Press Release

Press Release
Zamboanga City
April 3, 2012

Statement of great concern of the Inter-religious Solidarity Movement for Peace on the ambush-slaying of Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) President Arturo F. Eustaquio III on Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Zamboanga City.

When will the killings stop?

By one account, his ambush-slaying would have been to local government and police authorities just another statistic, the 61st since just January this year, just numbers that they always dismiss blithely, gloss over quickly as mere "isolated" incidents. Except that this 61st victim is not an ordinary citizen: Arturo F. Eustaquio III is the President of one of the oldest schools in the city, the Universidad de Zamboanga, a scion of a prominent Christian clan, a convert to Islam and one of a respected leaders, an education official known and loved for his liberal and compassionate policies towards his school's low income-class students. He was an honorary member of the Inter-religious Solidarity for Peace (IRSMP) and, therefore, a peace advocate. His violent death in the hands of the usual two motorcycle-riding-in-tandem assassins has shocked present and former city residents, hopefully the city's authorities from their smug complacency as well.

We condole with his good, grieving family and the men and women of the Universidad. Words cannot describe our sense of outrage and condemnation of this dastardly incident.

Eustaquio's death is but a climax to the long-rising sense of frustration mixed with dread of local residents over the series of violent killings in the city, mostly in public and always with the use of guns, for the past so many months. The people are greatly conncerned and fearful now: if an assassin can kill with impunity a man of stature like Eustaquio, who then in this city can be safe from a similar attack? Nobody - in this co-called Asia's Latin City in which the rule of law is now teetering on the brink of a total collapse if not already. Our peace and order situation has imploded, we cannot go on this way. And so with a deep sense of concern, we make this appeal:

-To President Benigno Aquino III, to utilize his extraordinary/special powers to order appropriate officials, agencies and sectors to restore and preserve peace and order and the rule of law in Zamboanga City;

-To Department of Interior and Local Government Secratary Jesse Robredo, to order the Philippine National Police (PNP) to swiftly investigate Eustaquio's killing and to bring to justice all those responsible for his death, and for those of others similarly killed in the past months/years, most of which are unresolved, thus emboldening further such crimes;

-To Mayor Celso lobregat to take seriously his job in regard to his constituents' safety, peace and sense of security, to utilize and properly his office's considerable resources, power and authority for that pre-eminent concern and need of city residents;

-To the local judiciary to be more efficient and proficient in the enforcement and disposition of cases before them so as desist aggrieved parties from taking the law into their hands;

-To law enforcement officers and their agencies: you know your peace and order job, so just do it because if you don't it is tantamount to not knowing at all or constitutes a neglect of duty;

-To other sectors and all citizens to do their share of civic responsibility to ensure the prevention of crimes .
and to help authorities to bring to justice anyone who committed a crime.

Life is sacred and any violent death diminishes all humanity, but especially among those who share a sense of local community and family. It is only by respecting life and one another that we can live and exist as a  civilized society, and so we tremble to perceive how our city is now going towards the opposite abyss! God forbid! Let us all act to save ourselves and our city!


SGD
FR. ANGEL C. CALVO, CMF                                      PROF. ALI T. YACUB
Convenor, R. Catholics                                                    Convenor, Muslims

REV. PAULINO ERSANDO                                         NULHAMDO CEGALES
Convenor, Evangelicals                                                    Convenor, Indigenous Community

TOPIC: MINDANAO PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

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SACA conducts School of Living Tradition in Basilan

Press Release

By: Abs Damahan

Sitio Look, Barangay Ettub-Ettub, Sumisip, Basilan…The Sahaya Al-Nour Community Association (SACA) has conducted School of living tradition on Yakan Song and Instrument- playing last March 10, 2012. Spearheaded by no less than the President Majid A. Nur of SACA.The guest is from National Commission for Cultures & Arts (NCCA) was represented by Mr. Ammalun Salahuddin Yakan cluster head based in Basilan. The participants composed of fifteen students who played the Yakan Music & instruments. Their cultural masters are Lolo Aharain Arasalun and Rende Appotoh belongs to the women group.

The activities were conducted started from March 10, 2012 up to the present to highlights the primitive Yakan song and the Arts. The community participants are around 40 persons more or less. The program of activities started from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM all of them are well participated in the said activities.

The importance of this projects all folks is reminded how the cultures of the forefather be preserved to the present and next generation of the Yakan tribe. The Yakan music and the arts are almost in extinction without the supports from the National Commission and the Arts (NCCA).

The place where the programs is conducted is a very remote barangay has no projects implemented before and this is the first time programs and projected is being implemented in the area.

The community has valued this noble project because they felt that they are part of the government and society.  To continue and sustain this valuable cultural education the community would change and the local folks would not easy prey into the lawlessness and illegal activities.

To revive this culture practises the youth will encourage to become a good citizen of our society participating in all endeavour that will enshrine to the benefits of the native cultural preservation of the entire province.

Negotiating the Good Friday Agreement

Negotiating the Good Friday Agreement

 By: Fr. Eliseo Mercado, OMI

With the peace negotiations entering a sort of ‘winter’ season due to colliding positions on the terms of possible political settlement, International Alert in partnership with UK Embassy invited the Rt. Honorable Paul Murphy, Member of the British Parliament and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Wales.

MP Paul Murphy belongs to the Labor Government of both PM Tony Blair and PM Gordon Brown. It was this popular Labor government under Mr. Blair that negotiated the Good Friday Agreement that has laid the peace formula not only between the warring Unionist party (Protestant) and the Sein Fein (Catholic) but also shaping the relations between and among Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The case of Northern Ireland rings a familiar chord for the peoples of Southern Philippines albeit the differences in ‘color’, ‘shape’, religions, ideology and cultures. The many similarities touch on the relations of minority and majority cum the controversial wealth and opportunity sharing, and compounded by religious identities that are more tied to cultural ideologies and their popular expressions, including the use of violence.

Mr. Murphy’s short visit is simply to share with us – stakeholders to peace in Mindanao both in the national and regional levels - a model of peace negotiation that has proven successful not only in terms of signing a peace agreement but also implementing it with political will on the ground as workable formula for wealth and power sharing.

I cannot help but observe that the man who provided the environment and the ‘push’ is an ardent Catholic who received a papal knighthood for his peace work in Northern Ireland.

Some of the similarities between Northern Ireland and Southern Philippines are on issues touching the relations not only between minority (Catholics) and majority (Protestants) but also between the national government (the British Parliament) and the six counties (four Protestants and two Catholics) that formed Northern Ireland.

The above relationship in the recent past was marred by conflict and injustice of varying shades of colors of injustices and ideologies translated and expressed in more familiar concepts like political power, economic development and cultural identities (British Crown for the Unionists and the Republic for Sein Fein).

The other noteworthy similarity in the Northern Ireland conflict was the fact that for decades the conflict in the Northern Ireland remained distant not only to the Government of Great Britain but also to the British Constituency. It actually communicated a subtle message to the effect saying that so long as the killings, the carnage and the violations of basic rights remained in Belfast or Londonderry or in any part of Northern Ireland, the peoples of Great Britain continued with ‘business as usual’.

Things changed when the Irish Republican Army or IRA brought the conflict to London itself. The US was also brought to the picture, not only because of the historical and cultural ties to Ireland and Great Britain but more so because of the many Irish Americans’ support for the struggle of their kin and kith in the North.

What is noteworthy in the making of the Good Friday Agreement is the political will of the two governments (United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland). The two leaders, UK PM Mr. Blair and Republic of Ireland PM Mr. Beartie, were on board all the way as the full time and elected peace negotiators ironed out the formula of wealth and power sharing between the warring Protestant and Catholic groups. The US sent a powerful mediator in the person of Senator George Mitchell, with the full backing and support not only of the sitting US President (both President Clinton and later President G. W. Bush) but also by the entire US Congress. The role and support of the entire European Union were also much felt for the simple reason that the two major protagonists, the UK and the Republic of Ireland, are members of the same EU.

The equally important ingredient that went into the making of the Good Friday Agreement was the TRUST and the RESPECT accorded to one and all by the full time and elected negotiators, mediators, Governments and all stakeholders with few exceptions.

What is crucial is the fact that the Good Friday agreement is “HOMEGROWN”. NO IMPOSED peace agreement anywhere and at anytime is sustainable! The Good Friday Agreement is shaped by the stakeholders themselves through their elected negotiators (with real constituencies on the ground) and facilitated by a powerful US mediator and fully supported by the two major protagonists.

The Good Friday Agreement gives HOPE to our own peace process now experiencing some difficulties. Mr. Murphy’s sharing is a successful PEACE Story. Though we are not ‘copy cats’ of Northern Ireland, no doubt, we can draw concrete lessons from it if we are looking for a fresh wind blowing our own peace story... else we freeze in the winter of the peace talks!

Posted by Jun Mercado at 18:59 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

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