Thousands of Zamboangueños march for peace

text & photos HADER GLANG

Pupils carry placards with anti war markings during the walk for peace as part of the celebrations of "Week of Peace."

Thousands of Zamboangueños took to the streets on Wednesday to celebrate the Week of Peace, which aims to raise consciousness for a culture of peace among the peoples of Mindanao.

Peace Advocates of Zamboanga (PAZ), the organizers of the yearly celebration, have given more emphasis on environmental issues with the theme "In the Name of the Almighty, God of Harmony, Care for the Earth!"

Around 20,000 people including concerned government agencies and instrumentalities and members of the private sector and civil society marched from Pettit Barrack to the Joaquin F. Enriquez Sports Complex.

Some students carried banners and placards with "No for war and yes for peace fight! For freedom!!! And "Make peace not war for the love of the world" slogans. Others performed street dance.

"The Subanun people can never accept the undergoing environmental destruction of our forest by indiscriminate logging and the destruction of our ancestral domain. We also renounce war," said 48-year old Subanun tribal leader.

Father Angel Calvo, PAZ president, said they have seen the people in Mindanao are more conscious now of the peace advocacy than ever, trying to incorporate the element of peace in their society.

"The peace advocacy we're seeing is getting more and more…people from all walks of life are taking center stage and participating with enthusiasm as never before in the history of Mindanao," Calvo said.

But he cautioned the people that unless they build a strong civil society that is able to withstand or counteract conflict through peaceful solution they would never attend lasting peace in their community.

A statement from indigenous group in support to peaceful means of resolving the conflict in Mindanao read that, "We can never believe that a lasting peace could be attained by means of guns and bullets."

"There is really an urgent need for a new approach in dealing with the insurgency and other disgruntled armed groups in Mindanao rather that pursuing the policy of all out war against those armed groups."

In North Cotabato, the peace and development communities (PDCs) have conducted a contest on the search for the most peaceful camp.

In Cagayan de Oro City, a walk for peace was also held while in other key cities and provinces in Mindanao have conducted symposiums on peace and environmental issues and sportsfest among Muslim and Christian religious sector as well as an interfaith prayer vigil.

The Mindanao Week of Peace is celebrated each year from the last Thursday of November to the first Wednesday of December. It is a comprehensive promotional activity that involves various GOs, NGOs, and PO's in advocating the culture of peace in the Southern Philippines.

PAZ and SALAM Foundation initiated it in Zamboanga City in 1997. It has snowballed into a Mindanao-wide event as adopted by the Bishops-Ulama Conference and perpetuated as an annual observance through Presidential Proclamation 127, S. 2001.