TRIBAL group leaders in Mindanao are pushing for the establishment of peace sanctuaries on different ancestral domains owned by the Lumads (Indigenous People) in a bid to promote peace in the island.
In a press conference during the Mindanao IP Legislative Assembly for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on Wednesday, August 30, held at Mergrande Ocean Park Resort, Supreme Council of Justice and Governance Head Alim Bandara said the concept of the peace sanctuaries was derived after consecutive meetings of tribal leaders in the past two months during the onslaught of the war between government troops and rebellions in different parts in Mindanao.
Bandara said several peace zone initiatives by the government with rebel forces were already being done in the past years, however, it lacked proper implementation and structure, thus, IP leaders reviewed these previous peace zone actions and assessed which areas can be improved and changed.
"With this proposed peace sanctuaries, tribal leaders want to establish it only through IP leaders' approach on peace talks, without the participation of the government and rebel armed forces," he said.
The main objective of the establishment of peace sanctuaries, he said, is to protect the IP communities from the threats caused by the duel between government troops and rebel groups as most gunfights are situated in areas where IPs live.
With the proposal, Bandara said, tribal leaders will also have to reach out to IPs who are currently members of the New People's Army (NPA) and agree to maintain the peace and order in the areas chosen to become peace sanctuaries.
However, other mechanisms and final regulations are still being drafted by tribal leaders.
He added that tribal leaders are finalizing the peace sanctuary proposal that will be submitted to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Indigenous Peoples Peace Panel Chairman Attorney Reuben Lingaten before the end of this year.
Lingaten, in a separate interview, said Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) supports the call of IP leaders to establish peace sanctuaries within its ancestral domains.
"We all know that IPs are now divided to communist rebels and military troops, they do not forget that they all come from one same origin and that is their tribes. That is why we are confident that the negotiation of IP leaders with IPs who now belong to rebel groups will be effective," Lingaten said.
Opapp Secretary Jesus Dureza, during the press conference, said the peace sanctuary will also settle the internal and local conflicts within tribes that have been existing in the past years.
The Mindanao IP Legislative Assembly for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (Mipla-BBL) opened Wednesday and will run until Friday, September 1 at Mergrande Ocean Park Resort in response to the continuing call of tribal leaders to have an enhanced BBL that is non-regressive in the recognition of their rights as non-Moro IPs within the proposed Bangsamoro Government.
The output of the event will be a legislative proposal formulated by the IP leaders from Mindanao and will be officially endorsed by the IP Peace Panel for consideration of Secretary Dureza and representatives from Congress.