What’s next?

Initial results from the investigations by the Senate and House of Representatives into the Mamasapano tragedy clearly showed that President Aquino was well aware of the SAF mission there.

However, in his national televised address, the President was not quite honest in his statements about what he knew about it, particularly the role of suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima.

Many are disgusted by the president’s handling of the affair. They saw a president and commander in chief who failed to show real compassion for the families of the Fallen 44 when he chose to attend the inauguration of a car company instead of the arrival of the police commandos’ remains at Villamor Airbase.

The first time President Aquino addressed the nation in a telecast, he left more questions than answered them. He was not on top of the situation. His officers and civilian officials did their best to cover for the president during the investigations in both houses of Congress.

That is why some quarters are calling for Aquino to resign. But who would succeed him? Some say if it is Vice President Jejomar Binay then never mind. But I say that’s unfair to Binay. Despite the efforts of some senators to paint an image of graft and corruption involving Binay, the Senate inquiry has not proven anything against him except for the self serving testimonies of his opponents.

Time and again I have challenged those who accuse Binay of graft and corruption to go to court to settle the issue but they have refused because the evidence can’t stand court scrutiny.

Do I support the call of some sectors for the president to resign? I respect those who call for it but I believe Aquino’s resignation won’t solve the problem, it may just worsen the political situation.

What the country needs is political stability in order to progress, not the sudden resignation of Aquino.
The instability it will cause would just make the situation ripe for military adventurism. Some interest groups may take advantage of a fragile government and just destroy the gains made for this country.

The next presidential election is less than two years away so it’s best to prepare the people to choose their next political leader who is not only qualified but also competent to deliver the responsibilities of the president and commander in chief.

The National Transformation Council (NTC) which is asking the president to resign should instead secure the next presidential polls so that we do not use an automated election system that marred the past two elections, especially the election of president Aquino. It is time that we unite to stop midnight transactions of the Comission on Elections and Smartmatic, which is hounded by doubts over the questionable results of the last automated election.

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Lately, I have read propaganda circulating in social media opposing the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. It asserts that passage of the law would provide the Bangsamoro a monetary windfall of billions of pesos that may be used to strengthen the forces of the MILF, BIFF and the Muslim community that may eventually go against the government. What happened in Mamasapano must have taught our government a lesson to be very careful about this step.

But let us not stop the peace negotiations and the peace agreement because the Moros are already tired of the war in Mindanao which has cost the lives of many children and civilians.

To end the war in Mindanao, it is important that we provide quality education to the people and easy access to basic social services. We must remember that Mindanao isn’t just populated by the MILF and BIFF. There are many communities there. For those who advocate all-out war, I repeat my challenge for them to go live and immerse themselves in Mindanao to better understand the dire situation there.

I am for giving peace another chance in Mindanao. To achieve lasting peace, the government has to provide the necessary social services to the people like education, hospitalization, housing, etc. that are enjoyed by the rest of the country.