By Stephen J Pedroza
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio J Ledesma SJ DD welcomed with open arms “a man of peace” Mohagher Iqbal to the City of Golden Friendship, Tuesday, March 24.
“Mr Mohagher Iqbal is coming to our Cagayan de Oro City as a man of peace. As such we are opening our arms to a brother who has stayed the course for peace in Mindanao despite the trials and challenges he continues to face in our common quest for peace,” Ledesma said before Iqbal’s arrival yesterday.
Ledesma debunked the unfounded allegations and rumors that Iqbal is coming to CDO with heavily armed protective retinue.
“Mr Iqbal has visited our city many times in the past. And in all those instances, he has not brought any armed guards to protect him,” he added.
Past visit to CDO
Iqbal, the chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), visited CDO in 2011 for a public forum on the peace process.
CDO-based peace and development non-government organization Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc (BMFI) hosted all the members of the MILF peace panel during the said event.
In their 2011 visit, then-Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar S Moreno and Vice Governor Norris Babiera hosted a dinner in their honor.
Not a single armed guard was with the MILF peace panel during that 2011 visit here.
On March 26, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan will confer the prestigious Fr William F Masterson SJ Award to Iqbal jointly with Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chairperson of the Philippine Government Peace Panel in talks with the MILF, for their contributions to the peace process. Moreover, XU will bestow an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles.
Private meeting
Ledesma also said that he will be hosting a by-invitation-only meeting with Iqbal on Wednesday, March 25 at the Archbishop’s House together with members and partners of the Tulay Kalinaw Mindanaw (Tulay KAMI) to take advantage of his rare presence in CDO.
Ledesma said that his meeting with Iqbal in a “Conversation for Peace” aims to continue what the Mindanao bishops had started in Davao City in 2014.
He was referring to the rare meeting of bishops with the MILF peace panel last year during which they engaged in a conversation “to look for a continuous effort for a reconciled diversity” in Mindanao.
“We are planning to meet with him and other peace advocates in a conversation on how we can work together to continue our push for peace in Mindanao,” Ledesma said.
Select leaders of civil society organizations, the Church, academe and the media were invited to the private event.
Ledesma, together with the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro (ACDO) and BMFI, convened the Tulay KAMI, a multi-sectoral peace conversation among CSOs and agencies working for and advocating peacebuilding and conflict resolutions in Northern Mindanao.
XU, as part of Tulay KAMI, led the successful launching of the All-Out Peace (AOP) campaign in CDO on March 6.
Tulay KAMI sees the visit of Iqbal to CDO as an opportunity to engage him in an open dialogue on peace for Mindanao.