All UN member states are meeting in New York this month to discuss security and disarmament.

Members of International Arms Network on Small Arms (Iansa), the global movement against gun violence, are campaigning for a treaty that will ban transfers of arms or ammunition if they will:

+ be used for serious violations of human rights or war crimes;
+ undermine development or involve corruption;
+ provoke or worsen armed conflict;
+ contribute to violent crime; and
+ risk being diverted into acts of terrorism

The decision of the United States to join the negotiations for a comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty was welcomed this week by campaigners against gun violence.

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, announced that the US is committed to “actively pursuing a strong and robust treaty” containing “the highest possible, legally-binding standards for the international transfer of conventional weapons.”

This is a major policy reversal.

The previous US administration consistently opposed the effort to create a treaty.

“The US decision to support strong global controls on the arms trade is great news for countries in Asia like the Philippines where arms proliferate,” said Jasmin Nario-Galace, member of the Philippine Action Network on Small Arms (Philansa).

No doubt, the proliferation of arms in the Philippines, particularly in Southern Mindanao contributes greatly to the rates of injury and death, human rights, and international humanitarian law violations as well as armed conflicts.

Philansa believes that the sale and supply of small arms and ammunition must be strictly controlled.

States should pursue an arms trade treaty that would require the refusal of transfers when there is a clear risk that the arms will intensify armed conflicts and derail development initiatives.

The shift of US policy on small arms as articulated by Hilary Clinton is great news and a fresh wind for campaigners across the world.

The US is the world’s largest arms exporter. To read Hillary Clinton’s statement, please click here.

In the Philippines, the campaign on the control of small arms is lead by Philansa.

It is a network of 14 organizations and networks across the Philippines. They all work to address the complex issue of supply and control of small arms in the country.

Philansa is a member of Iansa, the global network that addresses the proliferation of small arms and it leads the campaign at the UN for an International Treaty on Small Arms.

The havoc of the uncontrolled sale and supply of small arms is deeply felt in conflict areas, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

In Southern Mindanao, violence and conflicts show their ugly faces in the form of widespread supply of small arms. Government troops, rebels, warlords, bandits, and terrorists have access to small arms beyond belief.

An international Treaty on Small Arms will, definitely, seek to control the transfer, sale and possession of small arms.

Over 90 percent of deaths in conflict areas are caused by small arms that include among others M 16 and M 14, the standard issue for combatants, warlords’ army and bandits, terrorists, and militias.

The staggering statistic of violent deaths related to small arms makes it imperative for all people of goodwill to muster their resources and capitalize on the new and fresh wind coming from Washington DC for a new push for intensive lobby on a comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty with strict enforcement standards at the level on the United Nations.

If you desire to join the campaign contact:

PHILANSA c/o Jasmin Galace on +63 906 465 2744
IANSA c/o Alastair McKay on +44 (0)20 7065 0870

By all standards, kidnapping is a heinous crime against humanity.

The recent abduction of Fr. Michael Sinnott of the Columban Fathers, once again, has accented the terror that the peoples of the Southern Philippines face daily.

No one is exempted and all religions condemn the crime. Why kidnapping pays and goes on with impunity is a mystery to all.

Yet, people believe that the crime is perpetrated by few people who continue to elude the law for years.

There are places in Southern Philippines that are prone to kidnapping. These places are identified.

Foreigners are not allowed to visit them and their respective embassies give them appropriate advisory.

Foreign missionaries are often told of this danger and the real possibility of kidnapping. Yet, their faith and their ‘mandate’ hold strong that their presence continues notwithstanding the danger.

With the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, I have, since 1996, counseled our major superior to pull out foreign missionaries from those identified places and assign them in relatively ‘safe’ places. Local missionaries are not exempt from kidnapping.

Who are the perpetrators of this crime?
They bear many and different names. The labels are a plenty. They identify them as ‘al Qaeda or Abu Sayyaf Groups (ASG) or Jama'a Islamiyya (JI) or Pentagon groups, etc.

They are, perhaps, few in number but the government's continued failure to stop kidnapping make people ask the hard question whether there are collusions between some government law enforces and lawless elements or between the kidnappers and the liberation fronts.

To cite some examples, many believe that the leaders of the latest kidnapping of the ICRC are (or were one time) so-called 'assets' of the very people in charge of security and law enforcement in the area.

The government keeps declaring an all-out war against these lawless elements and keep claiming that their numbers are decimated yet kidnapping continues with impunity.

Since 1996, the government has estimated their numbers to be below 500. The all-out war against these criminals has been going on since 1996.

And there is no relief in sight.

The government appears impotent; the liberations fronts are mum about it; and the government security forces make bold claims with no results.

No doubt, kidnapping, killing and other lawlessness directly affect the Christian-Muslim relations, especially in building an atmosphere of trust which is the glue for any social cohesion required for any peace agreement in Southern Philippines.

The ordinary Muslims and Christians are against this lawlessness. They cannot understand why these crimes continue with impunity.

Both the Muslim and Christian inhabitants dream and aspire for a community without these crimes. The tragedy is when religion is cited as a reason for these crimes. No one shall kill or kidnap in the name of God!

These crimes are perpetrated by a few people and by people with agenda whether political or economic.

In times of crisis, kidnapping is a lucrative business. The going price for release of the kidnapped victims goes from one million to P15 million for the locals and one to five million US dollars for foreigners (meaning Caucasian).

People fear that as Election Day nears (May 2010), kidnapping can be lucrative source of campaign chess for some unscrupulous candidates.

Why some of the leaders of kidnapping become assets?

It is claimed that they become ‘informants’ for the so called international terrorists – peoples identified with the likes of al Qaeda or JI. This is one of the ‘accidental’ fruits of the big bounty placed by US government on the heads of the so called foreign terrorists. They become ‘assets’ with the objective of bagging the big bounty.

With payments of five million dollars or ten million dollars, who would not be tempted?

In the Southern Philippines, missionaries are open targets and foreign missionaries are more targets than their local counterparts.

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate who are assigned in Cotabato, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have an ample share of martyrs in the last ten years in the Archipelago of Sulu.

Bishop Benjamin de Jesus was shot in front of the Jolo Cathedral in February 1998; Fr. Benjamin Innocencio was shot at the back of the Jolo Cathedral on Dec. 28, 2000, Fr. Reynaldo Roda, OMI was brutally murdered in Tabawan, Tawi-Tawi on January 14, 2008.

The Claretian Fathers has one martyr, Fr. Rhoel, in Basilan. The Italian Missionaries (PIME) has several missionaries kidnapped with Fr. Bossi being the last one (hopefully).

Fr. Michael Sinnott is the 3rd among the Columbans. The first attempt was with Fr. Rufus who resisted his kidnappers and shot in Malabang, Lanao del Sur. And the third one was the former Prelate of Marawi, Fr. Desmond Hartford.

The kidnapping will continue until the government and the liberation fronts decide, with seriousness and determination, to put an end to this tragic phenomenon.

I also believe that the government and the liberation fronts (MNLF and MILF) have the wherewithal to put an end to this crime and other lawlessness in Mindanao.

A no-nonsense LGU in place is a strong deterrence to kidnapping.

Here I will cite the case of the once notorious places of Buldon, Barira, and Matanog.

With strong and determined LGUs in place and with the help of both the government forces and the Liberations Fronts, peace has been established.

The three LGUs have also established a Council of Religious Leaders to mediate the family and clan feuds (rido) that often disturb the peace.

For quite sometime now, there has been no report of kidnapping in these areas. This only shows that kidnapping can be stopped!

Eph’pheta, that is, “Be Opened”! This phrase is taken from the Gospel of St. Mark.

“And they brought to him a man who was deaf
and had an impediment in his speech;
and they besought him to lay his hand on him.
And taking him aside from the multitude privately,
he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;
and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him,
“Eph’phata”, that is, “Be opened.”
And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” (Mk. 7: 32-35)

In a plural society, a preferred trait toward a good neighborliness given the diversities of culture and education is OPENNESS.

This demands a basic openness of mind and heart to accept and respect our differences in faiths and cultures.

There are three basic attitudes that will help us walk this new path of openness. They are as follows:

The recognition that our life, future and destiny are intimately linked to each other.

No, we cannot espouse a politics of separatism, a culture of exclusivism, and nor can we act as sole proprietors of the land.

Second is to be open, that is, Eph’pheta/Iftah, to each other –learning not only from each other but more so to live and work as partners in shaping our common lives and destiny in peace, justice and care of the earth. Yes, we must not be afraid or hesitate to accept, to trust, and to work with each other as partners.

Third is our commitment and involvement in the promotion and guarantee of the rights and dignity of every person regardless of faith, gender, culture, and color within our society/community.

The basis of this commitment is our belief that all peoples even though they belong to different religions, nations, etc. form ONE human family, created by the ONE and same God, living in the same world/community, and destined for a common end.

For emphasis, I take a portion of the late Pope John Paul II’ s address at Casablanca Morocco on 18 August 1985.

“People do not accept their differences.
They do not know each other sufficiently.
They reject those who have not the same civilization.
They refuse to help each other.
They are unable to free themselves from egoism and from self-conceit.
But God created all equal in dignity,
Though different with regard to gifts and talents,
Mankind is a whole where each one has his/her part to play.
The worth of the various peoples and of the diverse cultures must be recognized.
The world is as it were a living organism.
Each one has something to receive from the others and has something to give to them.”

Pope John Paul II presented to the world his dream and hope for Christianity and Islam as they journey together into the new millennium.

In his last Addresses to Muslims and Christians in Syria at the Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on 6 May 2001, he said:

“It is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and teachers will present our two great religious communities as COMMUNITIES IN RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE, NEVER MORE AS COMMUNITIES IN CONFLICT.”

It is crucial for the young to be taught the ways of respect and understanding, so that they will not be led to misuse religion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence.

Violence destroys the image of the Creator in his creatures, and should never be considered as the fruit of religious conviction.”

“Better mutual understanding will surely lead to a more objective and comprehensive knowledge of each other’s religious beliefs at the practical level, to a new way of presenting our two religions NOT IN OPPOSITION, as it happened too often in the past, BUT IN PARTNERSHIP FOR THE GOOD OF THE HUMAN FAMILY.”

Openness is NOT a universal element in human relations. It has to be slowly, patiently and sometimes painfully built through time.

To achieve peace in the Philippines, we must steadily school ourselves to prefer openness to fanaticism; trust to hostility; and respect to intolerance.

We begin by being living witnesses of this openness to each other by accepting and respecting our differences.