by Lezlee Amor Reginio Escalante (KKP Faculty Program Officer)

Joined by the vision of building a peaceful community where Muslims and Christians live in strong solidarity, the Civil Society Organizations together with representatives from various institutions, ethnic groups, various church ministries and the Local Government Units faced the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Peace Panel in a non-violent dialogue on June 13 at the Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc (BMFI) Peace Center from 9 am to 1 pm to clarify fears and doubts regarding the Bangsamoro state that the MILF proposes.
 
During the consultation, the final comprehensive compact on Interim Governance which was a response to the 2008 MOA-AD and was submitted by the MILF to the Aquino Administration on February 9, 2011 was presented and discussed. The presentation was followed by a series of questions and clarifications from different sectors regarding wealth sharing, territorial jurisdiction, women's participation, and dealings with other existing armed groups (i.e. MNLF, NPA) and minority ethnic groups within the Bangsamoro state. Other issues dealt with during the discussion were the functions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the working relationship between the Bangsamoro State and the Local Development Councils, and the involvement of the Bangsamoro State in the proposed federalization of the Philippines. A proposal to form a steering committee or a speaker's bureau to continue the advocacy commenced the Regional Peace Committee Dialogue.
 
Armed with their peaceful intentions, the MILF posed a challenge for everyone to join hands in preserving what's left for the future generations. The Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan delegates which included representatives from Museo de Oro and KKP-SIO on the other hand promised to do their share in putting the academe in the forefront of "righting" History.

The consultation in Cagayan de Oro was the third in the Series of Dialogues of the MILF which started in Pagadian City and Iligan City.