Akbayan Party joins the nation as it mourns the death of 19 soldiers killed in a firefight with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters in Basilan. We also extend our condolences to the families of the slain soldiers. It is regrettable that such an incident occurred amid an ongoing peace negotiation between the Government and the MILF.
We hope that the concerned parties will act swiftly on this matter with the end view of determining the circumstances that led to this very unfortunate event. We also call on the Aquino Government and the MILF to exert more efforts to ensure such incidents will no longer happen in the future.
Finally, some quarters will use this incident to call for the suspension of the peace process. We call for sobriety and deeper understanding on this matter. Although this tragedy must be given swift action, our efforts in winning peace must not be sacrificed. Such a tragedy that has fallen on our soldiers must serve as a reminder of the necessity of pushing for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao. ###
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