The entire country, and perhaps the international community was struck by the news last July 10, 2007 that when 10 Marines were beheaded by alleged bandits coming the ranks of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and Abu Sayyaf. It was enough to cause distress, foremost to the communities near the place of incident, but also to the peacemakers who toiled hard to bring back peace and development in Mindanao. Since the all-out war policy of Estrada Administration, a significant leap has been made to restore peace in the Mindanao, particularly the ARMM. Communities began to become vibrant again, and holding to the last thread of hope that peace would eventually thrive in Mindanao. But peace seems elusive.

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