Monday, August 13, 2007 Prov'l dad to initiate talks between military, militants
NEGRO Occidental Provincial Board (PB) Member Patrick Lacson will invite the military and militant groups in Negros to a meeting to be held at West Negros College Monday next week.
Lacson, chairman of the PB's committee on human rights, said military top brass and representatives of 13 militant groups in Negros are meeting to discuss possibilities of uniting.
This developed after consultations with Fred Caña, secretary general of Karapatan Negros, aired discontentment over the military's presence in civilian communities fully armed and with no apparent reason at all.
Ca¤a was referring to the wake of Leopoldo Ilustrisimo, slain leader of the New Peoples' Army (NPA), who was killed in Calatrava encounter.
As human rights committee head, Lacson requested the military to clear the area in respect of the bereaved family and worked out a scheme to avoid future street protests.
Caña and the rest of the militant people will stage a rally in front of the Capitol and protest against such behavior of the military.
Lacson met with both camps - the “militant left” and the “military right”, and told asked them, "Why not go inside the Capitol where we all sit down and engage in a dialogue. It will be in an air-conditioned room, with overflowing coffee, snacks, lunch and lechon."
"Here inside, you can have all the comforts of the Capitol, with government and military officials listening you compared when you were on the streets and scourging under the heat of the sun and where you have to shout but nobody listens," Lacson said.
Lacson, also in the meeting with Caña, said "all have the right to be heard whatever redress you may all have with the military or the government."
He assured that for as long as he is human rights committee chairman, he will also all gentleness and courtesy rule in every dialogue, whatever creed or ideology, he is bound to bring the matter to the halls of the PB for appropriate action.
Because of the unavailability of the Governor's Hall, Lacson confirmed that Monday's dialogue will be held at West Negros College Audio Visual Hall at 9 a.m.
Meantime, Lacson further announced that for his long term plans, he intends to meet with the provincial education officials and discuss possibility of integrating human rights subjects to the present curriculum.
"This will take time because materials will be designed for the teaching of human rights fully integrated into the mainstream curriculum," Lacson said.
Also, together with young and well connected entrepreneurs Niko Fermin and Luis Zabaljavrequi, Lacson will organize the most densely populous 14 to 18 age groups targeting 50,000 in a free rock concert with Manila-based rock groups at Panaad.
"A short talk will be conducted in between the concert where leaflets and commitment forms will be distributed," he said.
"We have studied this for two years now. It can be done, it's free and if I can only persuade to 10 percent, good enough to start a group. Then we conscienticize them about human rights and duties," Lacson added. (GABS)
