Balikatan 2006: A Peace Building Exercise, Says GMA Adviser

BALIKATAN: A US soldier and his Filipino counterpart stand guard outside a mosque in Jolo island, where some 250 American and over 4,000 local troops are conducting joint military drill. (Zamboanga Journal)

COTABATO CITY (Romy Montenegro / 23 Feb) Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza lauded Thursday the holding of the Balikatan 2006 in Jolo island, citing that the joint RP-US military exercise supports the government's peace efforts.

Dureza made the statement during a forum on the comprehensive peace process here attended by participants from across central Mindanao. Unlike previous joint RP-US exercises, the Balikatan 2006 is now also anchored on helping sow seeds of peace in Mindanao, he said.

Panamao town Mayor Hadji Bassar Abdurajak also praised the military drill in Jolo.

Dureza said the attainment of just and lasting peace in Mindanao is being made possible by a convergence of efforts of development agencies and community-based projects under Balikatan 2006.

He also opened a series of regional fora on the peace process in Mindanao, organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo).

"Such efforts shall be further encouraged as we make the rounds in Mindanao to dialogue and consult with the peoples and communities of Mindanao," he told the Zamboanga Journal.

The series of dialogues slated in Cotabato, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Zamboanga aims to provide an opportunity for various peace stakeholders to converge and assess where the process has gone and where it should proceed to finally attain sustainable and just peace in the country.

Over 100 participants have been invited for each forum to represent local government, civil society, religious, indigenous people, business and academe sectors.