We come here to you to bring the message of peace, and we take the first steps towards genuine reconciliation. Let us face the future with hope and determination and leave no stone unturned in our quest for the real and lasting peace in Mindanao.
Perhaps, some of you would meet my statements with doubts and reservations. I cannot blame those who harbor these ruffled sentiments, because even from among the people we represent, the Bangsamoro, there are also those who continue to feel animosity towards some people of North Cotabato Province. History has not really been so kind to us by making us a highly polarized peoples or nations.
In mainland Mindanao, no other province has seen the worst of war between “Christians” and “Muslims” than the Province of Cotabato. But being Christian or Muslim is incidental; the confrontation was not about religion; instead, religion was merely used to justify it.
Certainly, we cannot go on hating and hurting each other. At some point in time we have to come to terms with each other. We believe the time has come and it is now. And that is why we are here. We pay homage to North Cotabato Provincial Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza whose friendship and demonstrations of support to the peace process we have no reason to doubt. We also praise Vice Governor Gregorio Ipong, Congressman Pingping Tejada, as well as all the members of the Provincial Board of North Cotabato who are with us today for journeying with us in our quest for genuine peace in Mindanao. I also pay tribute to other leaders of this province who are not with us today but who are as supportive to the peace process as anyone of us, and to the thousands of men and women who work for peace, in whatever way possible. Pardon me for not being able to mention their names.
The crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is now at full speed. We in the Bangsamoro Transition Commission hope to finish it by April of this year and then submit it to President Benigno Aquino III, who in turn will transmit it to Congress as an urgent bill. We are very optimistic that the collective wisdom of Congress will ensure the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law without much hassle.
The Bangsamoro Basic Law is not only a document for the form of government that is to be established. By it, we would pursue the development that has long evaded us all; one that is for the people and friendly to the environment.
We have given our assurance to the non-Moros, the Christians and the Indigenous Peoples --- and I am reiterating it now --- that your basic rights, including all your vested property rights, will be protected. There is nothing to fear, because the future Bangsamoro Government is not vindictive or confiscatory in nature. We will approach the future and all the attending problems with utmost care, sensitivity, and understanding. We will ensure that the wheel of justice will run its course smoothly and justly. And we are not alone in the undertaking. We will always be in partner with the Central Government and all those who genuinely believe in and pursue the path of peace and reconciliation.
I appeal to you to be involved in the public consultations being organized by the Commission and civil society organizations. The people and all stakeholders, both rights-based and interests-based, have to be informed.
It is precisely for this reason that Bangsamoro Transition Commission has entered into agreements with more than one hundred civil society organizations in Mindanao and Manila, as well as with at least two international non-government organizations in order to conduct massive and sustained public engagements or consultations.
The Commission operates on the principles of inclusivity, transparency, and parity of esteem. We stand by these principles and we are committed to make them part of our way of life.
If by our visit here today we could have opened doors of reconciliation, then we would consider it as another humble contribution towards the genesis of a truly peaceful community for all of us.
Let us, therefore, give this peace process a chance to run its course and prove its worth. Let us also give the Bangsamoro all the chances to succeed and if in the end they fail, then they can blame no one but themselves.
Thank you very much, and good day to all!
[The opening message of Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, during their courtesy call to North Cotabato Governor Lala Taliño-Mendoza on January 16, 2014.]
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/document/item/769-the-opening-message-of-mohagher-iqbal
In mainland Mindanao, no other province has seen the worst of war between “Christians” and “Muslims” than the Province of Cotabato. But being Christian or Muslim is incidental; the confrontation was not about religion; instead, religion was merely used to justify it.
Certainly, we cannot go on hating and hurting each other. At some point in time we have to come to terms with each other. We believe the time has come and it is now. And that is why we are here. We pay homage to North Cotabato Provincial Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza whose friendship and demonstrations of support to the peace process we have no reason to doubt. We also praise Vice Governor Gregorio Ipong, Congressman Pingping Tejada, as well as all the members of the Provincial Board of North Cotabato who are with us today for journeying with us in our quest for genuine peace in Mindanao. I also pay tribute to other leaders of this province who are not with us today but who are as supportive to the peace process as anyone of us, and to the thousands of men and women who work for peace, in whatever way possible. Pardon me for not being able to mention their names.
The crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is now at full speed. We in the Bangsamoro Transition Commission hope to finish it by April of this year and then submit it to President Benigno Aquino III, who in turn will transmit it to Congress as an urgent bill. We are very optimistic that the collective wisdom of Congress will ensure the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law without much hassle.
The Bangsamoro Basic Law is not only a document for the form of government that is to be established. By it, we would pursue the development that has long evaded us all; one that is for the people and friendly to the environment.
We have given our assurance to the non-Moros, the Christians and the Indigenous Peoples --- and I am reiterating it now --- that your basic rights, including all your vested property rights, will be protected. There is nothing to fear, because the future Bangsamoro Government is not vindictive or confiscatory in nature. We will approach the future and all the attending problems with utmost care, sensitivity, and understanding. We will ensure that the wheel of justice will run its course smoothly and justly. And we are not alone in the undertaking. We will always be in partner with the Central Government and all those who genuinely believe in and pursue the path of peace and reconciliation.
I appeal to you to be involved in the public consultations being organized by the Commission and civil society organizations. The people and all stakeholders, both rights-based and interests-based, have to be informed.
It is precisely for this reason that Bangsamoro Transition Commission has entered into agreements with more than one hundred civil society organizations in Mindanao and Manila, as well as with at least two international non-government organizations in order to conduct massive and sustained public engagements or consultations.
The Commission operates on the principles of inclusivity, transparency, and parity of esteem. We stand by these principles and we are committed to make them part of our way of life.
If by our visit here today we could have opened doors of reconciliation, then we would consider it as another humble contribution towards the genesis of a truly peaceful community for all of us.
Let us, therefore, give this peace process a chance to run its course and prove its worth. Let us also give the Bangsamoro all the chances to succeed and if in the end they fail, then they can blame no one but themselves.
Thank you very much, and good day to all!
[The opening message of Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, during their courtesy call to North Cotabato Governor Lala Taliño-Mendoza on January 16, 2014.]
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/document/item/769-the-opening-message-of-mohagher-iqbal
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