MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug. 19 (PIA) --- The Institute for Autonomy and
Governance (IAG) gathered local chief executives, civil society
organizations, and security partners in the province in a summit
Tuesday, August 18, to tackle ways to improve the political climate for
peace.
Atty. Benedicto R. Bacani, IAG
executive director, said the summit was conducted under the Pro PolitiCS
for Peace project, a three-year project that seeks to help shape a
stable political environment in support of the broader Mindanao peace
process.
This not only refers to the vertical peace
process between the government and the Moros Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) but also peace processes at the community level like rido
settlement, he said.
According to Bacani, the Pro PolitiCS
for Peace project aims to enhance the participation of political
leaders and local government units in dialogues where they can reflect
and articulate their informed perspectives on issues of autonomy, peace
and security.
During the summit, the participants broke
into groups and discussed local security concerns and issues and ways to
improve peace and security.
Other highlights of the
summit were learning sessions on current security threats given by the
Philippines Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research;
national situationer on anti-illegal drug enforcement by the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency; national security and policing program by the
Philippine National Police; and local security and normalization by the
Joint Normalization Committee.
Meanwhile, Provincial Governor Mamintal A. Adiong Jr., underscored the importance of the summit.
We
welcome the assistance provided by the Australian Aid and the IAG in
hosting this summit. We have to focus on security issues affecting us
and how we can empower our communities to protect their families and
friends and neighbors from these threats because we cannot allow cycle
of fear and violence to tear at the fabric of our communities, Adiong
said.
He also emphasized the need to confront the warped
ideologies espoused by some groups especially their attempt to use Islam
to justify their violence. “And that hurts all of us, especially
Muslims, who are the ones most likely to be their targets nowadays. All
of us regardless of our faith have a responsibility to reject it,” the
Governor said.
Governor Adiong also announced that he
received a notice from the Independent Decommissioning Body citing that
the Provincial Capitol may possibly be the assembly and processing area
for the decommissioning of the MILF-BIAF combatants and their weapons.
One
component of the Pro PolitiCS for Peace project is the interfacing of
LGUs and political leaders with the peace process structures and
mechanisms. (APB/PIA-10)
No comments