Amid continuing armed hostilities in Mindanao, the City Council of Bacolod endorsed a resolution asking Malacanang to heed the appeal for peace of the Negros contingent of a peace caravan which traveled last November from Baguio to Cotabato.

Resolution No. 972, proposed by Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, expressed solidarity to the delegates of the Duyog Mindanao Caravan for Peace and Solidarity who have witnessed the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the evacuation centers of Datu Piang in Maguindanao and Lanao province. The resolution was submitted to the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. The caravan was spearheaded by the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), the broadest coalition of peace networks in Mindanao.

Citing that peace is still the best process in situation of conflict and for the benefit of thousands of people displaced, the city councilors joined in the call “to our friends from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop the war in Mindanao” and asked both parties to sit down and resume the peace talks instead of going to war.

The city policymakers also asked the public to help the IDPs who badly need humanitarian aid in whatever means possible. “Children, women and the elderly which are the most vulnerable in this situation need food, medicines and other basic support like water, clothing, and other items,” the resolution said.  Bacolod and its neighboring city Iloilo were keys stops of the caravan were a number of Mindanao’s settlers come from.  The caravan was welcomed warmly by both cities.

The resolution was a product of a dialogue between the local government of Bacolod and members of Pax Christi Bacolod Chapter who composed the Duyog Mindanao Negros contingent. They joined the caravan leg from Bacolod to Mindanao, passing by Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Davao, Lanao and converged in Cotabato City in time for the Mindanao Week of Peace straddling the last week of November and first week of December.

Apart from the Pax Christi participants, the caravan was composed of indigenous peoples from the Cordilllera, workers, students, Moro youth, women, activists, NGO workers from Luzon, Metro Manila, as well as the core group of IDPs, church workers, Moro community leaders from Mindanao and members of the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), the Davao-based regional advocacy institution which serves as the MPW lead secretariat.

The Pax Christi delegates said they have witnessed that majority of the people and communities in Mindanao want to end the armed conflict and live in peace. Upon entry to evacuation centers in Datu Piang and Lanao, they saw the grave conditions of “bakwit” Muslim, Lumads and Christian brothers and sisters who for several months now are deprived of basic human rights like water and sanitation, education, food and dignified living condition.

“The armed hostilities between the military and the MILF have indeed reached dangerous proportions because our internally displaced brothers and sisters in Datu Piang alone for example, have reached 600,000 and more are unaccounted for in different areas affected by the conflict,” said Mark Cervantes of Pax Christi.

“It is for this reason that we pursue our solidarity to the people of Mindanao and put the objectives of the Duyog Mindanao caravan into action,” Cervantes said.

Similar resolutions are expected to be passed by the Negros provincial board, the Iloilo city council, Davao City council, Mindoro provincial board among others.

The Caravan ended with a rousing endorsement of the development of a Mindanao Peoples Peace Agenda (MPPA) that will be evolved by the MPW constituency as a framework of unity and action on issues and concerns buffeting the peoples of Mindanao.

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We,  the Negros contingent in the “Duyog Mindanao Peace and Solidarity Caravan” that started last November 21 in Baguio City and stopped in Luzon, Iloilo, Bacolod and in Mindanao enjoin in solidarity with our Muslim, Lumads and Christian brothers and sisters to end armed hostilities in Mindanao.

Our 4 day caravan that started on November 26 in Cagayan de Oro and travelled to Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Iligan, Lanao and Marawe has witnessed that majority of the people and communities in Mindanao want to end the armed conflict and to live in peace.

We also witnessed the grave conditions of our “bakwit” Muslim, Lumads and Christian brothers and sisters who are staying in evacuation camps for 4 months that is now deprived of basic human rights like water and sanitation, education, food and dignified living condition. Our internally displaced brothers and sisters in Datupiang, North Cotabato for example has already reached 600,000 and more are unaccounted for in different areas affected by armed hostilities.

With the worsening effects of the armed hostilities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to our Muslim, Lumads and Christian brothers and sisters, we therefore call;
STOP THE WAR in MINDANAO! We call to our friends from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to Stop the War! War is not an option in the land of promise! Our Muslim brothers and sisters are friendly and gentle people and war creates a tag that they are hostile people, which is not true! War breeds indifference and hate. War divides people and communities! War destroys trust, respect and confidence of people.

• There is an ongoing petition signing to stop the armed hostilities in Mindanao and resumption of peace talks. With this initiative, we appeal to the Provincial Government, the rest of the Local Government Units in Negros, private and public organizations, corporations, schools and the Church to help out in the Petition to STOP THE WAR IN MINDANAO! We appeal to all sectors to sign up and urge GRP and MILF to end armed hostilities NOW!

RESUME PEACE TALKS! We appeal to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to sit down and resume its peace talks instead of going into war! Peace process is still the best process in situation of conflict. We appeal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Chairman Murad of MILF to again sit down and talk!

• We urge the Provincial Government and all the Local Government Units in Negros Occidental to write and appeal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Chairman Murad of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to sit down and resume its peace talks. Whatever differences in the recent peaces talks can be addressed by a peaceful negotiation.

HELP THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDPs)! Our internally displaced brothers and sisters living in evacuation and elsewhere need humanitarian aid in whatever means possible. Children, women and the elderly which are the most vulnerable in this situation needs food, medicines and other basic support like water, clothing, etc.

• We appeal to various organizations both public and private, corporations and schools or individuals to help tap and facilitate in responding to the humanitarian needs of our brothers and sisters. They need help the soonest time possible!
• We also urge our policy makers to legislate the facilitation of a humanitarian help from potential donors in Negros Occidental the soonest time possible so our brothers and sisters can be given their basic necessities.

STOP THE WAR IN MINDANAO NOW! GRP and MILF RESUME PEACE TALKS NOW!

Delegates of the Duyog Mindanao Caravan for Peace and Solidarity finally arrived in Cagayan de Oro City to finally start the Mindanao leg of their journey and extend their support to the hundreds of thousands of refugees now living in evacuation camps in Cotabato, Maguindanao and Lanao provinces.

Delegates from Bacolod who compose the Pax Christi delegation said that for most of them, this will be their first time to witness what it is like living in Mindanao. This will be a breakthrough to know the reasons behind the decade-long conflict in the region and the increasing number of internally displaced people due to the ongoing armed hostilities.

While onboard the ship from Bacolod to Mindanao, Mark Cervates of Pax Christi Bacolod City observed that for one, the basis of the conflict has been deeply rooted to the land struggle. And with this opportunity through Duyog Mindanao, he finds it more interesting to listen to the voices of people from the ground, the very people living in the communities who have been the usual casualty in times of war and humanitarian crisis.

Wanting to connect his support to the struggling sugarcane farmworkers of Negros and the people of Mindanao who remain landless and live in abject poverty especially those languishing in evacuation camps, Cervantes said that this Peace Caravan is a fresh start. Having integrated with the sakadas or sugarcane plantation workers of Negros, he has witnessed their suffering from poor living condition and low wages from rich landlords who lack the political will to distribute their vast tracts of lands through agrarian reform.

As of last count, the internally displaced people in the province of Datu  Piang, Maguindanao have already reached 600,000 and more are unaccounted for in different areas. Most of them are deprived of basic services such as water and sanitation, education, food and a dignified living condition.

“When we go back home to Negros, we want to share what we will see and feel when we shall visit Datu Piang and Lanao to those who see war as mundane or a usual phenomenon in Mindanao. We want to gather more support especially from local governments, schools, business and other concerned groups on the call of the people to live in peace. It is relevant to discuss peace in the context of those victims of war.”

Caravan delegates also urged the public to sign the petition calling to stop the armed hostilities in Mindanao and resumption of peace talks. The Visayas trip gathered support from Negros Occidental Provincial Board Member Patrick Lacson, Bacolod Bishop  Navarro and Iloilo City Councilor Jam Barronda.

After Cagayan de Oro, half of them will travel to Lanao province and the other half shall take the Bukidnon and Davao trip before all will finally converge in Cotabato City to celebrate the Mindanao Week of Peace.