Cyclists pedal along war-torn towns in Maguindanao to highlight peace
Published Sep 27, 2018 12:12 pm
By Francis Wakefield
Almost 300 cycling enthusiasts pedaled along the battle-scarred towns of the province of Maguindanao over the weekend to emphasize the need for sustainable peace in these areas.
(OPAPP/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The team started the Kariling sa Kalinaw (Bike for Peace) in the town of Mamasapano -- the exact location of the 2015 bloody incident between government raiding troopers and members of the Moro front and other armed groups.
“We thank you all for participating in the Bike for Peace. This is to show that Mamasapano and the entire province of Maguindanao is now peaceful because of the success of the peace processes between the government, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),” Mamasapano town mayor Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan said.
“What we envisioned here for this peace we are experiencing now will be sustainable, and this will encourage other people to come to our municipality,” he added.
The incident in Mamasapano put to the limelight the fragile Bangsamoro peace process. As a result, the previous Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) faced difficulty and failed to pass in Congress as negative perceptions towards the peace process prevailed.
“No'ng bumisita si Congresswoman Bai Sandra (Sema) dito, sinabi niya na ang BBL ay nakadapa dahil sa nangyaring insidente no'ng 2015. Ngunit sinabi rin niya na dito rin natin itatayo ang insidente na yon -- na bubuhayin natin ang peace negotiation dito rin sa munisipyong ito (When Rep. Bai Sandra Sema visited us, she said the BBL was on its knees because of the incident in 2015. But she also said this is where we will revive the peace negotiations)," Ampatuan said.
“Ngayon na nakamit na natin ang BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law), sana po ay tuluy-tuloy na tayo sa kapayapaan dito sa ating lugar (Now that we have achieved the BOL, let’s hope peace will continue to reign here)," he added.
Late last July, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the BOL to fulfill his campaign promise to address the problem in Mindanao through the implementation of all signed Bangsamoro peace agreements between the government and the Moro fronts.
The BOL envisions to create a new political structure for the Moro people in Mindanao with substantial political power to achieve genuine autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution.
The essence of the BOL is to fully rehabilitate and bring total normalcy to these war-torn areas, according to Deputy Presidential Peace Adviser Nabil A. Tan, who also joined and finished the 26-kilometer route.
“Mabilis ako sa (pag-bike) kung ako lang mag-isa. But since magkakasama tayo, tulad sa peace process, we want to go far and not faster. If we want to reach that far, kailangang magkapit-bisig tayong lahat (I ride my bike fast when I’m alone. But since we’re riding together, just like in the peace process, we want to go far and not faster. If we want to reach that far, we have to work hand-in-hand)," he said.
A plebiscite is scheduled to be held in the areas covering all provinces of the current Autonomous Region in Mindanao Mindanao, the cities of Isabela and Cotabato, six towns in Lanao del Norte, and 39 villages of the province of North Cotabato.
From Mamasapano, the bikers snaked through the towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Unsay Ampatuan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, and on to the city of Cotabato.
According to Major General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, these areas have been at “the receiving end of the armed conflict.”
“The search for peace in Mindanao has been a long struggle and not without challenges…To some, peace in Mindanao can never be achieved due to the diverse cultural heritage in the region,” he said.
“But the path to peace, though meek and dark, still has hope. The key factor in our search for peace is understanding. We should accept and understand the different views and diverse culture of each other and strengthen the similarities in order for us to achieve common goal,” the valor-awardee general pointed out.
Aside from the local town mayors, civic groups and other government agencies participated in the Bike for Peace.
OPAPP Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso said the Kariling sa Kalinaw is on its second year as part of the celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month which is being led by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
(OPAPP/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The team started the Kariling sa Kalinaw (Bike for Peace) in the town of Mamasapano -- the exact location of the 2015 bloody incident between government raiding troopers and members of the Moro front and other armed groups.
“We thank you all for participating in the Bike for Peace. This is to show that Mamasapano and the entire province of Maguindanao is now peaceful because of the success of the peace processes between the government, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),” Mamasapano town mayor Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan said.
“What we envisioned here for this peace we are experiencing now will be sustainable, and this will encourage other people to come to our municipality,” he added.
The incident in Mamasapano put to the limelight the fragile Bangsamoro peace process. As a result, the previous Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) faced difficulty and failed to pass in Congress as negative perceptions towards the peace process prevailed.
“No'ng bumisita si Congresswoman Bai Sandra (Sema) dito, sinabi niya na ang BBL ay nakadapa dahil sa nangyaring insidente no'ng 2015. Ngunit sinabi rin niya na dito rin natin itatayo ang insidente na yon -- na bubuhayin natin ang peace negotiation dito rin sa munisipyong ito (When Rep. Bai Sandra Sema visited us, she said the BBL was on its knees because of the incident in 2015. But she also said this is where we will revive the peace negotiations)," Ampatuan said.
“Ngayon na nakamit na natin ang BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law), sana po ay tuluy-tuloy na tayo sa kapayapaan dito sa ating lugar (Now that we have achieved the BOL, let’s hope peace will continue to reign here)," he added.
Late last July, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the BOL to fulfill his campaign promise to address the problem in Mindanao through the implementation of all signed Bangsamoro peace agreements between the government and the Moro fronts.
The BOL envisions to create a new political structure for the Moro people in Mindanao with substantial political power to achieve genuine autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution.
The essence of the BOL is to fully rehabilitate and bring total normalcy to these war-torn areas, according to Deputy Presidential Peace Adviser Nabil A. Tan, who also joined and finished the 26-kilometer route.
“Mabilis ako sa (pag-bike) kung ako lang mag-isa. But since magkakasama tayo, tulad sa peace process, we want to go far and not faster. If we want to reach that far, kailangang magkapit-bisig tayong lahat (I ride my bike fast when I’m alone. But since we’re riding together, just like in the peace process, we want to go far and not faster. If we want to reach that far, we have to work hand-in-hand)," he said.
A plebiscite is scheduled to be held in the areas covering all provinces of the current Autonomous Region in Mindanao Mindanao, the cities of Isabela and Cotabato, six towns in Lanao del Norte, and 39 villages of the province of North Cotabato.
From Mamasapano, the bikers snaked through the towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Unsay Ampatuan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, and on to the city of Cotabato.
According to Major General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, these areas have been at “the receiving end of the armed conflict.”
“The search for peace in Mindanao has been a long struggle and not without challenges…To some, peace in Mindanao can never be achieved due to the diverse cultural heritage in the region,” he said.
“But the path to peace, though meek and dark, still has hope. The key factor in our search for peace is understanding. We should accept and understand the different views and diverse culture of each other and strengthen the similarities in order for us to achieve common goal,” the valor-awardee general pointed out.
Aside from the local town mayors, civic groups and other government agencies participated in the Bike for Peace.
OPAPP Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso said the Kariling sa Kalinaw is on its second year as part of the celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month which is being led by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).