Peace advocates march in QC to mark CAB 1st anniversary
MANILA, Philippines—“Peace in Mindanao now!”
That’s the line that more than a thousand peace advocates, mostly women, chanted as they marched around Quezon Memorial Circle on Friday to mark a year since the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Chief government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who joined 1,500 marchers from the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and at least 20 civil society groups, said the “Women for Peace March” was a call to continue the peace process despite the Mamasapano tragedy.
‘Big success’
The peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a year ago was a “big success” and a tragedy should not put it to waste, Ferrer told reporters in an interview after the 30-minute march.
The peace agreement, which serves as basis for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), was signed on March 27 last year, after 17 years of negotiations between the government and the MILF.
The BBL was supposed to be passed into law by the end of March and submitted to a plebiscite in Mindanao by June. But the deaths of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in a clash with Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25 sparked widespread public anger, prompting lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to halt work on the BBL.
On urging by peace advocates, however, congressional leaders decided to resume work on the proposed autonomy law and they agreed to pass it by June, before the adjournment of the 16th Congress.
End to Mindanao conflict
“It’s important to seek justice for those who died in the tragedy. But there would be more injustices if we do not put an end to an even bigger problem, which is the conflict between the government and the MILF,” Ferrer said.
National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Yasmin Busran-Lao, also a member of the government peace panel, said the BBL should not become a “collateral damage” of the Mamasapano incident.
“There should be a synergy of efforts. The peace process should continue even as we continue to call for justice and accountability,” Lao said.
The BBL is not just for the Muslims but for the entire country, she said.
“National resources are wasted because of war and the future of Muslims who could contribute to nation-building is at stake,” she said.
Vote for peace
Reminding the participants that the next elections are near, Lao urged them to be more discerning in choosing candidates and vote for those who favored peace.
“As voters, we should show politicians that they won’t win if they call for war,” she said.
The march was organized by Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (We Act 1325, Women Preventing War, Building Peace).
Among the organizations that participated were Blay Rehabilitation Center, Young Moro Professionals Network and All-Out Peace Movement.
