5-point peace covenant signed

(www.mindanews.com)

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/01 December) – After releasing doves to
symbolize their longing for peace, multisectoral groups who gathered
here Thursday signed a peace covenant as one of the highlights of
their own celebration of this year's Week of Peace.

The covenant contains the signatories' collective commitment to:
- strive for peace to reign in Lanao areas and in Mindanao as a whole
through continuous transformation and development of individuals,
organizations and institutions
- promote the building of peace at every level, in ways possible for
us, as constituents of Lanao and part of Mindanao, firmly and deeply
believing that peace-building is the task of every person,
organization and institution; that the leaders of our respective
organization/institution have a role to play in educating for and
promoting peace; and, that peace is the fruit of the meaningful
engagement, partnership and dialogue between and among all sectors,
groups and peoples;
- allocate resources in support to continuing peace building
activities, as necessary, in accordance with the law and the mandates
of our respective organizations/institutions;
- cause the establishment of necessary mechanisms and structures that
will support at the same time enhance the gains of peace-building in
Lanao and the whole of Mindanao;
- endeavor to continue and upscale, in the years to come, all our
efforts towards a wider and more coordinated actions of peace in
Mindanao by learning, sharing and building on this historic
celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace 2007.

The pledge was signed by members of the academe, local officials from
Marawi City, Iligan City and the Lanao provinces, civil society
leaders and representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF).

Representatives from the US Embassy, International Monitoring Team
(IMT) from Malaysia, and students from MSU witnessed the signing.

Bishop Edwin de la Pena told the peace advocates to "love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you."

De la Pena had joined other leaders in welcoming partners from the
civil society and media practitioners from Iligan City who held a
peace caravan from here to Marawi to Ramain and Baloi town at the
opening of Mindanao Week of Peace 2007 Thursday.

Their vehicles, festooned with balloons and flaglets, carried
streamers announcing the Mindanao Week of Peace celebration.

The group gathered for program at the Dimaporo gymnasium in MSU-Marawi
which university president Dr. Ricardo de Leon, a retired police
general, said is a "developing university of peace with a crusade for
the peace of hearts of the people and for global peace."

Paul Jones, deputy chief of mission of United States embassy in
Manila, who graced the occasion, said, "We are proud that we are
celebrating the peace process in Mindanao."
Jones said they have "committed P7 billion pesos for the next five
years to open the economic opportunities for people by helping former
combatants become farmers, fishers, fruits and vegetable growers."

"But why make a large investment for Mindanao? Because we're
optimistic that Mindanao will be peaceful," he added.

Jones said he is supportive of the peace process and hopes "for the
successful conclusion of the peace negotiations of the government and
the MILF."

Billy dela Rosa, head of the Volunteer Service Overseas Peace Mindanao
based in Iligan said pressures from civil society prevented the
collapse of the peace talks.

Suharto Abas of the UNMDP-Act for Peace observed that the participants
of the program represented various generations.

"This serves as a transition to transfer the advocacies of the adults
to the younger generations," he said.

On Friday, the League of City Mayors held another peace caravan from
Cagayan de Oro City to Marawi, to enhance relations.

Iligan City mayor Lawrence Cruz, chair of the Mayors' League in Region
X, said they came up with a memorandum of agreement to support
marginal cities and towns.

At 3 p.m., they distributed 250 free eyeglasses for the indigents of
the city; four wheelchairs for elders and some relief goods for the
victims of the recent flash floods. (Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)