Saturday, May 10, 2014

MILF: Civil Society Organizations stage rally in front of Philippine Congress

From the MILF Website (May 10): Civil Society Organizations stage rally in front of Philippine Congress



More than a thousand rallyists led by the Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP) gathered in front of the Congress of the Philippines on May 5, 2014, urging lawmakers to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) without delay. The BBL and the upcoming Bangsamoro Region are seen as the gateway towards attaining peace in volatile and undeveloped region of Mindanao.
  
“The participants of this peace rally came from different areas of Metro Manila, and they have participated voluntarily to show their strong support for the enactment of BBL as they believe  that only the realization of the Bangsamoro Government can finally put bloodsheds into closure in Mindanao,” Bobby Benito, Deputy Spokesperson of MAP, said.

“Similar gathering by peace advocates and other concerned residents shall continue here in Metro Manila and Mindanao until the BBL is enacted into law by Congress,” Benito also said.

Asked about the influence of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the said activity, Haji Murshid Mascud, Vice Chairman of the MAP, said: “This is purely Civil Society Organizations initiated activity.”

“...But the reality is we invited all Bangsamoro to participate as resolving the Mindanao question is everybody’s concern, because of this, there might be some MILF and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members that participated without necessarily making any influence on the activity,” he clarified.

Mahdie Amella, Executive Director of the Mindanao Action for Peace and Development Initiative (MAPAD INITIATIVE), said that the said rally was successful as expected.

“The manifesto of the rally was submitted to Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Speaker of the House of Congress and Congressman Rufus Rodriguez, a Mindanaoan” he disclosed.

Kamim Makmod, Chairman of the United Youth for Peace and Development in the national capital region (UNYPAD-NCR) said that his officers and members from organized chapters in Metro Manila participated in the rally in full force.

“The UNYPAD has been supporting the GPH-MILF peace process from the start, and we will continue to extend our support until peace finally reigns in Mindanao,” Makmod stressed.

Benito said that United Youth of the Philippines (UNYPHIL), Filipino-Muslim Foundation (FilMus), Women Group (Ummahat), Muslim Youth Brotherhood (MYB), Anak Mindnao, Norul Salam, ICARE FOR BANGSAMORO, NORONISA, IIS, UMAT, NANGSA, CMAMA, PHILPAD, MINSUPALA, ICP are among other organizations that participated in the rally.

On May 4, simultaneous rallies were held in the different cities and towns in Mindanao to advance the call for congress to deliberate and enact the BBL, where hundreds of thousands of Bangsamoro and Indigenous Peoples (IP’s) participated.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/970-civil-society-organizations-stage-rally-in-front-of-philippine-congress

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