The Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations
KFI Compound, Doña Pilar Street Poblacion IV, Cotabato City 9600, Philippines
Sixth Peace Consultation Series, Davao City, Mindanao
Southern Philippines, October 22-23, 2008
23rd of October 2008
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
The United Nations General Headquarters
New York
Through: The Honorable Hilario Davide Jr.
Head of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations
His Excellency, the UN Secretary-General:
WE, that constitute the Bangsamoro Civil Society sectors in a series of peace consultations in the Southern Philippines, express our grateful appreciation for the UN Secretary General’s August 13 pronouncement over an emerging humanitarian crisis for which he appealed for greater restraint, protection of all civilians as well as broader provision of access to humanitarian assistance. Along that line, the International Committee on the Red Cross (ICRC) has been on a fruitful working cooperation with the Civil Society which is allied to some extent with international programs. Just recently, the Ambassador of the European Union enunciated Europe’s commitment to help rebuild communities ruined by ongoing wars in Central Mindanao.
Towards our collective end of addressing the conflict in the Southern Philippines, we earnestly appeal to the Office of the UN Secretary-General for a continuing support to the Civil Society’s efforts in peace-building, conflict prevention and transformation.
In addition to existing UN Programs on conflict prevention and transformation that have effectively implemented appropriate mechanisms and projects based on collaborative mandates, we do believe that a timely intervention of the UN Department of Political Affairs is reasonably called for in any event of the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In a statement titled “Fixing Mindanao,” seven former US Ambassadors to the Philippines foretold the Supreme Court’s ruling on October 13: “The Court will soon identify constitutional flaws in the suspended (Memorandum of) agreement (on Ancestral Domain).” “The question now is how to proceed,” said the statement jointly issued on September 30 by Stephen Bosworth, Thomas Hubbard, Richard Murphy, Nicolas Platt, Francis Ricciardone, Richard Solomon and Frank Wisner. (Solomon is the current president of the US Institute for Peace, and two other signatories of the statement—G. Eugene Martin and Ms. Astrid Tuminez—led USIP Facilitation Project which supported the Mindanao Peace Process from 2003 to 2007).
But while the erudite American diplomats and peace experts mentioned foresaw the court’s rejection of the draft accord, they are also of the view that, “Something very much like the recently (shelved) agreement would have to be part of any future settlement.”
It is in this premise and, above all, the suffering of the people in this part of the world that we are appealing to the Office of the UN Secretary General to effect, in the soonest possible time, the intervention of the UN Department of Political Affairs as the most valuable contribution of the international community to our people’s age-old aspiration for peace settlement in the Southern Philippines.
In ending, we quote the motto of the UN Department of Political Affairs: “No task is more fundamental to the United Nations than the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.”
Most respectfully yours,
GUIAMEL M. ALIM
Kadtuntaya Foundation Inc. (KFI)
SAMMY MAULANA
Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS)
BAI OUARDA S. KALIM
Mindanao Women for Active Governance
LIGAYA PAYOPAS
Bangsamoro Women Federation of Peace and Development. Inc.
NORJANAH NORIEL
CDYDO
HAZEL PANUGO
COMVAL-FED
AMOR ANTONIO
UNYPHIL
AISHA RODORA CASILEN
CBSC
ABDUL RASAD SAWAT
LKMF
ANWAR CUDA
UNYPAD
SAMMY M. BUAT
SALAM-DS
HAYRIA MOHAMAD
PDAL-DDS
ABDUL BARRY DANIAL
Peace and Development Advocates League (PDAL)
MOHSIN SAPAC
PDAL
CAMLON C. BUAT
SALAM-DS
NORSALEM B. DISAWIS
PDAL
ALOY A. YATAS
DCATU
HASIM J. MANAMPAD
BYO Davao City
BENCH U. CASILEN
Tagum City Muslims
ABDULKHUDDUS A. GUIAMBLANG
MYRO
HJ. DICK MURAD
Islamic Da’wah
NAIDZ ACASARON
AMOMA
NELSON D. MIRANDA
TCFAE
ZAFRULLAH S. BUDAY
UYNYPHIL
ALIMUDIN N. KANDONG
CIAPDI
AHMAD G. AMPUAN
TMV-MPC
ABDULRAHIM S. CAWANAN
DOISPROM, Davao City
NORHAYA MAMPAO
Rabotaton Misa Cooperative, Inc.
JABRIAL SAM BUAT
Office of Muslim Affairs, Davao Sur
TARHATA A. CASILEN
MWPPDI
GOLDEN LINGAS
SIGAY
HAFIZ SAMUEL
UNYPHIL/ LUPON
JOMAR C. MAYO
UNYPHIL/ MATI
REX MORALA
MDFI
ABDULGAHI JALALAIN
PDAL
TUROM CASSING
UKYPAD
BENJAMIN B. RANAIN
LKMFI/ Compostela Valley
ARNEL PINDURUAN
LKMFI/ Compostela Valley
JORISKIE ONTONG
Youth Leaders League
JANETH CASILEN
CBCS RMC Tagum City
WAHAD TANGAYON
Arabic Teachers’ Federation
ARIEL MACLA
Halal-PRAC. Panabo
JIMYASHIER TALANGTALANG
UNYPHIL
MONTANIER GAWAN
UNYPHIL
ESMAEL M. GONZALES
LIDA-CBCS-DRMC
FAROUK D. MENSAB
LIDA Incorporated
MICHAEL M. MAMUKID
Youth Sector
SITTIE HAYDEE D. LUPAPAK
CBCS/ MATI
