ICPeace

By Soliman M. Santos, Jr.
Naga City, 21 January 2015

The hugely successful visit of Pope Francis, which took the whole country by storm, still reverberates.  Will its surging waves of goodwill, as well as calls for prophetic action, carry with it a soon enough resumption of peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)?   The best recent sign that something is brewing on the NDFP peace front was Inquirer’s banner headline last December 28 that “Joma looks forward to meet with P-Noy.” This right after Jose Maria Sison, Chief Political Consultant of the NDFP, and founding Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which leads the New People’s Army (NPA), had said both parties might resume talks probably soon enough after Pope Francis’ visit.

Given the past long track record of more-off-than-on and more-failed-than-successful peace talks, the questions that come to the mind boil down to three:  [1]  What really in terms of peace talks is afoot this remaining one-and-a-half years of the Aquino administration?  [2]  What are the prospects that something good enough – in terms of tangible gains and moving that process forward — will come out of any new talks?  [3]  What needs to be done to push these talks forward?Read More »Judging the prospects for peace talks with the NDFP in 2015

By Soliman M. Santos, Jr.

Naga City, 25 October 2014 (slightly revised 1 November 2014)

 Having followed as closely as possible, even from a distance, the Mindanao peace process for more than 20 years since 1993, mainly as a civil society peace advocate and occasionally as a peace researcher and consultant, one can perhaps be forgiven for giving occasional unsolicited analysis and advice.  There are certain conjunctures in that process that particularly call for this.  For me, the achievement of an “agreed version” between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and its submission to Congress as House Bill (HB) No. 4994 and Senate Bill (SB) No. 2408 is one such conjuncture.  The trajectory of this must ideally be not only understood but also influenced for the better of the whole process.  It is better to say one’s piece now seeking to make a modest contribution to that end, rather than later when it no longer matters because it has been overtaken by events.  But of course, one can only offer one’s thoughts in good faith and according to one’s best lights; their use or otherwise is mainly up to the direct and key actors in the peace process.Read More »Bangsamoro Basic Law: Step Forward on a Longer Road to Peace

By Soliman M. Santos, Jr.

Naga City, 10 June 2013

In the wake of the New People’s Army (NPA) use of a landmine in the ambush of police Special Action Force (SAF) elements, resulting in eight of them killed, last 27 May 2013 in Allacapan, Cagayan, presidential deputy spokesperson Atty. Abigail Valte was quoted at a Malacañang press briefing as saying “It’s very clear.  It was a violation or against the law on the use of landmines.”  It is therefore relevant and worthwhile to look into this law.  Yes, Virginia, there is a law on the use of landmines, even as it may seem ironic that law governs (or is supposed to govern) so savage an activity as warfare.

Indeed, it used to be the wisdom of the ages, articulated by Cicero, that Silent leges inter arma (“The laws are silent in the midst of arms”).  But war, as among the worst occasions of inhumanity, has also occasioned  Inter Arma Caritas (“In War, Charity”) and among the best that has been created by humanity in terms of law:  international humanitarian law (IHL), or the law of armed conflict, so as to protect its victims and to limit its methods and means (e.g. its weapons).  Because “Even war has its limits.”  If war cannot be avoided because of, say, the failure of a peace process, then the next best thing is to “humanize” it or mitigate its adverse effects on the civilian population.Read More »The law on the use of landmines and the case of the NPA