COTABATO CITY (Romy Montenegro / 21 Feb) A series of regional round-table discussions anchored on the government’s comprehensive peace process is slated this week in key cities of Mindanao, with various peace stakeholders expected to assess current efforts and map out strategies to enhance peacemaking and peace-building initiatives of the government.
Organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), the ‘Regional Forum on the Comprehensive Peace Process’ will bring discussions on peace efforts to the public halls in the cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro and Butuan.
The same forum is also slated for Zamboanga City.The first leg of series of Mindanao peace fora kicks-off Thursday at the Notre Dame University Gym here, followed by the General Santos leg on Friday at the Notre Dame Lagao Campus Gym, with members of the civil society organizations, multi-sectoral groups, local government officals and other peace stakeholders expected attend.
Supported by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), the series of fora seeks to update Mindanao stakeholders on the status of implementation of the national peace plan, including negotiations and local peacebuilding efforts of the government.
The activity will also include assessment of emerging issues, concerns and recommendations on effective implementation of peace initiatives in Mindanao, and the country in general.
It will also afford opportunity for various stakeholders to propose mechanisms by which the government could forge appropriate responses to on-going and future talks with rebel groups.
“Engaging our frontliners of peace in Mindanao is an important process in increasing confidence on the peace process as we work for common grounds in sustaining the initiatives already put forward,” Secy. Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Dureza said the government is pursuing a comprehensive peace process agenda anchored on the principles of ‘community participation; forging of new social impact for a just, equitable, humane and pluralistic society; and seeking principled and peace resolutions to armed conflicts.’
Aside from Dureza, Undersecretaries Rene Sarmiento, Ramon Santos and Dimasangkay Pundato will present the government’s Comprehensive Peace Process, while government peace panel chairman Secy. Silvestre Afable and panel members Prof. Rudy Rodil and Sylvia Paraguya will present the highlights and major agreements in the on-going negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has prioritized termination of hostilities through a just conclusion of the process as one of her key policy strategies in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan and the 10-Point Legacy Agenda by putting back on track the government’s negotiations with MILF and other rebel groups.
The government also embarked on peace-keeping and peace-building interventions to compliment the peace negotiations being pursued such as relief and rehabilitation of conflict affected and vulnerable areas in Mindanao through infrastructure, livelihood, education and other socio-economic development activities, in collaboration with several donor agencies.
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