Hope for Sustainable Peace

The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have finally reached a Framework Agreement leading to a sustained peace process in the Muslim region of the Philippines. This moment has come after two year’s continuous and intense discussion. The agreement defines the mechanism and procedure and their principles of replacing moralities that feel a bit unsafe in the newly political identity region called Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where Muslims are in majority in the Catholic Dominated Country. The framework describes the two provisions on the basic rights highlighting the Women’s Rights as:

Ø  1-Right to participate meaningfully in Political activities  and protecting them  from all kinds of violence.

Ø  Equal participation in all opportunities regarding social, economical, public service etc. activities irrespective of their class, creed, disability and gender.

It is due to this framework agreement that on either side of the negotiation have female members i.e. MILF has Raissa Jajurie in its Board of Consultants and Government has Miriam Coronel Ferrer and Yasmin Busran Lao in the panel. All these three women have strong civil society background.  After the agreement the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles has remarked  “The agreement lays the foundation for a future more invested in books, not bullets. It is about young lives able to realize their dreams in the safety of communities where conflict used to reign. It is about writing the success story of our nation together as brothers and sisters which is respectful of each other’s diversity and cultural identity.” This treaty is opening a new horizon in the peace process in the ere when all the world is under terrorism and anti-terrorism conflict widening with every day and no hope for the rehabilitation  Super powers have put their responsibility behind and blindly opening the new war-fields each day. The agreement is a hope to the peaceful future of mankind.