Mindanao War

As what we have feared, war became the consequence of the apparent `failure' of the peace talks between the government and the MILF. Casualties are mounting.  Destruction of property are affecting the local economy and media is reporting human rights violations left and right. 

Government says they are not going back to the peace table. So, does the MILF. What we have right now is a very critical situation that might affect overall economic growth. The NEDA downgraded GDP growth to a mere 5%. Next year, we expect a lower than average growth for the Philippines, to as little as 3-4%

Both camps are trying to picture these situations as "isolated incidents", but news on the ground shows otherwise. These are low-level, coordinated attacks meant for escalation. An escalation may happen after Ramadhan, hence, we expect further MILF attacks this year and possibly by next year should government refuse to go back to the nego table.