ni Alfonso T. Ruda
DIPOLOG CITY, JAN. 20(PIA)--- Si Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Teresita Deles nagtoo ug naglaum nga makab-ot ra ang dugay na kaayong gidamgong kahusay ug kalinaw dinhi sa Mindanao.
Sa iyang pagpakigpulong atubangan sa regional forum nga gitawag ug “Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao,” nga gipahigayon didto sa University Sains Malaysia sa Pulau, Pinang, Malaysia niadtong Martes, si Deles miingon nga padayon silang mag-ugmad aron makab-ot ang kalinaw dinhi sa rehiyon.
Giangkon ni Deles nga “dili masayon ang pagpahunong sa gubat dinhi sa habagatang bahin sa nasod, apan bisan pa man niini, wala usab silay planong biyaan kini.”
Mitambong ug naminaw sa pagpakigpulong ni Deles sila si Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo; mga membro sa mga negosyador sa gobyerno ug Moro Islamic Liberation Front; mga Gobernador sa mga lalawigan nga sakop sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao( ARMM),ug mga representante sa Bangsamoro Civil Society Groups.
Matod pa ni Deles, ang posibilidad sa pagkab-ot sa kalinaw karong 2012 wala sukad naingon ani kaayo. Sumala pa sa kalihim, kini naggumikan sa determinasyon sa mga politikanhong lider ug sa suportang gihatag sa administrasyong Aquino nga nagbutang sa isyo sa kalinaw isip usa sa mga prayoridad sa administrasyon.
Gihatagan ug punto ni Deles nga determinado ang administrasyong Aquino nga mapirmahan ang kasabutan sa kalinaw uban sa MILF sa labing daling panahon, o kaha sa tunga-tungang bahin sa 2013
“Kon dili kini matuman, posibling kulangon na kita sa panahon pag-implementar sa unsa mang makasabutan, “ matod pa ni Deles.
Subli usab nga gipalanog ni Deles ang hugtanong tinguha sa kasamtangang administrasyon nga mahunong na ang kagubot dinhi sa Mindanao alang sa hingpit nga implementasyon sa kasabutan sulod sa iyang termino. (ATR/PIA9-Zambo Norte)
We will continue to toil in the search for peace – Deles
Penang, Malaysia, Jan. 18 – Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles expressed faith and hope that a just and lasting peace will soon be attained in the troubled south.
“We will continue to toil in the search for peace,” Deles stated in her keynote message during the regional forum dubbed “Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao” (COP) held on Tuesday at the University Sains Malaysia (REPUSM) in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. “The bottom line is that ending all internal armed conflicts in the country will not be easy, but it is something that we will not let go,” she added.
Also present were Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, members of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels, governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and representatives of Bangsamoro civil society groups.
Saying that the prospects for peace in 2012 “have never been this good,” Deles said that the major reason for this is the steadfast political leadership and supportive political climate of the Aquino administration which makes the peace and development agenda in Mindanao a priority.
“Certainly, peace in Mindanao is the primary focus of President Aquino’s agenda,” she said.
Stakeholders aboard
Deles expounded in her message the contexts and challenges of the ongoing peace process in Mindanao. She said that “what happens in the peace table does not happen in a vacuum” and that the peace process “can be extremely vulnerable to the politics in the country.”
“Given this context, the peace process will need the vast support of people and a constituency. It is naïve to think that one can work for peace advocacy without engaging the political arena,” she explained.
Deles related that “OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has reached out to different groups laying claim to represent the Bangsamoro and citizens on the firm belief that all stakeholders must be on board, their welfare taken into account, and equal protection and opportunity be made available to all.”
On the same note, Robredo said that the administration is getting local governments to participate in enhancing accountability and transparency in ARMM to ensure that peace and development will take place.
He related that the President has approved the P 8.6 billion stimulus fund for ARMM. “We are trying to find ways of using every centavo of that stimulus fund to benefit as many women and children in Mindanao as soon as possible,” he said, adding that the civil society will be given the authority to monitor how the budget will be spent.
“Why are we in a hurry? Not only to send the signal that we are serious about peace and development in this town, but mainly because the people who have already bore their share of suffering cannot afford to wait,” Robredo said.
Peace agreement before 2013
Deles emphasized that the Aquino administration has the “intense desire to have a signed agreement (with the MILF) as soon as possible, hopefully, before 2013 or the midterm.”
Otherwise, “we will run out of time for properly implementing what we have signed,” she added.
She reiterated that the Aquino administration is committed to end all armed conflicts to ensure a firm start of the implementation of signed peace agreements within his term.
“Peace talks with the MILF is back on track, with both parties having been able to explain their positions, exploring road maps, and remaining open and hopeful that shared, lasting solutions can be found,” stated Deles in view of the recent 24th GPH-MILF formal exploratory talks held January 9 to 11 in Kuala Lumpur.
However, she related that the peace process is proceeding with “tempered optimism.”
She cited realities that “despite best efforts from both sides of the table, some things can still be hard to predict, some things can still go wrong, and the process will continue to be interrogated and questioned as the season will get even more political as the midterm election approaches.”
Resolve for peace
Amidst difficulties, Deles said “we will persevere because we know that status quo (of existing armed conflicts) is not an option.”
“We will continue to reach out to a larger audience to explain until we are blue in the face that there is another way of resolving issues other than by force of arms.”
The COP regional forum is a mechanism to gather stakeholders to discuss issues surrounding challenges on peace in the Southeast Asian region. Now on its fifth year, it has given focus on the Mindanao armed conflict, particularly on strengthening the ongoing peace process between the GPH and the MILF.
It was organized by the Research and Education for Peace, REPUSM, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network.
Penang, Malaysia, Jan. 18 – Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles expressed faith and hope that a just and lasting peace will soon be attained in the troubled south.
“We will continue to toil in the search for peace,” Deles stated in her keynote message during the regional forum dubbed “Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao” (COP) held on Tuesday at the University Sains Malaysia (REPUSM) in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. “The bottom line is that ending all internal armed conflicts in the country will not be easy, but it is something that we will not let go,” she added.
Also present were Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, members of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels, governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and representatives of Bangsamoro civil society groups.
Saying that the prospects for peace in 2012 “have never been this good,” Deles said that the major reason for this is the steadfast political leadership and supportive political climate of the Aquino administration which makes the peace and development agenda in Mindanao a priority.
“Certainly, peace in Mindanao is the primary focus of President Aquino’s agenda,” she said.
Stakeholders aboard
Deles expounded in her message the contexts and challenges of the ongoing peace process in Mindanao. She said that “what happens in the peace table does not happen in a vacuum” and that the peace process “can be extremely vulnerable to the politics in the country.”
“Given this context, the peace process will need the vast support of people and a constituency. It is naïve to think that one can work for peace advocacy without engaging the political arena,” she explained.
Deles related that “OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has reached out to different groups laying claim to represent the Bangsamoro and citizens on the firm belief that all stakeholders must be on board, their welfare taken into account, and equal protection and opportunity be made available to all.”
On the same note, Robredo said that the administration is getting local governments to participate in enhancing accountability and transparency in ARMM to ensure that peace and development will take place.
He related that the President has approved the P 8.6 billion stimulus fund for ARMM. “We are trying to find ways of using every centavo of that stimulus fund to benefit as many women and children in Mindanao as soon as possible,” he said, adding that the civil society will be given the authority to monitor how the budget will be spent.
“Why are we in a hurry? Not only to send the signal that we are serious about peace and development in this town, but mainly because the people who have already bore their share of suffering cannot afford to wait,” Robredo said.
Peace agreement before 2013
Deles emphasized that the Aquino administration has the “intense desire to have a signed agreement (with the MILF) as soon as possible, hopefully, before 2013 or the midterm.”
Otherwise, “we will run out of time for properly implementing what we have signed,” she added.
She reiterated that the Aquino administration is committed to end all armed conflicts to ensure a firm start of the implementation of signed peace agreements within his term.
“Peace talks with the MILF is back on track, with both parties having been able to explain their positions, exploring road maps, and remaining open and hopeful that shared, lasting solutions can be found,” stated Deles in view of the recent 24th GPH-MILF formal exploratory talks held January 9 to 11 in Kuala Lumpur.
However, she related that the peace process is proceeding with “tempered optimism.”
She cited realities that “despite best efforts from both sides of the table, some things can still be hard to predict, some things can still go wrong, and the process will continue to be interrogated and questioned as the season will get even more political as the midterm election approaches.”
Resolve for peace
Amidst difficulties, Deles said “we will persevere because we know that status quo (of existing armed conflicts) is not an option.”
“We will continue to reach out to a larger audience to explain until we are blue in the face that there is another way of resolving issues other than by force of arms.”
The COP regional forum is a mechanism to gather stakeholders to discuss issues surrounding challenges on peace in the Southeast Asian region. Now on its fifth year, it has given focus on the Mindanao armed conflict, particularly on strengthening the ongoing peace process between the GPH and the MILF.
It was organized by the Research and Education for Peace, REPUSM, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network.
