CHURCH-MILITARY-POLICE FORUM ORGANIZED

Forum came amid spate of killings in Negros

THE church involving the four dioceses in Negros Island along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police has formally organized the CMP Forum yesterday at the Bishop’s House.

To promote and respect human dignity, and to achieve sustainable peace and development in Negros is the ultimate aim of the CMP (Churchmilitary-police) Forum – Negros.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed yesterday between Church leaders and top military and police officials in Negros Island to establish the CMP Forum, which will serve as an institutional platform for dialogue in the island, which is also envisioned as an action mechanism to address issues and concerns that may emerge in the field.

The CMP Forum MOU was signed yesterday by Bacolod Bishop Buzon, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galbines, Military Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, Dolina, Pamuspusan, Brig. Generals

Benedict Arevalo and Ignacio Madriaga, P/colonels Ildebrandi Usana,romeo Baleros, Rizalito Gapas and Henry Binas.

The newly-signed MOU also served as the baseline document for the Church, AFP and PNP to govern their engagements regarding realities on security, peace and order affecting Negros Island.

It was patterned from the Church-military-police Advisory Group that was established in 2018 to serve as a venue to forge harmonious relationship and cooperation between the four Roman Catholic Dioceses of Negros Island, AFP and PNP.

The revitalization of CMPAG to CMF Forum also came in the wake of spate killings in Negros that claimed the lives of 50 persons from October 20 last year to July this year, which according to the four Negros bishops, the figures are staggering, citing the killings of 21 individuals within a period of over a week.

Fr. Chris Gonzales, Social Action Center director of the Diocese of Bacolod, yesterday said that military is not the solution to decades old insurgency problem in Negros Island, stressing also that it needs the cooperation of every sector of society.

Gonzales,who spoke in behalf of CMP Forum- Negros after the signing of MOU and initial dialogue at the Bishop’s House in Bacolod City, disclosed that military and police officials were happy of the initiative being undertaken.

Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, 3rd Infantry Division commander, lauded the signing of MOU, and expected that this will be the start of a closer and more amiable relationship between the Church, military and police.

“Rest assured that the military leadership is really serious in our mandate to facilitate peace in Negros. In every undertaking that we do, as what I have learned in my childhood days, we always invoke the presence of God. We the blessings of God, we hope we will be able to finish our job in Negros,” Dolina said.

Pbrig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, regional police director of Western Visayas, yesterday said that CMP Forum-negros will help them immensely in the law enforcement campaign and public safety.

Pamumusan added that CMP Forum-negros takes a step forward in forging and strengthening strategic partnership to bring peace and order, as well as promote human rights in Negros.

CMP Forum – Negros will expect our full cooperation and support in ensuring an open line of communication and capability enhancement program between the four dioceses of Negros Island and the AFP, he stressed.*