Mindanao has been annexed to Philippine since 1948. Historically, Mindanao was never part of so-called Philippine. With aggression (similar to Israel regime) by Manila regime, the local Mindanao people is now minority and the so-called Autonomous Region of *Muslim Mindanao* (ARMM) only covering not more 30% of the whole Mindanao island.
Fr. Roberto C. Layson, a P*arish Priest of Pikit, North Cotabato during the Interreligious Dialogue Conference in Bali, Indonesia said *“in Mindanao, when you ask a Muslim boy what he wants to become when he grows up, he tells you that he wants to become a rebel to fight the military. When you ask a Christian boy what he wants to become when he grows up, he tells you that he wants to become a soldier to fight the rebels”. PHILIPPINES: SHATTERED LIVES BEYOND THE 2008-2009 MINDANAO ARMED CONFLICT *“We inherited an age-old conflict in Mindanao, exacerbated by a politically popular but near-sighted policy of massive retaliation. This only provoked the other side to continue the war.”* - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her State of the Nation Address, 27 July 2009 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL INDEX: ASA 35/006/2009 *REPORT SUMMARY* Yet another round of fighting between the Philippine government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has ended on 29 July 2009. The 2008-2009 hostilities, which displaced more than 750,000 persons in total and led to numerous human rights abuses, officially ended with an agreement to resume peace negotiations. One year after renewed violence between government security forces and armed groups, Mindanao is finally beginning to see a possible end to the unrest and uncertainty— and perhaps even an end to the 40-year armed conflict. *HERE* <http://1426.blogspot.com/2010/04/mindanao-shattered-lives.html>
