While Secretary Teresita "Ging" Deles (Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, sitting alone on the upper left corner) finalizes her presentation, Atty. Alex Padilla (Chair, Government Peace Negotiating Panel in talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines) was holding the microphone giving updates on the GPH-NDFP peace talks. Mr. Gus Miclat (Executive Director of the Initiatives for International Dialogue), in black jacket sitting next to Atty. Padilla, was facilitating the discussion between the government peace negotiators and members of the newly-formed Kilos Kapayapaan at Katarungan, a national convergence of all peace focal networks in the Philippines.
PeaceBuilders Community Inc. (PBCI) is one of the representatives of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) in the formation of a national convergence of all the peace focal networks in the Philippines. It is called Kilos Kapayapaan at Katarungan (Movement for Peace and Justice). We simply refer to it as Kilos. The formation of Kilos happened last July 27-28, 2011 at the Regalia Tower Suites in Cubao, Quezon City.
PEPP is one of the focal networks of Kilos. During the Ecumenical Church Leaders Summit on Peace last 19-21 July 2011, which was held in Mary Ridge Spiritual Center, Tagaytay City, I’ve been tapped to represent PEPP in this particular meeting of all peace networks that turned out to be Kilos. PBCI is a member of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC). PCEC is one of the federations making up PEPP.
Among the many things we have discussed were the following:
:: Kilos will be independent from the government and non-state groups, and will initiate partnerships with concerned peace funding organizations.
:: Kilos will initiate consultations with all parties involved in the peace talks — the Government of the Philippines (GPH), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the National Democratice Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
:: Kilos will develop a structure that will focus on each aspect and facet of the various peace processes; at the same time, Kilos will also have a comprehensive structure to look at the big picture as one peace process.
:: Kilos is planning simultaneous activities all over Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon to make the whole country become aware of the need to have a political resolution to all unpeace situations in our land.
The formation of Kilos is a culmination of a series of consultations. At the national consultation with civil society organizations (CSOs) involved in peace advocacy convened by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on August 4, 2010, it was agreed that there would be a continuing process of communication between the CSOs and OPAPP. Initially, five and later six focal networks were identified, to which the peace CSOs present were affiliated, namely –
:: Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform;
:: Sulong CARHRIHL;
:: Indigenous Peoples Network;
:: Boses Mindanao;
:: Waging Peace Philippines; and,
:: Mindanao Peaceweavers.
Follow-up meetings were done with representatives of these peace networks on December 7-9, 2010 and again on February 2, 2012.
After various developments in the GPH-NDF and GPH-MILF peace negotiations, as well as in the closure processes for the other peace agreements, it is quite urgent that there be an opportunity for the peace CSO networks to get direct updates regarding these developments from OPAPP and the GPH panels. Thus, all representatives of the above-mentioned focal networks decided to form Kilos.
Please pray that Kilos Kapayapaan at Katarungan would be empowered by God and by the people to continually work and advocate for peace, until we finally experience genuine and lasting peace in this beautiful land — not just for some, but for all.
Dann Pantoja, July 27-28, 2011
Antipolo Room, 15th Floor, Regalia Tower Suites
Cubao, Quezon City
