"BUTUAN CITY, May 27 – The call for a just and lasting peace deeply resonates in the Caraga Region (Region XIII) of Mindanao as various sectors articulated their grievances and demands at the recently concluded Peace Roadshow held from May 23 to 24 in key areas of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.
In the two-day fora held at the Fr. Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) here, participants heard updates from government peace panel member Jurgette Honculada on the ongoing peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP).
A Butuanon herself, Honculada called on all Filipinos to be updated on the peace negotiations between GPH and CPP-NPA-NDFP and raise their stakes for peace. She also spoke on issues confronting Caraga communities such as problems related to mining, illegal logging and delivery of basic services in far-flung areas, all of which are also being tackled in the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-economic Reforms (CASER), which is the meat of the ongoing peace negotiations between the GPH and NDFP."
“The present administration, led by President Benigno Aquino III, is serious in forging a final negotiated political settlement with the NDFP. We must revive the peace process on the basis of a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of the conflict,” Honculada stressed. “We’re not playing games; we have a genuine desire to attain a just and lasting peace. The goal of the panel is to negotiate a settlement within three years so that we’ll still have time for implementation since every administration only has six years.”
With the concrete goal of reaching a final peace agreement to set the ball rolling for reforms to be fully carried out, the participation of different communities nationwide will prove to be critical.
