chaos in mindanao

I dont know why the MILF is doing this, but I sympathize with you as to why thy are using innocent people for their purpose. Maybe because they think it is for the greater cause.

I am also from Mindanao. For years now, I am trying to empathize with the thrust of MILF and at the same time I try to look at some different angles. I pity those human shield whom these guys are using, but I am also worried of the possibility that this group might have been used by people in the government who want to advance some personal motives. I remember when the first surge of Abu Sayyaf, there were rumors that ASG was infact created by people under the Ramos administration (first to just scare people and get some ransom, but the group eventually learned that money could mean everything and thus, became the monster that the group is known now). The conflict in Mindanao has been deeply rooted, and the concept of justice for our muslim brothers seemed to be distorted (and same way with the idea of Jihad). But if we look at the larger scale, same thing is happening world-wide... and this really is a sad fact. But I still hope that peace will be achieved eventually.

I also grew up in mindanao island. My hometown is just 4 kilometers away from the war zone in north cotabato. I remember back in my highschool days when the war is raging so bad that the buses (weena bus) operation has to stop because they were ambushed along the way. I also remember how the ground shook each time the army fired the cannon. It was so frightening and now it is happening again. I called my mom and she said there's ceasefire there at least giving them a momentarily peace. But the bad thing is that the rebels went to lanao del norte and ransacked the poor and innocent people there. Peace is such an elusive dream and real peace wont happen until Jesus return.