The Peace Education Network appeals to government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop fighting and to heed the call expressed by many civil society groups for the resumption of dialogues and negotiations between them.

We appeal to the Philippine government and the MILF to respect the existing ceasefire agreement and to stop taking provocative and offensive actions that can only lead to more armed confrontations.

We implore the two parties to stop the fighting and to save the peace process to which both of them have already given so much.

We appeal for the protection of civilians against harm. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have already been displaced from their homes and deprived of their livelihood and have become “collateral damage” to this resurgent armed conflict in Mindanao.

Finally, we call on government officials to stop arming civilians. These weapons can easily be used irresponsibly and can further create more division, animosity and insecurity in the communities. It is a very dangerous move given the hostile climate in many communities after the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) and the events that followed. Arming civilians would only encourage communal violence, a horrifying experience that our country went through some three decades ago.

We, the members of the Peace Education Network, will try to contribute what we can to the cause of peace in Mindanao.

LORETA CASTRO, Center for Peace Education (CPE), Miriam College; JASMIN NARIO-GALACE, CPE and Pax Christi, Miriam College; JOSEPHINE PEREZ, Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute; SR. ARNOLD NOEL, Balay Rehabilitation Center; ERNESTO ANASARIAS, Balay Rehabilitation Center; MARITES AFRICA, Peacemakers Circle; SHAKUNTALA VASWANI, Peacemakers Circle; CHITO GENEROSO, Interfaith Center for the Culture of Nonviolence; ELLIS LUCIANO, Institute of Reconciliation; HELEN AMANTE, Ateneo Grade School; EMELYN SOMERA, Ateneo Grade School; DIANNE PENANO, Don Bosco School; MARICEL ASI, Don Bosco School; MARCO GUTANG, Far Eastern University; SUSAN GRANADA