Statement of Sen. Richard Gordon on the release of Fr. Michael Sinnott

We are elated by the release of Irish Missionary Fr. Michael Sinnott. We join the whole nation in saying prayers of thanksgiving now that he is free and safe, as we congratulate all those who made the release possible.

There were allegations that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were behind the abduction, but Fr. Sinnott himself announced that it was not them.

In future incidents of the same kind, we must be cautious in making accusations as to who are behind, or involved, in these acts. We cannot falsely and maliciously accuse people without showing any concrete evidence.

In any case, we must keep on talking; we must keep the communication lines open; but above all, we must keep our minds and hearts even more open. We must learn to respect, understand and accept one another.

We also realize that the government must work much harder and ensure that education, health services, jobs, and livelihood are delivered to the people if we are to hope that such kidnappings and other illegal activities will not happen again.

We must learn the lesson that peace does not come about on its own, it must be worked on relentlessly and it must be earned.