"building peace and upholding justice "

Mindanao has always been said to be the land of promise. It is the second largest group of islands of the country and covering around 35% of the country’s total land area with natural resources abound.

 

The richness of the island with the passing of time has not made the lives of most Mindanaoans better as 48% of the families in Mindanao live below poverty level which is higher than the national average of 34% and in ARMM about 69% of the families are poor.

 

While inadequate support services and facilities in Mindanao compounded the economic difficulties of the people’s lives, the continuing armed conflict in Mindanao resulted to people leaving their homes and resources of income and is literally internally displaced from their place that affects not only Muslim people but Lumads and Christians as well. The military campaign that is operated continually like opening and closing of the door has deepened the Christians-Muslim mistrust and prejudices. The armed confrontation by the government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in particular with hate campaign virtually made Mindanao as if it has an sinkable ship of disunity and war and which exacerbate the agony of uncertainty of life and future for most Mindanaoans.

 

Poverty and war has always been the continuing reality for Mindanao with richness in resources as her backdrop that is also crumbling by abuse, neglect and need to survive to provide the needs of family. With this, the Mindanaoans hope for better life is losing its light for it become a reality in the present time and in the future should the, people in Mindanao comprising of the Muslim, Lumad and Christians settlers will not take the path in building a lasting peace in Mindanao that shall not only put and end to war but hunger, poverty and uncertainty.

 

It is with the need for peace for the people in Mindanao that SUMPAY MINDANAO a network of NGOs and POs for peace initiated the First Mindanao Summer Youth Peace Camp on May 13-20, 2002 at General Santos City to provide a venue where Muslim, Lumad and Christian settler youth could discuss and exchange views and perspective in understanding of and finding solution to and define the youth’s role in building a lasting peace in Mindanao.

 

The peace ended with the peace campers organizing themselves as an Alliance of Mindanao Youth for Peace or Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapyapaan (AKMK) as it is called. An organization that yields its strength from the realization, belief and conviction that peace is the only way out in the Mindanaoans predicament; that for peace to become a reality, Muslim youth, Lumad and Christian settlers in particular has to address the problem of cultural prejudices; that the youth has to take an active role in the protection and the rehabilitation of natural resources for sustainable development and utilization; that the youth has to acquire knowledge and skills in running the affairs of the community; for the youth to actively participate to empower the tri-people in Mindanao; and for the youth in Mindanao to work in solidarity with the people’s of the world in building a lasting peace not for Mindanaoans alone but for the entire race as well.

 

It is for peace for the people of Mindanao with culture of peace, Sustainable development, empowerment, good governance and solidarity as its pillar programs that Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan is built upon.

 

CULTURE OF PEACE

For the people of Mindanao to attain a lasting peace requires that Muslims, Lumad and Christians Settlers has to recognize and respect their perspective culture and extend the hand of brotherhood with no desire other than for the tri-people in Mindanao live better lives that is free from fear, hunger, poverty and uncertainty.

 

Knowing and appreciating each others culture through cultural promotion, tri-people community visits and immersion, conduct of tri-people youth peace forum and camps on coming up of alternatives, among others can address the almost unsinkable ship to disunity for the people in Mindanao. Organizing cultural groups and honing the youth’s talents is of great value in peace building efforts.

 

It is through cultural of peace that preconceived biases, prejudices and mistrust that continues to divide the people of Mindanaon since time immemorial could crumble and not any amount of hate campaign can resurrect it and through the same communities in Mindanao lives in harmony.

 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The future of Mindanao is to be enjoyed by the youth of today and the generations to come, however, utilization of resources if continually done with abuse and neglect that has resulted to drying of creeks and rivers, destruction of corral reefs, erosion and siltation, frequent flooding, pollution, depletion of ozone layers, health problems and to some extend resulted to deaths, and the like rises great concern that Mindanao environment would not be able to support the needs for the years to come with agriculture and fishery sector who would suffer most.

 

Christian, Lumad and Muslim youth has to participate with other sectors of society if not lead in the campaign for sustainable utilization of resources. Necessary measures on watershed rehabilitation, conservation and protection must be aggressively pursued with parallel effort on coastal resource management while learning appropriate technologies including solid waste management.

 

There are no shortcuts solutions in environmental problems as these would require time, not with standing with the resources needed, and to wait for the appropriate agencies to do the task, youth would be losing precious time in restoring the environment which is necessary for Mindanao survival future.

 

 

EMPOWERMENT

Lasting and enduring peace in Mindanao can only be made by the people who empower themselves as genuine peace is a product not of charity but is consciously pursued to the full realization and enjoyment of the right of the human as individuals and as a people.

 

Youth being a dynamic sector imbued with idealism is in a best position in creating an atmosphere that shall lay the foundation in attaining peace for the people of Mindanao and in the process acquire knowledge, skills and expertise in making Mindanao a far better.

 

 

Mindanao with a divided people must be united with peace as focal banner as Mindanaoans must rally behind. Peace in oneself, peace in family and peace for the whole community of Mindanao is what Mindanaoans dream of. But non can unite Mindanao except Mindanaoans and it is for this reason that Mindanao should come up with a Mindanao Tri-people Peace Agenda of which the youth can greatly participate in evolving said agenda together with other sectors of society.

 

The Mindanao People’s Peace agenda must be that which allows the realization and enjoyment of the rights of man as an individual and as people. And the youth which is a large in number and widely spread in the islands and has the time and could access and acquire information as well as a significant numbers are in school is strategically situated in doing the many task in formulating and making the people’s peace agenda a reality, thus, also the need of establishing a Mindanao Youth Peace center that shall organize, integrate, facilitates, coordinate youth peace activities including information management system, among others.  

 

 

GOOD GOVERNANCE

The pursuit for a lasting peace in Mindanao requires the participation of the various sectors and is doubly necessary for the youth, if Mindanao is to continually grow.

 

While the youth will participate in making peace a reality, it has to develop capacities in assuming responsibilities on managing the affairs of the community. It has to learn how to translate the principle of transparency, accountability, participation and responsibility which is the foundation of good governance into workable systems and procedures so that human rights and fundamental freedom of all peoples and individuals are realized and enjoyed. And, AKMK, should lead in strengthening and developing capabilities of youth organizations in Mindanao at the community, work or school levels, thereby optimizing the potentials of the youth for peace, however, in areas where there are no youth organization; AKMK has to initiate the organization of the same.

 

 

It is only when the youth shall actively participate in managing the affairs of the community in building a lasting peace will they be able to learn more and realize how economic, political and administrative aspects of good governance interplay as an agent and facilitating functions for peace.

 

 

SOLIDARITY WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S of the WORLD

 

With the colossal task in making Mindanaoans lives better and free from hunger, poverty and uncertainty requires the support from other people’s of the world both financial, material and moral support, as well as in developing capacities and expertise in building peace.

 

However, it is not only with the support Mindanaoans needs as the engine in uniting with the other people’s but more so that the plight of Mindanaoans is greatly affected by the neo-liberal policies of the first world countries that affects much of the lives of third world countries and the Mindanaoans in particular.

 

The struggle for peace in Mindanao is to be advance not in isolation but in the context of the global movement for peace, and Mindanaoans including the youth shall in solidarity build peace.

 

With this, the youth in Mindanao shall unite with other youth organization in other countries in finding solutions and alternatives and works towards the establishment and strengthening of global youth movement for peace sub-centers which shall include among tohers the youth peace center in Mindanao.

 

It is with the global movement for peace and the Mindanao people peace movement can Mindanao has an enduring peace, and through the same that youth’s future can be made certain.