In a two day Training-Workshop on “Principles of Moral Governance and Advocacy Campaign” sponsored by the Consortium
of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) at Kuwait Cultural Center, Pagadian City on Rabiul Awal 26th-27th, 1443 H resulted to the formation of the inter-faith advocacy group.
The composition of the group is twenty-seven leaders of the Inter-Faith Group, the Bangsamoro Platform for Unity, Solidarity and Harmony (BM-PUSH) and CBCS Network members coming from different municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur, Sibugay and the City of Pagadian. The participants are composed of Islamized Natives (Moros), Christians and the Non-Islamized Natives popularly known as IPs.
The Training-workshop is part of the series capacity building being implemented by CBCS in different parts of Mindanao in order to capacitate their network member organizations in preparation for a more concrete and effective accompaniment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) in laying the foundation of Moral Governance in the Bangsamoro.
Mr. Guiamel M. Alim, CBCS Chairperson in his input imparted to the participants of the status of the Bangsamoro during pre-colonial era. He recalled that Moro People had been enjoying their being a free people or nation, with territories and common histories of peaceful life and resistance, as well as progressive economic trading with outside world with their own governance such as the Kerajaan, Sultanates systems and other forms that existed hundreds of years before the colonizers came.
The above characters gave legitimacy to the Bangsamoro struggle for right to self-determination for the last 500 years against waves of invaders and the colonial government of the Philippines. After all he emphasized that: “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights“ of which the Philippines is a signatory. And added that: “All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status, and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development”.
He further, described the past achievements of the continuing struggle of the Bangsamoro and called it an “incremental victories of the struggle”. These achievements ranges from administrative issuances, Administrative Regions such as Regional Autonomous Governments IX & XII, RA6734, RA9054 with the MNLF, Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and RA11054 that establishes the new Bangsamoro political entity.
Mr. Alim also presented the priority duties and functions of BTA as defined in RA11054 or BOL during the transition period that had been summarized as: “12-Point BTA Priority Agenda” (2020-2022)” as the Challenges during the next three-year extension of their term.
The above presentations gave the participants direction on where and how will they focus their efforts and advocacy campaign in order for the BTA to successfully accomplished their avowed duties and function for the next three years stint as transitioning mechanism and that the foundation of at least a good governance if not the envisioned moral governance.
During the workshop sessions, the participants identified their priority concerns and matters that needs urgent attention and laid down their appropriate actions and advocacy campaign for the next three years. They reduced the output of their workshops into a statement of commitment.
In the end, in order to pursue, sustain and implement their identified courses of action organized themselves into an “Advocacy Group of Zamboanga Peninsula”.
By: Emran Baganian
CBCS TAP-G Project Advocacy Officer
Recent Comments