Mindanao women’s group wants active part in Moro peace talks

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A peace group founded by prominent women leaders in Mindanao want actual participation in the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and not just be allowed to observe it.

Irene Santiago, chief executive officer of the Mindanao Commission on Women said it was a known fact that women always suffer the most when violence between the rebels and the military erupt. During evacuations, it is the women who are left to take care of the children and the elderly, she said.

Santiago said her group wants more than just passive observation of the peace talks as the group could provide insights from the perspective of women that could help resolve the decades-old Moro rebellion.

Santiago said the Mindanao Commission on Women, which seeks to represent the women of Mindanao in the peace talks, was finalizing its proposal to become part of the process.

“We know that women have the capacity and the commitment to be a significant player in bringing about a sustained and just peace in Mindanao,” she said.

Santiago said MCW believes that the participation of the women’s sector in the negotiations could also help address the fear among the public about agreements that may be signed in the course of the talks.

When the shortlived Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (Moa-Ad) was crafted in 2008, critics successfully rallied Mindanaoans to oppose it, based on the premise that it was a sell-out.

The Moa-Ad, which would have given the MILF a larger area of control under an autonomous set-up, was envisioned to end the Moro rebellion.

However, the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, stalling the peace process.

Recently, the talks restarted with both the government and the MILF declaring they were moving forward even with some disagreements on issues previously tackled already.