Architects and champions of the peace process in Mindanao will mark the first anniversary of the signing of
the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on Friday (March
27).
About 2,000 peace advocates from different organizations
will mark the celebration with a walk for peace at the Quezon Memorial Circle
The CAB was entered between the Philippine government and
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), capping the over 17 years of
negotiations, at Malacanan on March 27, 2014.
Dubbed as “Suroy-Suroy Sa Kalinaw: Kapayapaan sa Mindanao,
Kapayapaan Nating Lahat,” the event is a multi-sectoral initiative to
demonstrate the support of different sectors to the peace process and to
recognize the CAB as a significant milestone in the journey to peace in Mindanao .
Participating civil society and non-government organizations
are: All-Out Peace, Balay Rehabilitation Center, Caucus of Development NGO
Networks (CODE-NGO), Center for Peace Education, Friends of the Bangsamoro
(FoBM), Generation Peace, GZO Peace Institute, Generation Peace Youth Network
(GZO), International Center for Transformation, Innovation and Excellence in
Governance (INCITEGov), Initiative for International Dialogue (IID), KOMPRE,
Makati Business Club (MBC), Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN), National
Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), National Youth Commission (NYC), People
Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR), Philippine Business for Social Progress
(PBSP), Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), Professors for Peace,
Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (WE Act 1325), Young Public Servants (YPS),
among others.
The goal of the event is “to show that CSOs are coming
together to support and commemorate the CAB Signing.”
Leaders of various civil society groups and government
institutions are expected to grace the event and give messages in support of
the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the legal iteration of the CAB, and the peace
agreement.
Amid the criticisms assailing the BBL as a result of the
Mamasapano incident, “the call for an all-out war should be balanced by a
stronger call for an all-out peace; thus the consolidation of peace
constituents from various sectors,” the organizers said.
The event will feature performing artists such as Bayang
Barrios, Kooky Chua, Noel Cabangon and Joey Ayala to show solidarity for peace.
At the same time, about 2,500 children who are internally
displaced victims of armed conflict and currently residing in evacuation
centers will participate in a personal healing dialogue dubbed as
"Children's Dialogue thru Art" at Mahad Al-Islamiya in Libutan,
Maguindanao.
This event is initiated by the Our Peace Movement (OPM),
comprised of various partner networks of civil society organizations in Manila and Mindanao .
To provide context and better understanding on the
Bangsamoro identity, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) will also hold “A Forum on the Bangsamoro in National History” in its main
building at T.M. Kalaw Street Manila
The Commission said the activity “hopes to bring about a
better appreciation of the history of the Bangsamoro and the Muslim Filipinos,
and their singular role in the making of the Filipino nation, a subject of
timely significance, especially in light of the current deliberation on the
Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
The NHCP has invited historians and resource persons of
note, to lecture on the different periods of Muslim Filipino history:
• Dr. Ma. Bernadette G. Abrera (UP Diliman) -- “Early Muslim
Filipinos and the Onset of Colonization";
•Dr. Cecilia B. Tangian (Marawi State University-Iligan
Institute of Technology), -- “Muslim Filipinos’ Reaction to Spanish
Colonization;”
•Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose (UP Diliman) -- “Muslim Filipinos
and the Making of a Nation,” and
•Dr. Renato Oliveros (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) --
“Muslim Filipinos in Contemporary Times”
At 5:30 p.m., the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process will be launching three publications at the Baluarte de San Diego
Gardens, Intramuros, Manila, namely: “Getting to Peace: Opening Statements from
the GPH-MILF Peace Talks (2011-2014),” “In Defense of the Bangsamoro Basic Law:
Selected Essays,” and “Kababaihan at Kapayapaan Magazine (Issue no. 3),” OPAPP
bared.
“Getting to Peace: Opening Statements from the GPH-MILF
Peace Talks (2011-2014)” is a compilation of statements that were delivered by
the chief negotiators – Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Prof. Miriam
Coronel-Ferrer and Mohagher Iqbal -- during the formal peace negotiations under
the Aquino administration.
The book “In Defense of the Bangsamoro Basic Law: Selected
Essays,” are composed mainly of speeches and essays articulated in several
peace forums and discussions on the southern Philippines
The authors are Government of the Philippines
Along with the books, the “Kababaihan at Kapayapaan Magazine”
will also release its third edition with stories of women advocating peace in
the country.
The launching of the publications come with a renewed sense
of commitment to ensure the passage of the BBL to cap the years of negotiations
for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, Coronel-Ferrer said.
She noted that proponents of the peace agreement between the
Philippine government and the MILF want to reaffirm their commitment to
President Benigno S. Aquino III’s declaration at the signing of the CAB a year
ago to “not let the peace that we have all worked for be snatched from our
people again.”
Coronel-Ferrer added that the event is likewise a call to
the Filipino people to support the peace process.
“We want to emphasize that while the congressional deliberations
have been delayed by the Mamasapano incident, the peace process continues. We
are confident that members of our Congress, with the commitment of its leaders,
would ensure passage of the BBL in line with their own commitment to the
success of the peace process,” Coronel-Ferrer said.
These activities will raise public awareness and
understanding of the BBL and the peace agreement which is necessary to the
passage of the draft law by Congress and its later implementation. A recent
survey showed that majority of Filipinos do not have sufficient knowledge of
the contents of the draft law and the peace agreement, which have made public
opinion towards these vulnerable to the manipulation of its critics and
oppositors.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=748165
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