EDITORIALS
1June
‘Disempowering’ Women in Deeds
- Jun 1, 2025
- Editorial Desk
- HITS: 766
Instead, we have witnessed a seemingly calculated effort to render that meaningless.
The abrupt removal of Minister Aida Silongan, a senior MILF Central Committee member and long-serving head of our Social Welfare Committee, is a blatant violation of the principles underlying this peace process. Minister Silongan's unwavering commitment, symbolized by her presence in the most challenging years, makes her dismissal not merely an insult but a deliberate act of erasure.
Similarly, the removal of Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, a key voice within the settler community and a dedicated civilian peacebuilder in Mindanao, is deeply concerned. For years, Atty. Arnado embodied our commitment to inclusive peace. Her work fostered interfaith and inter-ethnic dialogue, building trust and demonstrating the Bangsamoro project's inclusive nature. Her dismissal silences the settler community and reveals the disregard for pluralism and inclusion.
This stands in stark contrast to the government's repeated pronouncements of commitment to Women, Peace, and Security. The removal of these two crucial women, deeply rooted in the peace movement, exposes a hypocritical double standard: celebrating women at international summits while undermining them at home; hosting peace forums while removing dedicated peacebuilders.
This is double-speak: inclusivity in rhetoric, exclusion in action; peace as a public relations tool, not a governing principle.
The BARMM's stability and legitimacy have benefited the country. Yet, behind the scenes, there is the quiet purging of the most credible and principled actors within the institutions. This is a blatant power play.
This is not about positions; it is about a profound betrayal of trust—the manipulation of the transition for short-sighted political gain, rather than advancing justice and reconciliation.
The dismissal of Minister Silongan and Atty. Arnado is a direct affront to the legacy of our struggle and the inclusive vision we promised the Bangsamoro people. The MILF will not stand idly by as the government transforms this peace process into a project of patronage and control.
The peace we built is not theirs to dismantle. We urge all who believe in the Bangsamoro cause to remain vigilant. It is time for a firm stance and a clear condemnation of this betrayal. Peace is not a gift; it is actively defended, and we will protect it – even from those within government who have forgotten its true cost.
Time in Cotabato
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