations are now underway for the ARMM elections," Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento told reporters in a chance interview Thursday. The commissioner said the military offensive is being made in selective areas in Sulu, and that polling precincts can be moved to safer and accessible locations particularly in areas affected by the military operations. - GMANews.TV