From the Philippine Information Agency (Dec 13, 2020): Multi-sector peaceably launches Yes for Peace on Int’l Human Rights Day (By Jerome Carlo R. Paunan)
Yes for Peace holds peace and human rights-oriented event kickoff in front of the UP Carillon Tower in Diliman, Quezon City (Photo courtesy of Mr. Ernesto A. Alcanzare)
CALOOCAN CITY, Dec. 13 (PIA) -- Following strict health protocols set by the World Health Organization, representatives of various sectors had peaceably assembled on International Human Rights Day to officially launch the historic Yes for Peace-Bayanihan ng Bayan para sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Kasaganaan at the Andres Bonifacio Centennial Carillon Tower located in the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines system.
The kickoff, a stark contrast amid the reportedly dwindling noisy and insolent protests and marches of anti-government forces to commemorate the global human rights event on Dec. 10, calmly called for the promotion of peacebuilding efforts, such as answering the Yes for Peace questionnaire to boost peace education, asserting the right to peace, and calling for an end to all armed conflicts in the country.
In his speech, Commissioner Yusoph Mando of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said, “Unfortunately, peacebuilding is still not the default response to conflict.”
“We need everybody’s help to tell others about how we can tackle conflict and end violence,” Mando added.
For his part, Cosanie Derogongan, Director of the Bureau of Peace and Conflict Resolution (BPCR) of the NMCF said, “We believe that we can achieve a just, comprehensive, unifying and sustainable peace without destruction to property and deaths, including unarmed civilians.”
“The armed conflicts can only be stopped if the will of the people can verifiably be documented through the people’s referendum component of Yes for Peace to debunk the self-declaration of armed rebels that they are fighting for the rights and interests of the people,” Derogongan added.
In his message, Undersecretary Severo S. Catura, Executive Director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC) underscored, “Peace is a human right, even as a society that is at peace is its ultimate aim.”
“There can never be real, tangible and felt development without making our people feel secure and it is our duty to uplift the people’s welfare,” Catura quoted a statement made by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the first State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Catura, who started his career at the Office of the Peace Commissioner (OPC) which eventually became the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) recalled, “This campaign is already more than thirty years old. We remain steadfast and firm in supporting its call because the advocacy of our office is for each individual to have the right to peace.”
Red tagging
After careful deliberation and negotiations with UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo and Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs Aleli B. Bawagan, the kick-off activity inside the UP Diliman campus was approved dispelling some allegations that UP is anti-government and will not permit non-leftists to openly express their advocacies inside the campus.
The full support of the university was felt by event organizers. Personnel from its Community Maintenance Office prepared the venue while the management of the UP Theater readily provided electrical power for the sounds and lights used in the event. Normal fees for rental and electrical consumption were likewise waived.
Alpha Dasmarinas, Chief Financial Officer of Yes for Peace, Incorporated was elated, “Thank you UP for the full support that you have given to for this simple kick-off event.”
“May you continue to support our campaign and take is as your own in the days to come pursuant to your Board of Regents Resolution offering UP as venue and as mediating institution during its 1056th meeting,” Dasmarinas said in gratitude.
Asked by the PIA-NCR, Ernesto Angeles Alcanzare, lead organizer of Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan and Chief Executive Officer of Yes for Peace Incorporated said, "Curiously, some well-meaning, but obviously misinformed supporters of the Duterte administration have reportedly red-tagged Yes for Peace over various social media platforms simply because it decided to use the color red as the background of its propaganda tarpaulins and because they allowed the UP Community to display the messages 'Defend Academic Freedom' and 'No to Red-Tagging'."
He explained, “The use of gold on red in our campaign tarpaulins is based on the Chinese belief that these colors bring fortune and good luck especially during events such as these. After all, the use of these colors is not exclusive to the communists.”
“As for the tarpaulins of the UP Community, these are commonly held beliefs among constituents, including its alumni to which I belong. Red-tagging the whole university because of a very noisy albeit small minority is unfair,” he lamented.
“Moreover, who can in his right mind refuse a very gracious host to post a commonly held message in your event even if it seems to have taken the scene away from the central messages of one’s event?” he added.
Alcanzare said it is in this light that he appreciated the wisdom of President Duterte who saw all through the non-partisan and inclusive nature of Yes for Peace when he wrote in his message, “I recognize this noble undertaking of Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan because it promotes a newfound culture of harmony and cooperation among our communities… I am amazed how anybody can be so bigoted and narrow-minded to accuse and judge Yes for Peace as part of the over-all plan to destabilize and bring down the government.”
“Please let me take this opportunity to inform all those who have jumped the gun to unfairly accuse us of being leftists that we categorically but respectfully denied the display of a red tarp bearing the message ‘ABOLISH NTF-ELCAC’,” Alcanzare said of a group handing them a prepared banner prior to the event launch.
“I am sure that had we allowed them to do their bidding, they would have joined us and trebled the number of participants,” he said, “Actually, they conducted a rally right across the street and waited for us to march to the Oblation Plaza, a thought that did not even cross our minds.”
For her part, Evelyn Canete Evangelio, National Executive Director of Alpha Phi Omega International Philippines Inc then suggested, “We might as well change the colors used in campaign tarpaulins to Blue and Gold to satisfy the call for blood by bashers who have displayed the propensity to accuse anybody of being a communist by sheer color of preference.”
“After all, APO is into this campaign pursuant to our founder’s vision for us to convince leaders of the world to resolve conflicts in a more humane and legal manner than by war,” Evangelio added.
For his part, Mama S. Lalanto, al Haj, Chairman of Yes for Peace, Incorporated and a past president of APO Phils declared, “The Yes for Peace is an inclusive campaign. We do not discriminate anybody by virtue of race, religion and political beliefs. This is reflected in our logo which bears the primary and secondary colors of the elementary color wheel.”
“Any color of preference by any donor is acceptable for as long as it is used in good faith and communicated to us prior to the production and distribution of the campaign materials,” Lalanto emphasized.
To recall, the The Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan para sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Kasaganaan, a multi-sectoral peace and development campaign was incorporated into the Sectoral Unification, Capability Building and Mobilization (SUCBEM) cluster of the National Action Plan of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflicts (NTF ELCAC) submitted by National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. and approved by President Duterte in 2019.
However, upon the advice of Esperon, the campaign design was refined, per the approved plan by the Yes for Peace, Incorporated, which was registered with the Securities and Exchange to give a juridical identity to empower the proponents to enter into agreements with government institutions and non-government organizations for the transparent implementation of the campaign.
The consultation and refinement process were made parallel to the preparations of the whole-of-government to get all agencies on board in the good governance pillar of NTF-ELCAC. The process took over one year.
Prior to the issuance of EO No. 70 by Duterte, Yes for Peace was calling “Resume Peace Talks Here” in contrast to the insistence of left-leaning forces that were shouting “Resume Peace Talks” even as the President was trying to convince communist leader Jose Ma. Sison to come home to the Philippines so that peace talks to resume.
Unfortunately, Sison who initiated the armed revolution and protracted war to bring down the government vehemently refused citing concerns for his life and security. On record, Sison has been blaming Duterte for killing the peace talks.
“Had the peace talks resumed with UP as venue and mediating institution, could the final peace agreement have been crafted and signed within three months which was the time frame declared by Joma Sison?” Alcanzare asked.
With the inevitable and final collapse of the peace talks because of Sison’s refusal to give in to the President’s firm and unmovable position that it be held here, Yes for Peace searched for cost-effective and resource-efficient means to document the Filipino people’s consensus on the three calls of the campaign. (PIA NCR)
CALOOCAN CITY, Dec. 13 (PIA) -- Following strict health protocols set by the World Health Organization, representatives of various sectors had peaceably assembled on International Human Rights Day to officially launch the historic Yes for Peace-Bayanihan ng Bayan para sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Kasaganaan at the Andres Bonifacio Centennial Carillon Tower located in the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines system.
The kickoff, a stark contrast amid the reportedly dwindling noisy and insolent protests and marches of anti-government forces to commemorate the global human rights event on Dec. 10, calmly called for the promotion of peacebuilding efforts, such as answering the Yes for Peace questionnaire to boost peace education, asserting the right to peace, and calling for an end to all armed conflicts in the country.
In his speech, Commissioner Yusoph Mando of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said, “Unfortunately, peacebuilding is still not the default response to conflict.”
“We need everybody’s help to tell others about how we can tackle conflict and end violence,” Mando added.
For his part, Cosanie Derogongan, Director of the Bureau of Peace and Conflict Resolution (BPCR) of the NMCF said, “We believe that we can achieve a just, comprehensive, unifying and sustainable peace without destruction to property and deaths, including unarmed civilians.”
“The armed conflicts can only be stopped if the will of the people can verifiably be documented through the people’s referendum component of Yes for Peace to debunk the self-declaration of armed rebels that they are fighting for the rights and interests of the people,” Derogongan added.
In his message, Undersecretary Severo S. Catura, Executive Director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC) underscored, “Peace is a human right, even as a society that is at peace is its ultimate aim.”
“There can never be real, tangible and felt development without making our people feel secure and it is our duty to uplift the people’s welfare,” Catura quoted a statement made by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the first State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Catura, who started his career at the Office of the Peace Commissioner (OPC) which eventually became the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) recalled, “This campaign is already more than thirty years old. We remain steadfast and firm in supporting its call because the advocacy of our office is for each individual to have the right to peace.”
Red tagging
After careful deliberation and negotiations with UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo and Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs Aleli B. Bawagan, the kick-off activity inside the UP Diliman campus was approved dispelling some allegations that UP is anti-government and will not permit non-leftists to openly express their advocacies inside the campus.
The full support of the university was felt by event organizers. Personnel from its Community Maintenance Office prepared the venue while the management of the UP Theater readily provided electrical power for the sounds and lights used in the event. Normal fees for rental and electrical consumption were likewise waived.
Alpha Dasmarinas, Chief Financial Officer of Yes for Peace, Incorporated was elated, “Thank you UP for the full support that you have given to for this simple kick-off event.”
“May you continue to support our campaign and take is as your own in the days to come pursuant to your Board of Regents Resolution offering UP as venue and as mediating institution during its 1056th meeting,” Dasmarinas said in gratitude.
Asked by the PIA-NCR, Ernesto Angeles Alcanzare, lead organizer of Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan and Chief Executive Officer of Yes for Peace Incorporated said, "Curiously, some well-meaning, but obviously misinformed supporters of the Duterte administration have reportedly red-tagged Yes for Peace over various social media platforms simply because it decided to use the color red as the background of its propaganda tarpaulins and because they allowed the UP Community to display the messages 'Defend Academic Freedom' and 'No to Red-Tagging'."
He explained, “The use of gold on red in our campaign tarpaulins is based on the Chinese belief that these colors bring fortune and good luck especially during events such as these. After all, the use of these colors is not exclusive to the communists.”
“As for the tarpaulins of the UP Community, these are commonly held beliefs among constituents, including its alumni to which I belong. Red-tagging the whole university because of a very noisy albeit small minority is unfair,” he lamented.
“Moreover, who can in his right mind refuse a very gracious host to post a commonly held message in your event even if it seems to have taken the scene away from the central messages of one’s event?” he added.
Alcanzare said it is in this light that he appreciated the wisdom of President Duterte who saw all through the non-partisan and inclusive nature of Yes for Peace when he wrote in his message, “I recognize this noble undertaking of Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan because it promotes a newfound culture of harmony and cooperation among our communities… I am amazed how anybody can be so bigoted and narrow-minded to accuse and judge Yes for Peace as part of the over-all plan to destabilize and bring down the government.”
“Please let me take this opportunity to inform all those who have jumped the gun to unfairly accuse us of being leftists that we categorically but respectfully denied the display of a red tarp bearing the message ‘ABOLISH NTF-ELCAC’,” Alcanzare said of a group handing them a prepared banner prior to the event launch.
“I am sure that had we allowed them to do their bidding, they would have joined us and trebled the number of participants,” he said, “Actually, they conducted a rally right across the street and waited for us to march to the Oblation Plaza, a thought that did not even cross our minds.”
For her part, Evelyn Canete Evangelio, National Executive Director of Alpha Phi Omega International Philippines Inc then suggested, “We might as well change the colors used in campaign tarpaulins to Blue and Gold to satisfy the call for blood by bashers who have displayed the propensity to accuse anybody of being a communist by sheer color of preference.”
“After all, APO is into this campaign pursuant to our founder’s vision for us to convince leaders of the world to resolve conflicts in a more humane and legal manner than by war,” Evangelio added.
For his part, Mama S. Lalanto, al Haj, Chairman of Yes for Peace, Incorporated and a past president of APO Phils declared, “The Yes for Peace is an inclusive campaign. We do not discriminate anybody by virtue of race, religion and political beliefs. This is reflected in our logo which bears the primary and secondary colors of the elementary color wheel.”
“Any color of preference by any donor is acceptable for as long as it is used in good faith and communicated to us prior to the production and distribution of the campaign materials,” Lalanto emphasized.
To recall, the The Yes for Peace–Bayanihan ng Bayan para sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Kasaganaan, a multi-sectoral peace and development campaign was incorporated into the Sectoral Unification, Capability Building and Mobilization (SUCBEM) cluster of the National Action Plan of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflicts (NTF ELCAC) submitted by National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. and approved by President Duterte in 2019.
However, upon the advice of Esperon, the campaign design was refined, per the approved plan by the Yes for Peace, Incorporated, which was registered with the Securities and Exchange to give a juridical identity to empower the proponents to enter into agreements with government institutions and non-government organizations for the transparent implementation of the campaign.
The consultation and refinement process were made parallel to the preparations of the whole-of-government to get all agencies on board in the good governance pillar of NTF-ELCAC. The process took over one year.
Prior to the issuance of EO No. 70 by Duterte, Yes for Peace was calling “Resume Peace Talks Here” in contrast to the insistence of left-leaning forces that were shouting “Resume Peace Talks” even as the President was trying to convince communist leader Jose Ma. Sison to come home to the Philippines so that peace talks to resume.
Unfortunately, Sison who initiated the armed revolution and protracted war to bring down the government vehemently refused citing concerns for his life and security. On record, Sison has been blaming Duterte for killing the peace talks.
“Had the peace talks resumed with UP as venue and mediating institution, could the final peace agreement have been crafted and signed within three months which was the time frame declared by Joma Sison?” Alcanzare asked.
With the inevitable and final collapse of the peace talks because of Sison’s refusal to give in to the President’s firm and unmovable position that it be held here, Yes for Peace searched for cost-effective and resource-efficient means to document the Filipino people’s consensus on the three calls of the campaign. (PIA NCR)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1061619
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