My Ramadhan Pledge: Being in Solidarity with the Bangsamoro People and Keeping Faith in the Mindanao Peace Process

During this first week of Holy Ramadhan fasting, I sincerely reiterate my commitment of support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law and for the Peace Process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. I stand in solidarity with our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters (be they Muslims, Christians, or IP/Lumads) in this arduous yet achievable journey towards genuine autonomy, self-determination, and self-rule of the Bangsamoro peoples for peace, justice and development. My deep commitment, engaged solidarity, and abiding advocacy towards Muslim-Christian harmony started during my early teenage years while growing-up in Leyte, and my enthusiasm to work for the cause of Muslim-Christian dialogue was steadily fanned through the years.

During my teenage years, I developed close friendships with the Maranao traders and their children in my hometown of Bato and with the Muslim merchants in the nearby town of Hilongos. These close friendships with Muslims were firm and enduring, for until now my Muslim friends, in their middle age years like me, are still my best of friends. Moreover, I make it a rule to visit these small Muslim communities in our hometown and in nearby Leyte towns whenever I go home. I remember with nostalgia how these Muslim children and youth of my age positively responded to my entreaties of friendship with them. They gave their best hospitality to me whenever I visited their homes; they extended their unconditional fraternity to me. I was accepted with openness, warmth, sincerity and love in their community—even much more than what I had experienced with my Christian friends!

However, as my knowledge of Maranao/Muslim culture grew, and as my friendships with them deepened, I too felt and came to notice the seething prejudices that both communities, Muslim and Christian, harbored against each other. Christians negatively stereotyped Muslims as being violent and Muslims also returned the favor by saying that Christians are land-grabbers of their ancestral lands in Mindanao. These misunderstandings, biases and prejudices robbed both Muslims and Christians of the wonderful experience of truly knowing who they really are as human persons and how beautiful their respective religions are. Realizing this heart-rending fact, even in my early teenage years, I began to pledge myself to be a “bridge-maker” in my own little way so that adherents of both faith-traditions may start to genuinely dialogue with each other and journey with each other by respecting each others’ unique understanding of spirituality. That was the start of my lifelong advocacy for Muslim-Christian dialogue towards harmony, amity, peace and development…

Even as I am fully committed to the Mindanao Peace Process and to the greater autonomy for our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, I believe that there are still so many pressing issues that leaders of goodwill and people of goodwill from both sides—the GRP and MILF, Muslims and Christians, President Aquino’s administration and those members of the Philippine Congress who are opposed to the Bangsamoro Basic Law—must seriously address and work-on for us to preserve the gains we have attained thus far in the peace process. We ought to maintain our lines of dialogue open, and we must not allow divisive elements to sway us away from our right course of action—peace and harmony for the tripartite peoples of Mindanao. May each Christian, Muslim, Lumad and the whole Filipino nation remain steadfast and constant in our fidelity and commitment to the peace process. We ought to uphold this urgent intention for genuine peace and understanding among the people of Mindanao in all our prayers and petitions during this holy month of Ramadhan. Let us all pray for peace and work for peace in behalf of the tripartite peoples of Mindanao (Muslim-Christian-Lumad). Together, let us all supplicate: “Oh Lord, make us instruments of Your peace”…

For this holy season of Ramadhan, let me reiterate my heartfelt and active solidarity with the aspirations and dreams of peace and development for the tripartite peoples of the Bangsamoro land (Muslims, Christians, IP/Lumads). I pray for the success of the future Bangsamoro autonomous governance even as I look forward to a peaceful, serene, harmonious, and tranquil Mindanao that will hopefully be the result of genuine autonomy. The Bangsamoro Basic Law is just a starting point of the long journey towards peace and prosperity in Mindanao. We must not however remain apathetic and lenient after the BBL will be finally be passed and approved. We must actively cooperate to realize the provisions embodied in the signed agreement. Both the national government and its Bangsamoro counterpart must assure that real social transformation, people’s participation, sustainable development, empowerment of the masses, gender equity and genuine people’s democratization will truly take place in the Bangsamoro territories where the BBL will be implemented. May God support the aspiration of the Bangsamoro and the whole of Mindanao for justice, peace, and amity. Amen, a thousand times Amen!