National Anti-Poverty Commission Lead Convenor Liza Maza speaks during the two-day peace forum sponsored by NAPC at Hotel Conchita in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday, June 28. (Kilab Multimedia)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The National Anti-Poverty Commission conducted a two-day peace forum at Hotel Conchita in Cagayan de Oro City on June 28 to promote and engage community members to become participants in the campaign for a just and lasting peace.
Organized by NAPC under its Roadmap to Peace program, the two-day peace forum was also in partnership with the Philippine Ecumenical Platform for Peace, and Sowing the Seeds of Peace.
“Because the peace process is ultimately about the people at the grassroots, LGUs play a crucial role in peace-building,” NAPC Secretary Liza Maza said during the opening of the peace forum.
The two-day peace forum tackled issues such as the peace situation in Mindanao, the CASER, the Bangsa Moro peace process, and prospects after the 5th round of the GRP-NDFP peace talks.
“To address the armed conflict, we should recognize that it is deeply rooted in poverty which is caused by underdevelopment, inequality, and injustice. The failure of past administrations to do so resulted in anti-poverty measures that only provided short-term relief and aggravated the armed situation in the country side,” Maza said.
Bearing the theme: “Building Sustainable Peace: Prospects and Challenges for Social and Economic Reforms in Local Governance,” the event was attended by delegates coming from local government units, non-governmental organizations, church organizations, among others from different regions in Mindanao.
“The response of the LGUs on this event is overwhelming. Beyond being keepers of peace and order in their communities, they have become active participants in the campaign for a just and lasting peace. Peace and development is part and parcel of local governance,” she added.
The agency has identified peace as one of the “10 Basic Needs” of poor Filipinos, along with food, water, shelter, education, healthcare, work, social protection, healthy environment, and participation.
NAPC’s anti-poverty agenda, Kilos Sambayanan (Kilos para sa Sampung Batayang Pangangailangan), is a call for convergence and a commitment among all sectors of society “to address poverty across its many dimensions and represents the ultimate ‘measuring stick’ of the impact of government programs on the lives of the poor.”
“We are working closely with the LGUs to bring our anti-poverty agenda closer to the poor and marginalized sectors of our society. Our goal is to transform poverty eradication into a mass movement of the people, politically and economically empowered to ensure that their needs are being addressed by their government, by being active participants in governance and nationalist development,” Maza pointed out.
“NAPC supports the clamor to continue the peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front and finally approve the Comprehensive Agreement on Social Economic Reforms (CASER) to address the roots of poverty and achieve lasting peace, especially in the countryside,” she said. (davaotoday.com)
