The path to peace may be long and challenging but it is worth it. Hence, the fragility of the peace process must be protected at all cost.
This was underscored by Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. as he led the commemoration of the 47th anniversary of the Patikul massacre in Sulu on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The Patikul massacre refers to the killing of Brig. Gen. Teodulfo Bautista, then commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and 34 of his men while on a peace mission for a dialogue with with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Usman Sali.
The soldiers were killed by Sali’s forces at a public market in Brgy. Danag, Patikul, Sulu on Oct. 10, 1977.
Galvez said the incident serves as a “painful reminder” that even though the Philippine government and the Nur Misuari-led MNLF have signed the 1976 Tripoli Peace Agreement, there will be “incidents that will test the peace pact.”
“What's important is our determination to protect the fragility of the peace process. It must be sustained. It must be saved at all costs,” Galvez noted.
Galvez joined retired Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, son of the elder Bautista, in a wreath-laying ceremony in Patikul in memory of his late father. The younger Bautista eventually rose to military leadership after being appointed as the 44th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in 2013.
Bautista, whose last visit to this town was six years ago, urged the residents to safeguard and sustain the peace they are enjoying in Patikul and the rest of Sulu. To protect the peace, he said, is also a way to honor the people who took the ultimate sacrifice in the name of peace.
“Saksi tayo sa nakaraan, ang kaguluhan na humantong sa pangyayari dito sa Danag noong Oct. 10, 1977. Sana ay hindi na maulit muli ang hindi pagkakaunawaan sa ating lipunan (We are all witnesses of the past, of the conflict which led to the event here in Danag on Oct. 10, 1977. I hope that misunderstandings like that won’t happen again in our society),” he said.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of Western Mindanao Command, said they do not only honor the fallen but also reaffirm their commitment to the values they embodied: honor, courage, selflessness, and unwavering loyalty.
“We pledge to carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their sacrifice was not in vain. We will continue to strive for a world where peace and security prevail, a world worthy of their ultimate sacrifice,” he vowed.
At least 10 barangays in Patikul have since been cleared of the presence of terrorist groups and residents are now reclaiming back their lands from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). Sulu, once known as the stronghold of the ASG, has been recently declared as terrorist-free after two decades of terror.
Gonzales said the military together with the local government units and the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have implemented multi-pronged approaches in addressing the root causes of the conflict.
Currently, the only remaining active insurgency group is the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.
Last year, the government and the communist group issued a joint statement emphasizing the parties’ determination to end the armed conflict and the armed struggle, as well as transform the communist group.