PHL gov't, MILF to launch 'Sajahatra Bangsamoro'

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 6): PHL gov't, MILF to launch 'Sajahatra Bangsamoro'

President Benigno Aquino III will lead the launching Monday of the "Sajahatra Bangsamoro" together with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, in a press briefing Wednesday, explained that "Sajahatra", which is an Arabic term also used in Bahasa and Melayu, is a derivative word that means "blessing, prosperity and peace." He said "Sajahatra Bangsamoro" is a basic services program for MILF communities to be held at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute in Sultan Kudarat.

Almendras said government agencies involved in basic services such as the Departments of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Health (DOH), Agriculture (DA), Education (DepEd), and TESDA will be there to give assistance to the Muslim communities.

A medical mission will also be launched wherein members of the MILF will be given PhilHealth cards. "There will be a symbolic turnover of a PhilHealth card to the (MILF) chairman (Al Haj Murad Ebrahim) himself," he said. "We are all going to be there because we are going to make a ready. We are going to make members of MILF feel the presence and the services of the national government," he noted.

Under the program, the DepEd will be announcing its programs to have (in) some of the madaris schools -- to enhance the education programs or even a whole new way of looking at how education will happen in a peaceful Mindanao.

The government will also be distributing certificates of scholarships, to those who have finished high school and will be joining the university ranks. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will be distributing scholarship grants to Muslim students who will be joining the state universities and colleges in Mindanao.

On the other hand, TESDA will be offering training programs and will have a demonstration of some basic skills and training that will be needed to help some of the members of MILF who have been detached from mainstream society come back to more productive activity.

The DA, meanwhile, will be distributing seeds, give technical assistance on planting technology to help these communities that were originally considered non-existent because they were rebels stand up and get again into the mainstream of agricultural life.

"Makikinabang sila (MILF) sa lahat ng serbisyo ng gobyerno. Makikinabang sila sa health programs, makikinabang sila sa mga programa ng Department of Education, CHED, DA. Lahat po yun makakatulong in making the peace sustainable," said Almendras. "This is what Sajahatra is all about, you have to show them eto -- blessing, prosperity and peace. Eto ang mangyayari kapag may kapayapaan tayo," he said.

Almendras, however, said that the launching of Sajahatra Bangsamoro "is not a political event." "This is not going to be a political event. We will make sure this is not a political event. It is the President (who) does not want it to be a political event, and the (MILF) chairman (also) does not want it to be political event," he stressed. "There will be no weapons. It is a gathering of peace. There is no need of bringing weapons into the premises," he added.

President Aquino will be joined by most of his Cabinet secretaries and the top brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police. Aside from Ebrahim, the Malaysian third-party facilitator of the peace talks between government and the MILF, Ghafar Tengku, will also be attending, along with members of the International Monitoring Team, International Contact Group and other foreign dignitaries.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=495005