Cotabato Peace Rally Kicks off Mindanao-wide Series of Mass Actions

Written by Leah Deciar Agonoy, email:leah_agonoy@unsapa.com, on 08-01-2008 21:02

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Tags : cotabato, peace rally, moro, civil societies, shariff kabunsuan, maguindanao, north cotabato, grp, mnlif, milf, guindulungan,

Cotabato City - A total of 30,788 people converged at the city plaza today, January 7, 2007, representing various Moro civil society organizations and Moro communities from this city and the nearby provinces of Sharif Kabunsuan, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato to attend the first leg of a series of peace rallies all over Mindanao that will call for upholding the gains of the peace processes between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The Rally for Peace is spearheaded by the Kutawato Regional Management Committee (KRMC) of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Inc., a solidarity network of 164 Moro civil society organizations operating across the whole of Mindanao. The peace rally is a unified response to the sudden change in the present tenor of the government in treating the two major peace processes in Mindanao.

Abdulbasit (Bobby) Benito, CBCS-KRMC Spokesperson and Chairman of the Rally’s Media Committee, stated in their position paper that, "The current status of the Peace Process in Mindanao is fast changing and reshaping the future of the Mindanaoans especially the civil society that comprise the greater majority in the grassroots ." In what could have been a sort of “recompense” for the decade long talks between the government and the MILF, “The stance of the GRP in nonconforming to the agreed consensus points (is) a clear manifestation of the feebleness of the GRP to bestow strong political will for the realization of the peace accord", Benito added.

This event started at 9:00 o'clock in the morning, with peace caravans and peace marches from several “strategic points” in the city and the three neighboring provinces and will end at at 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon. A press conference will be held at 12:00 to 1:00 pm at the Hotel Castro Function Hall.

During the peace rally itself, Datu Mibpantao-antao Midtimbang, the Mayor of Guindulungan, said that “The displacement of thousands of people is one of the indicators of the hardships caused by war. Let us bear in mind that until we achieve the goals of the Bangsamoro and Islam as a whole, we shall never stop.”

A leader of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) who was present in the rally, Timuay Severo Ulama, stated that, “The IP community supports the call of the Bangsamoro for lasting peace in Mindanao.”

For his part, Benito contended that the “contentious issue” on the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the GRP and the MNLF “is viewed to impinge the peace process between the MILF and the GRP being pursued.”

He asserted that eleven years after the signing of the FPA, “gaps” between the positions of the GRP and the MNLF on the genuine implementation” of the FPA widens. “These incidents inevitably make the peace situation fluid, volatile and according to some, can explode anytime.”

“We, in the civil society is aware of the fact that majority of people in the grassroots desire for a meaningful result of the peace process, not only to put an end to the ravages of war, but to address the longstanding political problem in a nonviolent way,” Benito further said.

In their position paper, four action points were presented, which are aimed to draw the attention of the "gate keepers" of the peace process “to immediately take necessary actions and muster enough courage to bring about the long awaited peaceful settlement.”

Specifically, these action points will convey the civil society's urgent appeal for:

1. Swift(ly) and more carefully review the implementation of the GRP-MNLF 1996 peace accord so that gaps are identified, corrective measures are installed, and implementation scheme put into place;

2.   For the immediate resumption of the GRP-MILF peace talks and for the Government to honor its commitment to the consensus points;

3.   For the GRP and the MILF to refrain from any unnecessary actions that may jeopardize the peace talks; and

4.   For the international community to help push the peace process forward and to exert pressures to the Parties to honor and abide by whatever commitments they have made in the course of their negotiations.

The second leg of the series of peace rallies will be held at Marawi City on January 9, to be participated in by Moro sectoral groups from the city and the nearby provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. The third leg will be held at General Santos City on January 10, where similar groups and communities from the city and the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. Peace rallies will also be held in Davao City, Zamboanga City, Pagadian City, Isabela City in Basilan, and Jolo, Sulu within the month.

Last update : 17-01-2008 20:06

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