On the path to lasting peace in Mindanao

Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman delivered the concluding remarks of the Peace Council’s report at the April 27 Congressional hearing on the Bangsamoro‬ Basic Law.

PEACE COUNCIL CONCLUDING REMARKS

Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu. As the youngest in the group, it is my privilege to do the Concluding Remarks and an opportunity to share the voice of the youth, the voice of the children.

SITUATIONER:

About 120,000 lives have been lost in the 17 years that we have been negotiating for peace, and as we speak, almost 100,000 people have been displaced as an aftermath of the tragic incident in Mamasapano, including thousands of children. Hundreds of thousands is the usual number of victims every time there is conflict that forces families to leave their homes for temporary shelters for months, or even more than a year with unhealthy conditions in shelters and poor nutrition that cause long-term illness or even deaths; families leave their farms, while sari-sari stores and other forms of livelihood are destroyed; children, who suffer the worst effects of conflict by dropping out of school, are traumatized by the violence. This has been going on for more than 40 years but their voices, their stories are not heard in the mainstream society. How can we expect anyone to develop under these circumstances?

In the recent Peace Mission of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement in Maguindanao, we came across different stories of old and new generations of Bangsamoro. These are common stories of every Moro and it is certain that our honorable members here have also experienced them. Let me briefly humanize the peace process by sharing some of the stories of our brothers and sisters affected by the Mamasapano incident.

Nakilala po namin si Mang Tok sa Shariff Aguak. Ang sabi niya, “Ang gulo dito sa amin more than 40 years na, 1973 pa may gulo na dito. Lumaki na kame dito sa gulo. Tumanda na kame sa gulo. Parang hindi natatapos ang gulo. Lumalaki sa karahasan ang mga anak ko, parang nakatanim na sa puso, sa isipan ng mga bata ang kaguluhan. Patayan doon, patayan dito. Bagsakan ng mortar dito, bagsakan doon. Sana matahimik na. Mga bata ko wala nang kinabukasan, putol putol. Nagkahirap hirap na buhay namin dahil sa gulo. STOP WAR ang sigaw namin. Ang sigaw ng sibilyan ay katahimikan po. Kung may katahimikan sana, maayos ang pamumuhay naming Bangsamoro.”

Si Sarah, isang napakabatang byuda. Ang sabi niya sobrang namimiss na ng mga anak niya ang tatay nila. Bago daw matulog ang panganay niyang anak, hinahanap siya. ‘Yung ama daw niya kasi ang nagpapatulog at nagpapakain sa kanya.

Si Saad, 15 years old na hiniwa ang tiyan dahil natamaan ng ligaw na bala, ang sabi naman niya, “Matigil na sana ang giyera para makapag-aral ako uli. Gusto ko kasing makatapos para makatulong sa pamilya… Marami po sa mga batang ito ay hindi nila alam kung may kinabukasan pa ba sila kung patuloy lang ang giyera.”

Sa mga mensahe ng mga bata sa Maguindanao nung pina-drawing at pinasulat namin sila ng kanilang mga kwento, halos lahat sila ay umaasa na sana magkaroon na sa kanila ng katahimikan para makapag-aral sila ulit. May isa pa nga, si Janine, 9 years old, gusto daw niya kasing maging guro para makapagturo siya ng mabuting asal sa mga bata, kasi ayaw daw niyang may matutunan na masama ang mga bata. May nagkwento pa po tungkol sa kanyang alagang manok dahil sobrang nalungkot daw ito nung bigla silang nagbakwit at ito’y naiwan sa bahay nila. Iniyak daw niya ito nung hindi na niya nakita ang alaga niya pagbalik. May isang bata na may mensahe na: Dear Taga-Maynila. Sana po ay maintindihan ninyo ang aming kalagayan. Nakakatakot po. Gusto ko na pong bumalik sa bahay ko.  

There was also one child who received a new bag from the relief operations and instead of putting her books in it, she told her Mother that she would put her clothes in it because they might have to run again when they hear gunshots. Simple statements, but powerful ones, dahil sila po ang susunod nating henerasyon whose voices are seldom heard in Manila.

The old and new generations have been victims since time immemorial of the injustices against Moro identity, socio-economic and political development, and until now they yearn for a political solution. The narrative that we ultimately value, beginning with our ancestors, and the socio-political identity of our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, are significant components that not many fellow Filipinos do not understand or appreciate.  And our brothers and sisters from Non-Moro Indigenous groups continue to struggle like the Bangsamoro in their quest for their Right to Self-Determination. That is why every Filipino should be conscious of the Bangsamoro context as well as the narratives of the Indigenous Peoples.

As the framers of the Constitution said in their public appeal for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and as reiterated in our final report, the creation of Autonomous Regions is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution as a commitment to social justice.

The need for peace and social justice in Muslim Mindanao is clear, otherwise another generation will inherit the conflict and its consequences.

As Ambassador Howard Dee mentioned in the Social Justice Cluster, 30 of the 40 poorest municipalities in the country are in Muslim Mindanao. That is an alarming 75 percent. Their poverty level is about twice the national average. Their average life span is much lower than the national average. There are about 300,000 adults who are illiterate.

These figures are an indictment to us all.

It is clear that only peace and the cessation of war and conflict can arrest the downward spiral of the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters in Mindanao.

SOLUTION:

We strongly believe that the Bangsamoro Basic Law can start us on the path that can bring lasting peace to Mindanao and the country. With peace will come human development in terms of education, health, environmental sustainability, investments and jobs, prosperity. The BBL is not the silver bullet that will solve all our problems, but we cannot even begin to solve any of those problems without this peace.  It is an excellent starting point. It may not be perfect but it is still the best chance that we have for a future with lasting peace. The Bangsamoro People imagine that someday we can tell our forefathers, our fellow young people “Alhamdulillah (Thanks be to God), we have gained justice for our people.

We are warned that things will likely get worse before getting better; There will be peace spoilers who will lash out; Governance and the Economy will have a period of uncertainty as the details are ironed out.  The normalization processes may bring uncertainty as part of transition, but the positive thing is that at least the groundwork has begun.

The Third Party Monitoring Report shows that the Committees on Normalization,Transitional Justice, and Decommissioniong have begun their work. A Bangsamoro Development Plan has already been presented to the President and it is a testament to our readiness to take on the task of charting the future, along with other proposals in the works for health, livelihood and greening. A coordination team has been established bringing together the GPH, ARMM and the MILF. The MILF has established the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), “marking a significant transition from armed struggle to full engagement with the political process.”  This is only the beginning. The BBL serves as a guide to achieve what we have been aspiring for. There is so much more to be done.  But nothing can move and nothing will be given a chance to change without an organic law.  The BBL is only a part, but an integral part of this process.

The flexibility in the BBL provides many opportunities for Mindanao.  Mindanao is starting to get ready, and we are eager to follow.  Many of the participants in the Peace Council, after hearing all the facts, arguments, and discussions, have articulated their interest in mobilizing their organizations to help rebuild Mindanao when the BBL is passed. We all know that it will not be an easy task. It will necessitate our working together as Filipinos to help our brothers and sisters in Mindanao.

The roadmap still has a long way to go but amidst the challenges ahead, the younger generations of Muslims, Christians and Indigenous Peoples express our commitment to contribute to its success and sustainability, ultimately for God’s glory and for the people, Insha Allah. We only have to be patient and to trust each other in pushing the roadmap for the creation of a Bangsamoro region towards building a good future with peace and progress that weaves our aspirations.

But it still must start with all of you, our representatives in Congress. We know that you have these ends in mind, which are: to prevent and end conflict for our brothers and sisters in Mindanao, to bring all Filipinos together in finding the best possible and diplomatic solutions, and to save lives. And all of us especially your younger generations are hoping that you will represent the voices of our people. Sana po ay kayo ang maging boses ni Saad, ni Mang Tok, ni Sarah, ni Janine at ng lahat ng mga kapatid natin na laging nagbabakwit tuwing may giyera.

To echo and paraphrase the words of our Constitutional framers:

We fully support the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

It is an unfulfilled promise and can be a model of equitable autonomy.

It fulfills the vision and spirit of the 1987 Constitution.

Beyond the exercise of your legislative powers, it is also your sacred duty.

As a people, guided by you, we must go beyond semantics and focus on our people – their needs, their aspirations, their choices, their voices – to empower them to lift themselves out of their poverty.

With meaningful self-determination, and within the framework of our constitution and our republic they can help create their future.

APPEAL:

We appeal to you, our representatives in Congress, to let doubts and fears of the Filipino society be the strength to break down walls of prejudice and discrimination and endless social injustices. We appeal that you show courageous statesmanship, servant leadership, and a generosity of spirit. The 16th Congress has the monumental role to finally resolve the decades old Bangsamoro Aspiration for self-governance and healing of historical injustices. Let us give the young generation hope, for they have suffered enough. The children in Mindanao deserve a better legacy, and that legacy is in your hands. A kind of legacy that will enshrine a kind of future that would allow kids to draw their destiny, Free from Fear, Free from feeling unaccepted as Filipinos and Free from War. You can leave a legacy of peace and development for our people. We look up to you to do the right thing for all of us in response to the struggles of our ancestors.

The members of the Peace Council support the Bangsamoro Basic Law. We pray that each one of you will support it as well.  The present and future of our younger generations are in your hands. We have faith in you and as the youth of today, we will safeguard what you will bestow upon us.

May the Almighty in His great wisdom guide you, protect you and bless all of you.

Mabuhay ang Bangsamoro, Mabuhay ang mga Katutubo. Mabuhay ang Kristiyano. Mabuhay ang Bawat Pilipino.

Para sa Bayan. Para sa Kapayapaan. 

Maraming Salamat. Wa Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu.

Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman is the founder of the “Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement” an organization which aims to make every Filipino child & youth a peace builder. She is the chairperson and outreach convener of the Young Moro Professionals Network, a group of young Muslim leaders advocating peaceful means to improve the socio-economic well-being of the Bangsamoro people.