Zamboanga City, Philippines—Twenty eight Boholanos began a 452-kilometer run on Sunday from this city to Cotabato City in support of ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Augusto Miclat Jr., director of the International Initiatives for Dialogue (IID), said the marathon involving Boholanos showed that the peace process was not only the concern of people in Mindanao.
“These runners are not activists, they are ordinary people who share the sentiments of the Mindanao people longing for peace,” Miclat said.
The run, dubbed Duyog Mindanao 2011, is part of civil society’s participation for sustainable peace in Mindanao, he said.
Judito Cabusao, IID program manager, said the Boholanos committed “to run for peace in Mindanao because they want to be part of the peace process, especially in policy advocacy and they too share the sentiments of Mindanao people.”
The runners, whose ages range from 20s to 50s, were expected to complete the course in 11 days. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao