Bagumbayan Party presidential candidate Richard Gordon said Friday the government should give livelihood opportunities to residents in Sulu and the whole of Mindanao to allow them to prosper and consequently stop the war.

Gordon said the government should invest money, especially on the transport of goods from Mindanao to markets in Manila and other cities, so the people in Mindanao would have a chance to sell their goods which are cheap to produce there but are priced at a premium in Manila.

Gordon made the statement in the wake of reports that Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) commander Al Bader Parad, with whom he negotiated for the release of three Red Cross workers last year, was killed in an encounter by the military.

Gordon said he did not want to appear soft by opting not to go to war with Muslim insurgents in Mindanao, but he said the government should assert governance over Mindanao by providing livelihood opportunities to people there so they would not be lured into becoming bandits.

“Sa palagay ko kaya nangyari yan dahil sa kakulangan ng governance. Kulang tayo ng gobyerno doon kaya ang mga tao napipilitang magdala ng baril at maging rebel. Dapat maiayos natin ang buhay doon para hindi na madagdagan ang mga ganyang tao na lumalabag sa batas,” (“We lack governance, that’s why residents resort to carrying guns and joining rebel groups. Let’s seeks to improve their lives”), Gordon said.

Parad was killed in a raid by the military on an Abu Sayyaf hideout in Mt. Pukay in Barangay Karawan, Maimbung, Sulu. Last year, Gordon negotiated with Parad for the release of three Red Cross workers kidnapped while on duty in Mindanao.