Babe's Eye View article

The recent abduction of Ces Drilon and her TV crew brings to focus once again the sorry state of Mindanao—especially in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato and other areas where terrorists continue to operate and where armed conflict has displaced thousands of Muslims and Christians alike.

These parts of Mindanao remain to be dangerous, and high-profile people like Ces are the most vulnerable and sought after. According to sources within the military, she was repeatedly warned not to go without letting them know where she was headed, and not without a military escort. Obviously, the advice went unheeded.

People who have some kind of fame should not risk going to Mindanao without sufficient security. In the past, several journalists have been abducted, lured by the promise of exclusive interviews. Even Vice President Noli de Castro and Robin Padilla were held captive in Basilan in 2000. Needless to say, the bad publicity especially with high-profile abductions also derails peace negotiations.

Over the years, numerous attempts have been made to bring about peace in Mindanao—the signing of the Tripoli Accord in 1976, talks between Cory Aquino and the then-exiled Nur Misuari in 1986, negotiations between Fidel Ramos and the MNLF which led to the so-called "Final Peace Accord" in 1996 and paved the way for the creation of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In spite of all these peace talks, the conflict seems never-ending, with break-away factions like the MILF having their own demands and objectives, signing up with the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf whose link with the Jemaah Islamiyah has escalated the war and given it an international aspect.

Joseph Mussomeli, who was the US charge d'affaires in 2005, said Mindanao's poverty, lawlessness, porous borders and its JI links could develop into an "Afghanistan-style" situation. Former Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardone once called off a US-funded road project in Cotabato City because according to him, it has become a "doormat" for terrorists.

No doubt the problem in Mindanao has become more complex than meets the eye. And obviously, it is the pervading poverty and the sense of hopelessness felt by the people that has spawned terrorism and continues to feed rebellion and resentment. It is rather ironic that a region considered to be the richest in terms of natural resources is also the poorest.

It has six of the 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines, in conflict-affected areas particularly in Tawi-Tawi which registered the highest incidence of poverty at 78.9 percent; Lanao del Sur at 52.5 percent; and Maguindanao at 62 percent. Sulu and Basilan (except for Isabela City) also had high poverty incidence rates of 31.7 and 46.5 percent, respectively. More than half of the families in ARMM are poor, with the poverty incidence pegged at 55.3 percent. Global recession is making life difficult all over the world. And if Metro Manilans are finding it hard to survive the crunch, think how much harder it is for the families in Mindanao who also have to contend with the continuing war in the region.

Perhaps it is also important to note that Mindanao—specifically the ARMM whose provinces have been hotbeds of terrorism—has the highest population growth rate at 5.46 percent, more than twice the country's annual growth rate of 2.04 percent. Population has increased by 1.3 million from May 2000 to August 2007, but the number could be much higher since a lot of children are unregistered. Considering that majority of the inhabitants are Muslims, we cannot point at the Catholic Church as being responsible for this population surge.

Poverty has driven many to lawlessness, with drug smuggling and kidnap-for-ransom having become lucrative businesses for renegades and terrorists. The number of guns available in the region is unbelievable, with almost every home equipped with a firearm and young children trained at an early age to wield these deadly weapons.

Despite repeated offensives by the military, rebel groups continue to operate to this day partly because the local populace gives them sanctuary, and renegade MILF and MNLF members have found it convenient—and profitable—to link up with the ASG and the Jemaah Islamiyah.

American intelligence has already identified Mindanao as vulnerable to penetration by al Qaeda and has become a training ground for deadly terrorist networks operating in Asia, that is why they have poured a lot of funds for the rehabilitation of Mindanao and provide military training and assistance.

Currently, the USS Mercy—dubbed a floating hospital—is on a humanitarian mission providing a variety of medical services ranging from cleft-palate surgeries, dental and optometry services and community outreach activities like repairs of health centers. No doubt trying to win the war by "winning the hearts and minds" of the local populace has resulted in improved relations between civilians and the military, but this is never enough.

One thing is clear however: you need a strong military negotiating from a position of strength to neutralize terrorists, but at the same time offering socio-economic solutions to combat the endemic poverty that has plagued the region for so long. This is, however, a difficult formula that has continued to evade government through the years.

GMA had said the war on terrorism is also a war against poverty. But at the end of the day, poverty continues to grow at a rapid rate because it is exacerbated by the rapid growth of population—a never ending, vicious cycle. Will we ever see lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao? This is a question whose answer continues to elude us to this day.