Dear friends in media, On behalf of the Office of Rep.

Teddy Brawner Baguilat, we are providing you the statement below which we hope you will consider for your respective media organizations. Should you have further questions, please contact Ms. Robeliza Halip at mobile number 09214928244 or email robieleeza@gmail.com. Thank you.

JUSTICE AND CALM IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY Statement of Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat in reaction to the recent encounters between the AFP and the MILF
The recent armed encounters between members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were truly tragic. I am not a stranger to such loss under brutal circumstances, and I can only extend my sincerest condolences to those left behind by our fallen soldiers. Anger and a feeling of betrayal must be overcoming the family and friends of our fallen heroes, as well as those who sympathize with them. We must honor these soldiers who have paid the ultimate price in defense of the country. Honoring their memory includes ensuring that they did not die in vain and that justice is done. Indeed, justice must be pursued for all of those slain in the encounters between the AFP and the MILF. I therefore urge the Executive Branch to investigate without delay the armed encounters between the AFP and the MILF, and to bring to justice those who will be found to have violated any law or breached any code of conduct in the incidents. Only then can the spirits of the fallen be truly at peace. Yet we must not allow ourselves to be overpowered by grief and let our decisions be dictated by rage. Let us remain calm, and in serenity reflect upon what will benefit the country and our countrymen the most. After mourning the countrys loss, we must not lose sight of the fact that the peace talks between the Government and the MILF must continue. I support the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III to pursue peace, for war can only lead to the mutual ruin of the Republic and our Muslim brothers. All-out war was pursued in the past, and that has not brought us any closer to resolving the concerns of Muslims in Mindanao. The casualty of all-out war is none other than the development of Mindanao, and with it, the advancement of the entire country. It has also resulted to numerous human rights violations and displacement of our indigenous brothers and sisters who are themselves asserting their right to their ancestral domains in Mindanao. I hope that both sides in the peace talks will see these recent clashes between the AFP and the MILF as an opportunity to address very urgent issues, if only to ensure that such an episode will not happen again. And in jointly resolving the concerns surrounding the encounters, I hope that both sides may move closer to achieving mutually acceptable conditions for peace. In this way, we will truly have honored the memory of those killed in the encounters between the AFP and MILF
---

Aiza Liza P. Namingit Legislative Staff Office of Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat Lone District, Ifugao Rm. 315 North Wing, House of Representatives Batasan Hills, Quezon City Tel. No. (02)9315106