Options in the pursuit of a just, comprehensive, and stable peace in the Southern Philippines

Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in Mindanao 30 years ago, the people of Mindanao and the entire Filipino nation have yearned for a comprehensive and stable peace in the Southern Philippines and the country as a whole. With the unexpectedly early exit of an "all-out-war" president and the installation of a new administration, the Filipino people now have an excellent opportunity to take a good, hard look at the situation they find themselves in and to study very well-or reconsider-the options before them in the pursuit of that elusive peace. Does the solution to the long-standing "Moro problem" lie in secession, regional autonomy, or a federal system? To resolve the problem, is a negotiated political settlement feasible or is war the only viable recourse left?.