BARMM taps various sectors to help end violent extremism
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 15:00 PM Tue Nov 17, 2020
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By:
BPI-BARMM
Public safety officials hold meeting to help end violent extremism in BARMM. (BPI-BARMM photo)
LAKE SEBU, South Cotabato — With the view to end violent extremism in the region, the Bangsamoro Government is holding a series of conferences with different sectors to formulate and implement programs to prevent and counter violent extremism.
Atty. Al-Rashid Balt, legal consultant of the Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS), said the conference forms part of peacebuilding initiatives of the ministry, and the “whole-of-the-nation” approach is needed when dealing with violent extremism.
Representatives from the youth, women, academe, indigenous peoples, religious leaders, civil society organizations, community leaders, and peacebuilders are tapped to supplement the existing government efforts to address the problem on violent extremism or terrorism.
The MPOS is the lead agency of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in peacebuilding and reconciliation of rido or family feuds and other horizontal conflicts in the region.
Representatives from various sectors in Maguindanao and North Cotabato attended the two-day conference on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
Lawyer Sukarno Abas also discussed salient points of the Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to address its corculating misrepresentations as to its scope or content that cause discomfort among the populace.
Sittie Janine Gamao, MPOS-BARMM peace program officer, said the contextualization of the problems on violent extremism in the region will bring to its common understanding.
Gamao added that with the help of various sectors in formulating programs and projects, the Bangsamoro Government will respond better to these problems which will help achieve the goal of building peace and ending the culture of violence.
MPOS-BARMM Consultant Jolly Lais emphasized that violent extremism can be prevented within of the community with the help of peacebuilding advocates.
A similar conference was held in early November in Marawi City for participants from Lanao del Sur, while conferences for Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are scheduled in early 2021.
The series of conferences are being organized by MPOS-BARMM and the Office of Member of the Parliament Hussein Muñoz.