Meranaws, groups commemorate Jabidah
Hundreds of peace advocates composed of civil society organizations from Mindanao, Luzon and Visayas, Meranaw CSOs, youth and students, women, bakwits and internally displaced persons today conducted a joint solidarity action dubbed ‘KALILINTAD SA MARAWI: PEOPLES SOLIDARITY FOR PEACE’ in Marawi City to commemorate the 50th year of ‘Jabidah Massacre’ and other historical antecedents connected to the decades of struggle of the Bangsamoro for self-rule and right to self-determination.
Advocates renewed their demand for the immediate passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which according to them ‘is a social justice instrument that would address historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro and other inhabitants of Mindanao’.
Said gathering is a 2-day joint solidarity action (March 18-19, 2018).Today’s program startedat Km.0.00 beside People’s Park in Marawi City at 8:00am.
Led by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Saving Lives Movement, Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM-MSU Marawi) in coordination with the Mindanao PeaceWeavers (MPW) and Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), peace groups also issued what they call a People’s Declaration which affirms their commitmentto sustain their decades of solidarity with the Bangsamoro, for the internally displaced persons and other victims in Marawi City following the city’s tragic siege last year, normalization in Marawi, and for the immediate enactment of the proposed BBL now being deliberated in Congress.
Last week, peace advocates proposed a draft resolution in Congress urging lawmakers to declare March 18 as a ‘Day of Solidarity for the Bangsamoro’. The event also aims to provide spaces for interfaith dialogue and solidarity among Meranaws and other stakeholders in supporting the BBL passage and Normalization in Marawi. Participants held a ‘Peace walk and interfaith prayer, and peace dialogues on peace and human security.
STRONGER PEOPLE’s SOLIDARITY FOR THE BANGSAMORO
The People’s Declaration states,”We mournwith the peoples of Marawi, who, up to this day, carry the profoundandunceasing pains of that tragic incident that resulted in unnecessary loss of innocent lives, displacement of thousands of families and reduced much of the beautiful Marawi City to rubble. We, therefore, persist to advocate for continuing humanitarian assistance to help in the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi and the safe and dignified return of the thousands of internally displaced persons.”
It adds, “We believe that passing a BBL that genuinely reflects and recognizes the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Bangsamoro, the indigenous peoples, and all other inhabitants of Mindanao is a crucial step towards achieving sustainable peace, social justice and progress not just for the war-torn southern region but for the whole country.”
The Declaration further states, “Concernedwith the recent deliberation of the
WHENEVER I hear the word “Dream”, I remember Martin Luther King’s famous speech delivered on August 1963 before hundreds of thousands who marched in Washington D.C. to express their sentiments about the fight for equality between blacks and whites, that all men are created equal, and thus must be rightly protected under the law and be actually given equal opportunities and rights in practice.
His speech came to be known for posterity as “I have a Dream” was a phrase repeatedly used to express his vision and desire for the black people of America.
Did he give up on his dream when reality was not in synch with his vision for equality? No.
He not just kept his dream alive. He led others to keep their common dream alive. He fought for his dream, and he acted on his dream.
A few months ago, I read this somewhere: “Don’t downgrade your dream to match reality… instead, upgrade your faith to match your destiny.” We all have dreams. In fact, we even have dreams for others. We have dreams for our children. That is why we are willing
TINY yellow flowers carpeting the road. Glossy purple and green balls of caimito that drip sweet juice down one’s chin and leave one’s gums and lips caked afterwards in an odd telltale stiffness. No one needs to tell me summer is here.
The traditional two months of release from school means that, even after I have long outgrown childhood, March still brings on a great restlessness, which the first rain in May only dampens. I can see this same restiveness in nature.
Leaves leaving trees in a great exodus, scattered into all directions by a wayward wind. Even the riotous grass withers and withdraws beneath the earth to a place I cannot behold. House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines on the BBL, we urge the government, particularly lawmakers, to side with the people, in the spirit of solidarity, to once and for all do what is right and deliver peace to the Bangsamoro without further delay as maintenance of a peaceful life for peoples is the sacred duty of each sovereign state.”
It concludes, “This People’s Declaration reflects our firm resolve to gather our voices and reignite stronger people’s solidarity for the Bangsamoro. What’s at stake is our future and our ‘right to peace’. Today, we summon our collective desire and aspiration for a genuinely democratic, progressive and peaceful Mindanao and the Philippines.”
Speakers during the event were leaders from the LGUs in Marawi, Prof. Tirmizy Abdullah, Asec. Felix Castro, Jr.,executivedirector of Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), Lt. Gen Roseller Murillo, Commander of Tabak Division, Philippine Army through Col Romeo Brawner, Head of Task Force Ranao.
Sultan Hamidullah Atar and Gus Miclat, Executive Director of IID and Secretary General of Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW)led the signing of the “People’s Declaration”.Other organizers of the event were Ranao Rescue Team, Rawaten, Bangon Marawi CSO Platform, Unypad - Ranao, KALIMUDAN, and RIDO, Inc.