The search for peace does not end with efforts to find a political solution to the armed conflict through negotiations
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”— Martin Luther King Jr.
Peace, as we know by now, is not merely the absence of war, or conflict, or social division.
Peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish regardless of class, ideology, religion, gender, or any other standard or measure of difference.
And it is a condition where justice, respect for basic human rights, economic development and social concord can all be achieved.
That peace is a goal—and a means by which we arrive at it—that must be attained in the here and now, not in the distant future, is precisely what three government agencies: Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), believe should be a key focus of the administration.
Recently the three offices signed a memorandum of agreement for the development of a communications strategy to support the government’s peace initiatives.
The rationale for this agreement to ramp up peacebuilding efforts was summed up by the PCO: “Beyond mere information dissemination, we aim to craft messages that resonate with diverse communities, building bridges of trust and understanding… We are dedicated to countering misinformation and crafting narratives that inspire, educate, and uplift.”
Hence, the three government agencies will conceptualize, develop and produce educational materials and create an online presence for the OPAPRU’s Local Peace Engagements and Transformation Program.
“Our collective efforts have the potential to transform not only individual destinies but also the destiny of our nation. Let this agreement serve as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards unity, understanding, and prosperity for all,” the PCO said.
This partnership, the agency added, will help former rebels and their families to integrate back into their communities and rejoin the mainstream of society.
Peacebuilding efforts are an indispensable requirement for sustained economic growth.
We cannot hope to attract more domestic and foreign investments and put up more regional growth centers with an unstable peace and order situation marked by hostilities between the military and the remnants of the armed rebellion in the countryside.
Peacebuilding efforts must also continue in southern Philippines.
It is true that two separatist rebellions have ended through political negotiations and former rebels are now busy helping the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in strengthening political structures and accelerating economic growth to reduce poverty incidence in the entire region.
While the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has declared that the Maoist-led armed insurgency in the countryside is now down to 1,800 combatants from 2,000 at the start of this year—a significant downgrading of its estimated peak strength of 25,000 in the mid-1980s— the task now is to consolidate whatever has been achieved in restoring peace by encouraging those who have given up the armed struggle to rejoin the mainstream of society by giving them housing and livelihood assistance.
From the government perspective, the search for peace does not end with efforts to find a political solution to the armed conflict through negotiations.
The government tried to talk peace with the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army through its political arm, the National Democratic Front, but all the peace talks faltered because of the failure to agree, first of all, on a temporary cessation of hostilities while talks were ongoing.
Fighting in the countryside while talking across the negotiating table abroad obviously did not work, and indicated a lack of good faith on both sides.
For 55 years, the armed conflict between the AFP and the NPA led to no less than 30,000 lives lost on both sides, with many more wounded and whole communities displaced from their homes while the fighting raged.
The government’s efforts to attain a just, comprehensive and lasting peace even without political negotiations at the national level began in 1993 with the creation of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process or OPAPP.
In 2021, its mandate was expanded to manage, direct, integrate, and supervise the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Process through fostering reconciliation and unity among the Filipino people.
At present, it is the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity or OPAPRU that is mandated to manage the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Process.
It does this by promoting and reinforcing reconciliation and national unity through a whole-of-society approach as well as political, economic and social re-engineering.
What was said many years ago is still valid today: “Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Email: [email protected]