PADAYON, KALILINTAD!

A CALL FOR PEACE AND HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION.

The present conflict between the Government of the Republic of Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has displaced more than 700,000 innocent people who continue to suffer in misery, hunger and unsecured lives. The conflict has left millions of people in emotional distress and uncertainty, and has caused damage to properties, structure, investments and previous efforts of communities to rebuild a broken land.

It is a cycle of war and continuous armed conflict which threatens to rip apart our families and communities that we want to STOP NOW!

Hear the VOICES of our women and men, our TRIBE, our PEOPLE, our CHILDREN. RESUME PEACE TALKS AND PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS!

We are a community-based alliance of peace advocates represented by the Sindaw ko Kalilintad coming from different cultural identities and backgrounds in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat who yearn for PEACE in our lands;

We condemn the continuous violations of human rights experienced by our Muslim, Christian and Lumad brothers and sisters;

We condemn the massive displacement, innocent killing of people caught in the crossfire, burning of houses and the irreparable damage wrought upon victims who are crying for peace;

We are alarmed by the growing incidences of kidnapping and harassment of those who sacrifice their lives as they continue to work for humanitarian protection and we urge the authorities to immediately get to the root and act on this problem;

We do not want another “All-out-War” to happen! We seek to sustain the peaceful initiatives that we have collectively woven together!

We believe that a hundred times of peace talks are better than a day of battle. Together with other peace-loving individuals and groups, we therefore appeal for a resumption of the peace talks.

We call on the newly composed GRP-panel to build on the gains of the peace process and pursue in-depth analysis and study of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Ancestral Domain.

We also call on the MILF to be open to a more thorough and inclusive discourse on the issues surrounding the MOA-AD which should reflect the diverse voices of the many ethnic groups whose identities seek to be recognized in the continuing pursuit of self-determination.

THIS IS OUR CALL. CEASEFIRE, LISTEN AND NEGOTIATE. PEACE IS THE ONLY WAY.