A Roman Catholic Bishop and an Army major general will lead
the first ever 90-kilometer "Bike for Love" on Heart Day in support
of the government's campaign for peace in Mindanao and the passage of the
Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo and 6th
Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan will lead the
activity dubbed as BBL or "Bangsamoro Bike for Love."
The mountain biking activity, also known as "We ride
together for BBL," will be participated by representatives from various
sectors, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF), GPH and MILF peace panels, International Monitoring
Team, officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), business,
academe and non government organizations.
"All the expected participants are working for
peace," said Capt. Joanne Petinglay, speaking for the 6th Infantry
Division which organized the bike for peace.
MNLF Chairman Muslimin G. Sema also expressed support to the
peace activity.
Peinglay said the fun bike primarily aims to encourage
support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law and to foster the spirit of solidarity
among bike enthusiasts who can be called heralds of love and peace.
"The activity will showcase the concerted efforts and
cooperation among stakeholders as a mechanism for strong support to
peace," Maj. Gen. Pangilinan said in a statement.
Pangilinan calls for unity among all the biking enthusiasts
to join in the endeavor for the speedy passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic
Law.
"He is very optimistic that the proposed law will
cultivate peace and provide solution to decades-old conflict in Mindanao ," Petinglay said of the 6th ID chief.
Petinglay said the bikers will proceed to Mamasapano in
Maguindanao, site of the January 25 clash between government forces and Moro
rebels that left 44 policemen, 18 rebels and five civilians dead.
The bikers will commence the "Bangsamoro Bike for
Love" in two separate venues. One group will leave the 6th ID compound in
Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao and the other emanates from the Tacurong City Hall
Bishop Bagaforo said he expected about 300 bikers
participating in the event which will also express solidarity with the call for
justice for the "Fallen 44" and all other victims of the Jan. 25
incident.
Bagaforo said the Archdiocese of Cotabato will take part in
the “Bangsamoro Bike for Love” as the Church's way of showing their confidence
in the peace process.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
The CBCP statement stressed that “peace goes hand in hand
with justice,” stressing it is “not the fruit of a mere handshake or an
embrace.”
Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan in a
separate statement said more than the absence of conflict, peace is the
“assurance of respect for fundamental human dignity and human rights”.
“For the Bangsamoro, justice means the recognition of their
centuries-old aspiration for self-determination, their right to chart their own
destiny in dignity and freedom. For the whole country justice requires the
acceptance of the overarching right of national sovereignty and national
territorial integrity,” he said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=734981
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