“We reaffirm our support for the Aquino administration and the Bangsamoro Peace Process. There is no other answer to the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people but total and lasting peace. It is in this context that we appeal to the Aquino administration and all parties involved to put the peace process back on track at the earliest time possible,” according to a joint statement of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc.; Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines; Makati Business Club; Management Association of the Philippines; Mindanao Business Council; and Philippine Business for Social Progress.

“We fully realize, however, that the facts surrounding Mamasapano must still be satisfactorily established and justice must be dispensed where it is due,” the groups said, adding that “[i]t... seems inevitable that President Aquino, as commander-in-chief, ultimately will have no choice but to render a full accounting on Mamasapano to the Filipino people.”

REPERCUSSIONS
Mr. Aquino has addressed the nation twice since the clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that had left dead 44 police commandos who were out to arrest or kill foreign terrorists as well as scores of Moro rebels and, reportedly, a few civilians.

His remarks, however, have been met with public skepticism on his accountability and that of close associate, Philippine National Police Director General Alan L. M. Purisima, who was suspended in December last year amid graft investigations.

The incident has also eroded legislative support for a proposed law that provides the legal framework for a new, expanded autonomous Muslim region -- a focal piece of the peace process.

“Let the chips fall where they may... too much is at stake for silence to be invoked for the protection of old friends and allies,” the business groups said.

“Only with a full and satisfactory accounting will justice be possible, and only after justice has been satisfied can the peace process get back on track based on the trust and confidence that is needed of both parties.”

The groups also warned of individuals and groups with vested interest that have begun riding on public dismay with the way the national government has handled the incident’s aftermath.

“In the midst of national mourning, certain sectors and political players have openly called for all-out war in Mindanao, branded our brother and sister Muslim Filipinos as terrorists, cast doubt on the Bangsamoro peace process and the sincerity of the negotiators, and vigorously demanded the resignation of the President,” the groups said in their statement.

“As members of the Philippine business community, we do not and will not support such calls,” they added.

“We must not allow political manipulation to take advantage of legitimate emotion and grief to the point of endangering the gains we have made over the last few years.”

The groups also warned that continuation of the economy’s robust performance is tied partly to this issue’s satisfactory resolution and the peace process’s success.

“At a critical juncture in our history, we have a golden opportunity to preserve our gains and use them as a platform to put the country on an irreversible path towards inclusive development and political maturity,” the groups said in their statement.

“We cannot afford to squander 56 months of institutionalizing reforms, weeding out corruption and solidifying our economic and social foundations.”

Sought separately for comment yesterday, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Vice-President Henry J. Schumacher said in a text message: “It is super important to stabilize that part of Mindanao, allow investments to flow and provide a future for the people there, other than carrying a gun.”

John D. Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said in a separate text that “the success of the peace process is of paramount importance to all citizens.”

“More Filipinos have died from this conflict than any other since 1945. Peace and development in Mindanao is long overdue,” Mr. Forbes noted.

Reacting to the business groups’ concern, Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma, Jr. said separately via text: “President Aquino has always been committed to ferreting out the truth on the Mamasapano incident.”

“He believes in exacting accountability for the killing of the 44 PNP-SAF (Philippine National Police-Special Action Force) troopers. Most importantly, he is staying the course and pushing forward with the Bangsamoro peace process.”

According to official estimates with Malacañang and the Office of the Presidential Adviser of the Peace Process, the Moro rebellion has killed hundreds of thousands of people and cost the economy about P20 billion a year in damage to businesses and property as well as foregone investments. 

Source: Business World Online