Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus “Jess” Dureza, have given comfort and assurance to overseas Filipinos in UAE that the Philippine government is doing its best to contain the effects of the ongoing siege of Marawi City.
“Ang maganda lang ngayon kasi everybody is coming around. Local government units and all NGOs have come together and worked out some arrangements to minimize the humanitarian crisis that may develop,” Dureza said in a press conference at the Philippine Consulate office.
“Kung mapabayaan ito,” he added, “it can turn into a large scale humanitarian crisis. We don’t want that to happen.”
About 200 people have already been killed and 90 percent of the 201,000 residents have fled Lanao del Sur’s largest city as gunbattle between government forces and members of the Maute Group led by Isnilon Hapilon, who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, continues.
The Philippines’ chief peace negotiator has also assured Dubai-based Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that more evacuation centers have been set-up in the neighboring towns to accommodate the evacuees.
‘Ang maganda lang ngayon kasi everybody is coming around. Local government units and all NGOs have come together and worked out some arrangements to minimize the humanitarian crisis that may develop
“More evacuation centers are being set-up. Ang iba kasi di pumunta sa mga evacuation centers. Pumunta kung saan-saan. Sa Iligan City kung saan pinakamalapit sa Marawi, there is already a methodical way of handling the evacuees. May curfew na rin doon ngayon,” Dureza said.
Peace talks
Meantime, Dureza stressed that despite disagreements with negotiators of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the peace talks between the government and the communists will not collapse.
The Philippine government panel, led by Dureza and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, called off the fifth round of talks with its counterpart on May 28, after they failed to resolve a dispute over a CPP order for its fighters to step up attacks against government forces.
“The road to peace is not easy. But theres no other way but to come up with a just and sustainable peace,” Dureza said. “There is no substitute. But we take it one step at a time. It has to be a one-nation approach. Hindi puedeng may sumasalungat sa gobyerno. Kailangan, tulong-tulong lahat,” he stressed.
“While we deal with the bad guys with the full force of the law, while we negotiate with the rebels, let us not forget that we have a bigger table outside, which is the public. Dahil maski anong peace agreement pipirmahan namin, kung kung hindi suportado ng publiko, wala ring mangyari.”
On June 4, the government accepted the offer of the communist movement to join the fight against Maute and to observe a ceasefire during the Marawi conflict.
Dureza was in Dubai, June 1 on a stopover from The Netherlands where the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) are holding the ongoing peace negotiations.
