President Arroyo re-affirmed in her statement this week the Philippine Government’s commitment “to bring lasting peace to Mindanao and end 40 years of fighting that has killed more than 120,000 people.”

The Malacañan Palace statement was issued on the occasion of the observance of September being National Peace Consciousness Month.

Displaced and waiting for peace. Photo from Kawagib

President Arroyo also stated her government’s position that the dialogue for peace can restart when the region is secure and “responsible elements in the MILF regain control.”

“We will not negotiate with a gun pointed at our head,” she said.

A peace agreement was signed in September 1996. After 12 years, fighting in the southern Philippines between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels continues.

Meantime, according to field reports by Kawagib Moro Human Rights Organization, there are more than 360,000 evacuees crammed in makeshift evacuation centers in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Basilan. In Maitum, Saranggani alone, there were already 249,194 displaced residents since June 2008.

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