1. When the government didn't see the bright peace prospect? Well, only the sincerity of the government is blind?
By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD
January 19, 2012, 4:46pm
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles has expressed faith and hope that a just and lasting peace will soon be attained in Mindanao, saying that the prospects for peace in 2012 “have never been this good.”
In a keynote speech she delivered during the regional forum dubbed “Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao” (COP) held Tuesday at the University Sains Malaysia (REPUSM) in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, Deles assured that the government will do its best to attain lasting peace in Mindanao.
“We will continue to toil in the search for peace. The bottom line is that ending all internal armed conflicts in the country will not be easy, but it is something that we will not let go,” Deles stressed.
Deles cited the steadfast political leadership and supportive political climate of the Aquino administration which makes the peace and development agenda in Mindanao a priority.
“Certainly, peace in Mindanao is the primary focus of President Aquino’s agenda,” she said.
The COP regional forum is a mechanism that gathers stakeholders to discuss issues surrounding challenges on peace in the Southeast Asian region. Now on its fifth year, it has given focus on the Mindanao armed conflict, particularly on strengthening the ongoing peace process between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
It was organized by the Research and Education for Peace, REPUSM, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network.
Also present during the forum were Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, members of the GPH and MILF peace panels, governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and representatives of Bangsamoro civil society groups.
Deles expounded in her message the contexts and challenges of the ongoing peace process in Mindanao stressing that “what happens in the peace table does not happen in a vacuum” and that the peace process “can be extremely vulnerable to the politics in the country.”
“Given this context, the peace process will need the vast support of people and a constituency. It is naïve to think that one can work for peace advocacy without engaging the political arena,” she explained.
Deles related that “OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has reached out to different groups laying claim to represent the Bangsamoro and citizens on the firm belief that all stakeholders must be on board, their welfare taken into account, and equal protection and opportunity be made available to all.”
On the same note, Robredo said the administration is getting local governments to participate in enhancing accountability and transparency in ARMM to ensure that peace and development will take place.
He related that the President has approved the P8.6 billion stimulus fund for ARMM.
“We are trying to find ways of using every centavo of that stimulus fund to benefit as many women and children in Mindanao as soon as possible,” Robredo said, adding that the civil society will be given the authority to monitor how the budget will be spent.
“Why are we in a hurry? Not only to send the signal that we are serious about peace and development in this town, but mainly because the people who have already bore their share of suffering cannot afford to wait,” he added.
0 comments:
Post a Comment