KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/26 April) — Thousands of peace advocates from different areas of southern Mindanao held rallies today in support of the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The simultaneous rallies, which included a caravan, were spearheaded by the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP), Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace and the Datu Piang Alliance for Peace.
In a statement, the groups said that these actions were intended not just to show support to the peace talks but also to demand concrete results from the negotiation.
The government and the MILF peace panels were scheduled to meet on April 27 and 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for another round of talks.
The peace rallies were held in the cities of Cotabato and Kidapawan, Maguindanao province and Davao City.
The groups urged both panels to arrive at an agreement in the next 12 months.
“Such period is the fair estimation of the peace panels within which to accomplish their mission of coming up with a peace agreement. Given this timetable, it is crucial that the public will be prepared to support the necessary outcome of the talks,” the groups said.
They also urged the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to continue the consultations and sustain the information drive to make all stakeholders regularly informed and updated on the status, issues, and possible “compromises” in the negotiation.
The activity started with a “Walk for Peace” and later a peace caravan in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao which ended in Kidapawan. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)
