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Two Moro youth finish post-graduate program in Japan

Sep26

Posted on September 20, 2016

14264136_1445783062104925_4680529307574004307_nTwo Moro youth coming from Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) finished a post-graduate program in Tokyo, a study grant sponsored by the Japanese government.

Morsidin Husain, a senior member of the United Youth for Peace and Development, and Anisa U. Matula from the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, graduated last Wednesday (Sept 14) at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) together with 195 students from about 50 countries including 16 others from the Philippines.

The program which is under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS).

Husain and Matula both took the program Master in Public Policy with concentration on International Development Studies and International Relations respectively.

Husain related that the program was initially intended to government officials, however after the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed in 2013, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) changed the framework to accommodate more Bangsamoro applicants.

“JICA officials are asking why not many Moros are applying. Through Facebook, somehow, we are also trying to help in promoting the program,” Husain said.

Husain, a peace advocate, added, “We can only hope that this time there will be more applicants.”

Applicants coming from NGOs should seek endorsement from the Bangsamoro Transition Commission or Bangsamoro Development Agency.

Aside from Japan, other countries providing scholarship to the Bangsamoro youth are Turkey and Australia.

Some Moro youth are currently enrolled in universities in Turkey taking their respective bachelor’s degrees while more than fifty are taking master’s degree in partner universities in the country funded by the Australian government.

Author:  Gandhi Kinjiyo

Source: Luwaran (http://www.luwaran.net/home/index.php/news/76-international/883-two-moro-youth-finish-post-graduate-program-in-japan)

This entry was posted on September 26, 2016, in News.

Kadtabanga Foundation facilitates Community Orientation on the Peace Process

Dec18

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Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao – A Community Orientation on the Peace Process was conducted by Kadtabanga Foundation on December 13, 2015 at Sitio Sawa Madrasah, Barangay Tuka, Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao to educate residents on the gains of the peace process.

Kadtabanga Foundation Executive Director Giobay S. Diocolano said in her Opening Message that the orientation is part of the activities of a project they are currently implementing in selected municipalities of Maguindanao entitled “Building Autonomous and Stable Institutions and Communities for Bangsamoro Advancement through National-level and Grassroots Organizations and Networks or B-BANGON.”

“Generally, this project seeks to ensure that the peace process is more credible and widely supported by all stakeholders, and strengthens local mechanisms for averting the escalation of violence that could affect the progress of the peace process. It was implemented by four local CSOs, such as Kadtabanga Foundation, Moro Women Development and Cultural Center (MWDECC), Mindanao Action for Peace and Development Initiatives (MAPAD), and Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Philippines (BCJP) in partnership with Australian Government and The Asia Foundation (TAF),” she elaborated.

“This project is being implemented in the 23 municipalities of Maguindanao with Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) and/or those areas where settlers and indigenous peoples (IPs) are predominant,” she added.

Prof. Raby Angkal briefly discussed Bangsamoro History and some salient provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Open Forum followed to give chance to the participants to share views and ask questions. Continue reading →

Maguindanao Political Leaders call for passage of CAB-Compliant BBL for National Unity and Reconciliation

Nov18

Posted on November 17, 2015

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Buluan, Maguindanao – Despite the uncertainty of Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) being passed by congress, Maguindanao political leaders gathered in a peace dialogue on November 10, 2015 at BBGM Restaurant, Buluan, Maguindanao where they issued a manifesto calling for the passage of a BBL that faithfully complies with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and not the one that will reduce the powers and authority of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“We are all living witnesses to how our people – men, women, children and the elderly – lost lives and properties, experienced disruption of economic activities and suffered indignity in the evacuation centers brought about by the conflict in Mindanao”, the leaders said in their manifesto.

“We strongly believe that the BBL submitted by the Office of the President (OP) to the Lower House and the Senate on September 10 last year, can address various forms of injustices committed against the Bangsamoro and, thus, can bring forth dignified peace, meaningful development, unity and reconciliation in the entire country,” they said in their statement.

The peace dialogue was participated by local government units from the provincial level to the municipal level.

Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Chair of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) Peace Panel, representatives from the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were invited to the said dialogue.

The Asia Foundation (TAF) Senior Program Officer Noraida Chio challenged the local government units of Maguindanao to be part of the solution and urged them to work together and unite to make the successful peace process a legacy and gift to the future generation of Bangsamoro.

“Wala pong isang Bangsamoro ang hindi nananaginip na sana anytime of the day, makakalakad tayo sa daan ng walang takot. Na sana makita natin ng lahat ng bata ay makapag-aral. Na sana lahat ng mga kabatang Bangsamoro ay makakapagtapos ng pag-aaral. Na sana lahat tayo sa Bangsamoro ay uunlad at walang maiiwan,” she said.

Ferrer explained that all efforts had been made and are still being done to successfully pursue the GPH-MILF peace process. She also urged the local government unit leaders in Maguindanao to show everyone what the Bangsamoro can do.

“Ayaw nating magkamali kase kelangan nating ipakita sa buong mundo na ang Bangsamoro ay may kakayahan basta mabigyan ng sapat na political autonomy at sapat na resources. Na kaya nyang paunlarin ang Bangsamoro, kaya nyang paunlarin ang buong Pilipinas dahil ang kaunlaran ng Bangsamoro ay kaunlaran ng buong Pilipinas. Ang tagumpay ng Bangsamoro ay tagumpay ng bawat Pilipino,” Ferrer said.

“BBL or No BBL or Bad BBL, we need to be strong. We need to consolidate the Bangsamoro people. We should rely on our strength and unity of our people. We need to build on the political capacity of our people. We, as a Bangsamoro, we need to strengthen our movement towards self-determination,” said BTC Chair Mohagher Iqbal in a statement read on his behalf by BTC Legal Consultant Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama Alba. Continue reading →

Security Sectors in Maguindanao express full support to GPH-MILF Peace Process

Nov2

Written by Baina T. Samayatin

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Camp Siongco, DOS, Maguindanao – Some 90 officers and men of the Maguindano Provincial Police Office (PPO) of PNP PRO-ARMM and that of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army participated in the Peace Dialogue with Security Sector conducted on October 29, 2015 at Camp Siongco, Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

The dialogue was organized and facilitated by a cluster of four local civil society organizations (CSOs) spearheaded by the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC), Mindanao Action for Peace and Development (MAPAD) Initiatives, Inc. Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace and Development Advocates, Inc. (KFPDAI) and the Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Philippines, Inc. (BCJP).

Mr. Samsodin C. Amella, MAPAD Executive Director, said in his opening remarks that the said dialogue was aimed at raising the awareness of the participants on the progress of the peace process particularly on the Normalization Component and gathering their commitment to continuously support all peace-related undertakings of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“It is one of the series of activities we are currently implementing under the “Building Autonomous and Stable Institutions and Communities for Bangsamoro Advancement through National-level and Grassroots Organizations and Networks (B-BANGON)” project in partnership with the Australian Government and The Asia Foundation (TAF),” Amella said. Continue reading →

MWDECC, BCJP Conduct Community Forum on the Peace Process

Aug29

Posted on July 29, 2015

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Community Orientation on the Peace Process was conducted yesterday (August 27, 2015) at Brgy. Mapayag, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Maguindanao to educate the residents of the barangay on the narrative and status of the peace process between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The more than one hundred residents of the said barangay that attended the activity coming from different sectors such as women, youth, farmers, elders and others.

Ms. Jehan A. Usop, Project Officer of MWDECC, said that the activity was organized and facilitated by Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Philippines, Inc. (BCJP) and Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC) in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Datu Anggal Midtimbang.

“This is one of the series of activities under the “Popularizing the Peace Process” component of the B-BANGON Project we are currently implementing in the different municipalities of Maguindanao,” she said.

Topics on the History of the Peace Process, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) were discussed by the different resource persons invited by the facilitators. After the discussion, there was an Open Forum to let the participants ask questions and clarify things that are not clear to them.

Mr. Tungko B. Tadtagan, Executive Director of BCJP, said that the leadership of the municipality expressed their appreciation to the organizers of the activity for their efforts in educating their constituents regarding the status of the peace process especially the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“This is an opportunity for them to understand the real situation regarding the peace process between the GPH and MILF and the ongoing deliberations on the BBL. Most of the participants expressed their hope that the Philippine legislators such as House of Representatives and Senate will pass a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that will be acceptable to the Bangsamoro,” he said.

“The B-BANGON or Building Autonomous and Stable Institutions and Communities for Bangsamoro Advancement through National-level and Grassroots Organizations and Networks is a project that aimed to ensure that the peace process is more credible and widely supported, and the local mechanisms for averting the escalation of violence is strengthened,” he added.

Author: A’shadieeyah Faizeen

Source:  http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/547-mwdecc-bcjp-conduct-community-forum-on-the-peace-process