COTABATO CITY, March 13 (PNA) — The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will gather at least one million signatures to enlist the support of people nationwide to the call for peace in Mindanao, the ARMM Bureau of Public Information (BPI) Friday said.
In a statement released by the ARMM-BPI, Lawyer Rasol Mitmug, the ARMM governor’s chief of staff, said the signature campaign dubbed “I Value Life, I Sign for Peace” will be launched during the region’s commemoration of the Jabidah massacre on March 18 in Corregidor Island and will run for three months.
He said it signifies the people’s struggle to attain a lasting peace and end the armed conflicts in Mindanao.
The campaign aims to generate at least one million of signatures from individuals, organizations and institutions nationwide in support to the ongoing peace process and to underscore the call to end all wars in Mindanao.
“Kailangan nating maiparating na maraming mamamayan sa buong Pilipinas, lalo na sa Mindanao, ang nagsusulong ng kapayapaan (We need to send the message across the country, especially Mindanao, that we want peace),” Mitmug said.
He said the “I Sign for Peace” campaign also aims to counter the call by some sectors for a full-blown military offensive against Moro rebels in Maguindanao following the unfortunate incident in Mamasapano on 25 January.
Isa Tom del Monte, Coordinating and Development Office on Bangsamoro Youth Affairs (CDO-BYA) director, is spearheading the campaign.
“Gusto nating bigyan ng mukha ang nanawagan ng kapayapaan ay hindi lamang isang tao, hindi lamang dalawa, kundi milyon-milyon (We would like to give faces our call for peace, that no only one, but millions want peace in Mindanao),” said Del Monte.
The ongoing military operation in Maguindanao has escalated to 11 municipalities and displaced close to 100,000 individuals or 19,075 families. The ARMM government spends at least PHP2 million a day on food packs for the evacuees.
“Ipakita natin sa buong Pilipinas na marami tayo na nananawagan ng kapayapaan kaysa sa mga taong nananawagan ng digmaan (Let’s show to the whole nation that many and millions are calling for peace as compared for those who want war in Mindanao),” Del Monte added.
The “I Value Life, I Sign for Peace” campaign is being supported by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP), Anak Mindanao (AMin) Partylist, religious organizations and educational institutions in different parts of the country. (PNA)