Members of civil society, including those from the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), gathered in a multi-stakeholders'
consultation last July 15 to discuss the prospects of the peace process under
the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, expressing strong hopes for
the attainment of security, justice, and development across Mindanao.
Titled "Prospects on Journey to Peace under the Duterte
Administration," the forum was organized and convened by Miriam
College-Women and Gender Institute (MC-WAGI) in cooperation with the Unites
States Embassy in the Philippines
“President Duterte has reopened and restarted the peace
negotiations with the Left. He also offered vital Cabinet positions to the Left
and appointed persons for negotiations,” said MC-WAGI Executive Director Atty.
Aurora De Dios during her opening remarks, referring to the renewed peace
negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the
political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed
wing the New People’s Army (NPA).
“President Duterte is pushing for federalism and
continuously talking with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and the MNLF
(Moro National Liberation Front),” she added.
In many occasions, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Jesus Dureza has put to rest reservations on
whether the Duterte administration would honor the gains achieved in the peace
process. “We build on every brick on the ground. There is so much that has been
done already. The message is continuity, and this is for the Filipino people.
Enabling peace is a work for a lifetime. It is a continuous work.”
Civil society organizations represented in the forum include
Nooru Salam; United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women); the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI); Balay
Rehabilitation; Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (WE Act 1325); Council for the
Welfare of Children; GenPeace Youth Network; Kasibulan; and the Initiatives for
International Dialogue (IID). Partners of the Women’s Peace Collective (WPC)
from Basilan, Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga were
also represented.
Previous peace adviser Teresita Quintos Deles, together with
former Bangsamoro Transition Commissioner Atty. Raissa Jajurie, provided
attendees with a situational analysis on what has been achieved in the peace
process with the MILF, with Jajurie focusing on possible means of moving
forward.
“Whether the current administration would pursue the
legislative track of the peace process or subsume it under the call for
federalism, what is important to note is that the MILF and MNLF have shown
their commitment to arrive at a peace resolution to the conflict in Mindanao ,” Jajurie explained. “Whatever road map is
adopted, it should be able to lead to the resolution of the Bangsamoro
Question.”
The MILF and the MNLF recently released a joint statement
vowing to “come together with a unified action to work at common goals and
objectives to engage with the new Philippine administration.”
The two Moro fronts were also tapped recently by the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to assist the government’s
campaign against illegal drugs in their respective communities and strongholds.
Change from within
PCID President Amina Rasul, who served as the forum’s
resource person on emerging issues on women and peace in the ARMM, said that
people in the ARMM should also be willing to change and improve themselves in
order for President Duterte’s peace and development initiatives to bear fruits.
“Not just because President Digong said ‘Change is coming’
means that it will happen without doing anything ourselves. It says in the
Quran that God will only change the condition of man if man makes changes for
himself. This means we also need to have attitudinal change within ourselves,”
said Rasul, highlighting socioeconomic realities in the ARMM such as how
majority of the people live below the poverty threshold and that incidences of
illiteracy and joblessness remain high.
Recognizing the need for socioeconomic interventions, Dureza
had earlier commented on the need for peace dividends to accompany the peace
process. “It is not enough that we have signed peace agreements, it will not be
sustainable. We must couple it with development. In other words, when you sign
agreements, you must always make the people feel that there are dividends for
peace because it is development that will sustain all these gains.”
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=904876
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