Mindanao Refugees Still Scared To Go Back Home

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 08, 2009) - Filipino war refugees who returned to their homes last week now said they want to go back to the evacuation centers because of fears of renewed clashes between the military and Moro rebels.

"The internally-displaced persons are afraid of the presence of soldiers who continued to stay in their villages, some even sleeping right inside the houses of residents," said Teren Talusan, a councilor from the village of Masigay in Datu Piang town.

For them to be able to return home safely, the IDPs are demanding a complete pull-out of the military in their villages. They are also calling for the resumption of the peace talks between the Arroyo government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and that ceasefire mechanisms be restored as soon as possible.

These calls were reiterated by local civil society organizations, including the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society-Kutawato Regional Management Committee (CBCS-KRMC), Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace (BCJP) and the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD).

The IDPs also urged the strict observance of the UN Guiding Principles for Internal Displacement, citing several principles that ensure protection and safety of IDPs including Principle 28.

Principle 28 states that it is the primary duty and responsibility of authorities to first establish the conditions and the means allowing IDPs to return to their homes in safety and with dignity.

About 60 families from the village of Masigay returned to their homes late last month upon the advice of Datu Piang town officials who had declared their area safe, Talusan said.

Many, however, left some of their children behind the evacuation centers as they still fear for their safety.

Musib Uy Tan, executive assistant to the town mayor, said they the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) declared it safe for the refugees to return home.

The MPOC also declared safe the villages of Dado, Liong, Masigay Alonganen, Balanaken and Butilen.

Tan clarified that the evacuees were never forced to return. "Their safety is our utmost concern. We will never allow them to be put in danger," he said.

The IDPs said they saw soldiers in their villages and their presence raised fears that if fighting erupts they could be trapped or caught in the crossfire.

"With soldiers around, you could not tell when there would be attacks," said Syrianbai Sangcupan, a resident of Dado village. "We pray that the military will leave so that we will have normal lives again."

The number of IDPs in Datu Piang is now estimated to be more than 5,200 families, down from 9,225 families at the height of the fighting in October last year.

More than half a million people were displaced in Central Mindanao due to fighting between Philippine government forces and the MILF following the collapse of the peace talks in July last year. (Suara nu Maginged Media Services)