The following is a press release submitted by the writer and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Inc (CBCS). It announces the drafting of a manifesto by Basilan internally displaced persons (IDP)

About one hundred and forty (140) representatives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from barangays in the Municipalities of Albarka, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Sumisip, and Akbar that had been affected by the July 10 incident between the local forces of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and elements of the First Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Albarka, Basilan gathered for the “Basilan IDPs Forum” last December 15 at the Datu Dizal Cultural Center, Lamitan City.

 

In the forum, the IDPs were made to narrate their plight and present the problems that they have been facing since being displaced by the July 10 incident. From their narration, it was determined that about 40% of those affected by the recent conflict have remained displaced. The other 60% have returned, but in a marginal basis only, as they only go to their lands during the day but return to their evacuated locations at night.

They continue to live in this kind of set up because of the general fear that military operations and open armed conflict will once again erupt at anytime. They lament the fact that the AFP in Basilan is not sensitive to the welfare of the civilians that are adversely affected by their military operations, that they all of them are unfairly suspected of being sympathizers or supporters of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) that is allegedly operating in their communities, and that no peace mechanism has yet been thought of and installed by either the LGUs concerned, or between the AFP and the MILF in the province that would assure them that they could safely and permanently return to their places of origin and begin to rebuild their lives anew.

Read the Manifesto here.

 

Among the several problems the IDPs have cited that they are currently facing until today are: 1) Experiencing economic crisis due to the loss of their source of livelihood and have fallen into debt, 2) Trauma to children due to insensitive military operations, such as extremely loud artillery fire that are within or in close proximity to populated areas, some of which have caused cases of nausea and vomiting, 3) Indefinite suspension of classes due to abandonment of schools and no salary given to teachers, 4) Illness, disease and malnutrition experienced by children and elders, whether those in the places of evacuation or those who have returned, due to absence of delivery of basic health and social services, and 5) Difficulty in reviving sources of livelihood in the places of origin because of the absence of delivery of basic public services and the destruction of property.

Based on these problems, an IDP Manifesto was drafted and signed by the IDPs present in the forum that called for local and national stakeholders and leaders to act on the problems they are facing until today and to uphold their rights to live in a peaceful environment, to enjoy security to life, limb and property, and to be free from military threats and harassment.

A “Caravan for Justice and Peace” was held immediately after the forum, which saw the IDPs travel from Lamitan City to the residence of Governor Jum Akbar in Isabela City to present their IDP Manifesto and to engage her in a dialogue.

For her part, Gov. Akbar gave her word to convene the Provincial Peace and Development Council so that it may immediately respond to the appeals of the IDPs written on the Manifesto.

The Basilan IDPs Forum and Caravan for Justice and Peace was sponsored by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Inc., through the initiative of the Regional Management Committee of the CBCS in Basilan and the Bantey Basilan Civilian Local Peacekeeping Force and in cooperation with the Inter-CSO Care for Basilan Task Force.