Bishops And Ulama Accept Community Consultation Design For Southern Peace

A group of bishops and Islamic scholars representing the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC) voted on Jan. 19 to accept a plan for local consultations in an effort to bring peace to the troubled southern Philippine region.

In center foreground, from left to right: Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Cotobato, Auxiliary Bishop George Rimando of Davao and Archbishop Romulo Valles of Zamboanga during the presentation and acceptance of Community Dialogue and Consultation for the BUC Tripartite Board, held at Pius XII Catholic Center, Manila on January 17.

Jesuit Father Alberto Alejo of Ateneo de Davao University, in Davao City, and Attorney Jhal M. Tago, a Muslim professor at Mindanao State University, in Marawi City, presented the plan on behalf of 18 Mindanao academicians who designed the consultation mechanism.

Seven of the 12 members of the BUC´s tripartite committee listened to Father Alejo and other scholars present the group´s proposal on how to compile feedback from stakeholders in search of a just peace for the Mindanao region. The committee members present for the Manila meeting included BUC co-conveners Catholic Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao, United Church of Christ in the Philippines Bishop Hilario Gomez and Hamid Barra of the Ulama (Islamic scholars) League of the Philippines.

According to the plan, 200 focus group discussions (FGDs) will be held in Mindanao. Each consultation will ask local people what they think of the formal peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and what they think about broader peace efforts outside of the talks. Each of these major questions will lead to sub-questions, the designers explained.

Participants will also be asked to make their own commitment to the peace process.

The academicians will train about 200 facilitators to run the FGDs in eight Mindanao areas, with 25 consultations in each area. They will start in February and finish in December. Committees will collate the results and publish them in print and on a website.

“The three-pronged strategy includes consultation, communication, and research and analysis,” Father Alejo, a sociologist, explained.

Joining BUC committee members at the meeting at Pope Pius XII Catholic Center were Archbishop Romulo Valles of Zamboanga, Bishops Romulo de la Cruz of Kidapawan, Guillermo Afable of Digos, and Nereo Ochimar of Tandag; and Auxiliary Bishops George Rimando of Davao and Jose Colin Bagaforo of Cotabato.

Hermogenes Esperon Jr., presidential chief adviser on the peace process, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, newly appointed head of the government panel negotiating peace with the MILF, were also present.

The BUC, founded in 1996, seeks to promote Muslim-Christian dialogue by holding meetings among religious leaders on a regular basis and at all levels of society. Co-founders include Archbishop Capalla, Bishop Gomez and the late Mahid Mutilan.

The BUC formed its consultation planning team after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sought the conference´s help consulting local people following the breakdown of peace talks with the MILF in August.

However, while the Tripartite Commission agreed to proceed with the project, other bishops and ulama at the Manila meeting felt the proposed consultation, while a step in the right direction, would engage too few people.

Archbishop Valles, and Bishops Bagaforo and de la Cruz all felt the number of people consulted would be too few. Archbishop Valles told UCA News at the meeting that 25 consultations per region split among Catholics, Protestants and Muslims would not be representative of the people in Zamboanga.

Seated from left to right: Jimmy dela Vega of Mindanao scholar group, Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao, Hermogenes Esperon Jr., of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, head of the government peace panel, during the presentation and acceptance of “Community Dialogue and Consultation” for the BUC Tripartite Board, held at Pius XII Catholic Center, Manila on January 17.

“It is too few. We will not be able to see the full scope of opinions. If you tell me that we will only have seven or eight groups, I say not enough. If the number is open to expand, then we need to discuss more,” the prelate said.

Bishop Rimando wondered if those chosen for focus group discussions would express their individual opinion or offer the thoughts of the community they represent. “If it is only their opinion, then 200 groups will not reflect the thoughts of 20 million Mindanaoans,” the bishop said.

Jimmie de la Vera, a member of the planning team, said the number of FGDs could be increased, but then so would the budget of 20-30 million pesos (US$425,-635,000) for the project. He said each additional FGD would cost 25,000 pesos.

Archbishop Capalla announced a special meeting of the BUC Feb. 4-6 in Davao to work on members´ suggestions to amend the program.

“This is an historic undertaking and the first consultation of its kind, so we must be clear, because the peace and the welfare of all the people are at stake,” he told UCA News.

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