Peace stakeholders celerate 2nd anniv of CAB signing

COTABATO CITY – Stand up for peace, long live the Comprehensive Agreement.”With this theme, the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace negotiators commemorated the second year anniversary of the signing of CAB.Present during the anniversary were government peace panel members, led by chief government negotiator Prof. Miriam Coronel Ferrer and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Sec. Teresita Deles and MILF chief negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal and other peace process major players.
Also in attendance during the anniversary celebration at the Notre Dame University Gymnasium here were members of civil society organizations, international peace monitors and foreign diplomats.During the affairs, both GPH and MILF peace panels acknowledge the contributions of various groups and the called for their continued support to the peace process.Audience and guests were entertained by a video presentation showing the milestones, the process, the major events leading to the signing of the peace accord, including the failure of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to hurdle Philippine Congress.A photo exhibited also showed the happenings during the 17-year peace negotiations and participation of major players, including international community representatives.Iqbal showed dismay over non passage of the draft BBL but stressed the MILF is not losing hope and emphasized it will remain to tow the right path. The peace process is the best option, war was never an option for the MILF,” he said.Sec. Deles said recalled the hardships both sides have encountered as they built the foundation of the a peace process. Of course even then, we know that it would be not easy and how important this work is, especially to families and communities on the ground and so we buckle down and together keep moving,” Deles recalled. We kept faith that in the end peace will always come even as we give recognition to the various actors and mechanism that become part of the peace process,” she said, adding that a snappy salute goes to members of the GPH and MILF peace panels for the perseverance to sustain the universal desire of attaining genuine and just peace. Deles also recognized the role of Malaysian government which served as the peace process third party facilitator since 2003. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)