Saturday, August 31, 2013

September marks National Peace Consciousness Month

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 31): September marks National Peace Consciousness Month

The Philippines is set to celebrate the 10th National Peace Consciousness Month that aims to promote a culture of peace, and raise awareness and understanding among the public on the comprehensive peace process.

Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said this time of the year is “another great opportunity for the public to engage in empowering venues that encourage positive action and dialogue for peace.”

“The peace month is also a time to celebrate the milestones we have achieved in the peace process,” she added.

“For one, we are inching closer towards signing a Comprehensive Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).”

Deles said that the Philippine government and the MILF have already completed two of the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

These are the Annexes on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, and the Annex on Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing.

The remaining annexes being discussed by the parties on the negotiating table are on normalization and power sharing.

These four annexes, together with the FAB, will constitute the Comprehensive Agreement which the parties aim to sign within the year.

“The government and the MILF couldn’t have achieved these if not for the support of our people. However, we still need to strengthen our peace constituency in order to sustain the gains of the peace process,” the peace adviser stated.

The GPH and the MILF panels are slated to meet in September to resume discussions on the remaining annexes.

Deles related that this year’s peace month celebration centers on the theme, “Lahat ay peace-sible!” which is a play on the Filipino proverb, “Walang imposible sa taong naniniwala na lahat ay possible (Nothing is impossible to a person who believes that everything is possible).”

“The theme is a hopeful reminder that lasting peace is possible, especially if we all contribute towards it,” she said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=560904

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