Oro bishop: Inclusive dialogue needed to attain Mindanao peace

By JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Correspondent

GOING down to the communities affected by the armed conflict and understanding the root causes of inequality is one of the ways to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao, a Roman Catholic Church leader said.

Reaching out to the people in the grassroots and getting them involved in the peace dialogue while at the same time extending to them the basic services could be the key in putting an end to the insurgency in the countryside, said Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma.

“If we can continue with local peace conversations, where we can bring together representatives of remote communities and representatives of government agencies then there can be an acceleration of development projects in the right place,” he said during a forum on sustainable peace and inclusive development held here this week.

The forum was attended by more than a hundred participants from people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations, church leaders, and the government sector in the region. It was conducted in partnership with the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) and Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc.

The gathering was organized to provide a venue where stakeholders can discuss and identify areas of convergence and complementation between the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-Elcac) technical working group and participating groups in the implementation of the government’s Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (Capdev) program.

Ledesma said both the government and the civil society groups have different services to offer and if these can be harmonized through convergence and dialogue, then they can “build a society that is peaceful and developing for all.”

“We hope that with this gathering, the Church and other Church leaders can continue our roles as facilitators and mediators of development,” the prelate said.

He added: “It is important for government agencies to have this linkage so that we can bring to their attention what are the needs of the communities that see themselves as being deprived and being left out in the development process.”

Mayor Oscar Moreno has emphasized the importance of solidarity in attaining lasting peace in Mindanao.

“Mindanao has lived divided and polarized for far too long already. It’s about time that we leave and bias and prejudice behind, we leave the conflict and division of Mindanao behind and learn to live in peace and harmony in spite of our diversity,” Moreno said.

“As we pursue this agenda, we can attain peace and order that will lead us to growth and development. Hopefully, we can sustain it and see Mindanao becoming the land of fulfillment, a land of sustainable growth and development,” he said.

Ariel Hernandez, the co-chair of the Opapru Joint Normalization Committee, said reconciliation and social healing are needed in attaining just and lasting peace.

“While we talk about social conditions and how to end the root causes of the insurgency, one of the most difficult parts of ending any conflict is how to close it. How do we bring the discussion of peace reconciliation and unity? How do we repair the emotions and relationships? The armed conflict may end but many will remain unhealed,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division and RTF-Elcac TWG chairperson, said the capability, competence, and commitment of groups involved in humanitarian aid, grassroots initiatives, local spaces for peace-building dialogues, and conflict resolutions and reconciliation programs are vital in the pursuit of peace and sustainable development in the region.

He said the civil society will be the last component that would interlink the three major sectors, aside from the government and the private sector, working on the forefront and implementing efforts to end the local communist armed conflict.

“To effectively address the challenges brought upon by the root causes of the insurgency, it is evident that the approach to peace and nation-building should go beyond what the military is doing. We cannot move forward without everyone’s help and support,” the military official said.