Saturday, October 3, 2015

MILF: UNYPAD Facilitates Rido Settlement

Posted to the MILF Website (Oct 2): UNYPAD Facilitates Rido Settlement

UNYPAD Facilitates Rido Settlement

Members of Makalugi and Camin Clans finally ended their thirty two years of conflict over land facilitated by the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) by signing a peace covenant on September 28, 2015 at 2J&G Venue and Catering Services in Poblacion, Pikit, Cotabato on 28 September 2015.

Among the Very Important Persons (VIPs) invited to witness the signing of the agreement were representatives from the GPH CCCH and AHJAG, Noneviolent Peace force, provincial board members Dulia Sultan and Kelly Antao, MILF local commanders, MILF Sharia representative, local MILF commanders, and Hon. Pikit Mayor Muhayrin Sultan - Casi, Conciliation Resources Mindanao Project Manager Paul Adolfo  and International Monitoring Team (IMT) deputy head of mission First Admiral Datu Khairuddin bin Mohammad Arif.

The covenant says that the parties will inform all members of both clans about the covenant so as to avoid the recurrence of the already sealed conflict as well as future disagreements for the benefits of their future generations.

Hon. Mayor Muhyrin Sultan Casi - congratulated both parties for the peaceful resolution of their conflict.

“What you have signed now is for the benefit of your future generations, you now opened  the gate for the brighter future of your generations”, she said.

In his message, Dr. Rahib L. Kudto, national president of UNYPAD, told the public that contents of the covenant which both parties will be signing is a product of series of dialogues, shuttle communications and back-channellings conducted by the UNYPAD’s organized responding team.

“It was both parties who agreed on the content of the covenant. UNYPAD’s task was only to facilitate,” he clarified.

“This process assures both clans of the win-win solutions and they feel ownership on the process”, he added.

IMT deputy head of mission First Admiral Datu Khairuddin bin Mohammad Arif lauded the successful mediation of the UNYPAD and the Conciliation Resources.

“The historic covenant signing today must be shared to every one...there is no shortcut to peace... It requires mutual understanding, in working hand in hand we can all attain peace”, he told.

Paul Adolfo of CR, congratulated UNYPAD and the responding team for the successful local mediation conducted.

“Despite difficult challenges encountered while doing their jobs, they never surrendered,” Adolfo said.

“This responding team members are purely volunteers, they are not receiving anything from the C-R”, he pointed out.

Samad Edol, Chairman of the UNYPAD Responding Team, said that this Camin-Makalugi Makalugi land conflict begun as early as 1951 but their first recorded encounter started on March 11, 1983.

“This conflict claimed lives, caused massive evacuation and damaged a lot of properties of both sides,” he added..

Datuan Magon, Bantay Security General Coordinartor, said, “Under the project entitled “building peace in Mindanao through public participation in Mindanao in partnership with Conciliation Resources with funding assistance from the European Union, UNYPAD prioritized settlement of this conflict in order to heal the wounds and bridge social divides between these clans whose relationship has been in fragile for long years.”

“Aside from supporting formal mechanisms of the GPH-MILF peace process EU has been very active in providing assistance to organizations who are working for building local capacities and rebuilding of community trusts, Magon, also a UNYPAD deputy Secretary General for Administration, he added.

He also said that the parties appreciated and acknowledged the great importance of the conflict mitigation activity of the UNYPAD in partnership with the Conciliation Resources (C-R) under “Building Peace in Mindanao through Public Participation in Governance,” funded by European Union (EU) and the Support of Hon. Mayor Muhyryn Sultan-Casi of Pikit and the MILF Political and Military officers in the area.

“Over the past years, European Union has been very active in supporting community initiatives to rebuild trusts between and among people in the communities,” Magon disclosed.



http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/595-unypad-facilitates-rido-settlement
 

1 comment:

  1. UNYPAD has very close ties to the MILF. Some observers have characterized the group as an MILF front.

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