In speech on Monday (June 02), Ms.
Irene Santiago, Chair of the GPH Peace Implementing Panel said that, President Duterte approved the creation of a
Peace Corridor, a safe and secure corridor for women, men and children fleeing
the crisis in Marawi as well as a reliable space for humanitarian assistance to
pass through.
On behalf of Secretary Jesus Dureza,
I am pleased to announce that today the Peace Corridor has been set up by a
composite team of the AFP, PNP and MILF who are, as we speak, travelling from
Malabang to Marawi to set up the Joint Coordinating, Monitoring and Assistance
Centre or JCMAC. There will be two Centres, one in Marawi and one in Malabang
and a mobile centre plying the corridor, Santiago said.
The Peace Corridor is being jointly
implemented by the Implementing Panels of the Government of the Philippines and
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It is a testament to how far the Bangsamoro
peace process has come and the partnership that has been established between
the government and the MILF.
More than 300 trained members of the
Joint Peace and Security Teams are being deployed throughout the length of the
corridor and will be augmented as the need arises.
The government and MILF Peace Panels
are supervising the peace corridor. On the part of the government, we have
designated Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso, a retired colonel of the Philippine
Army, who has been a pioneer in setting up this effective ceasefire mechanism,
tried and tested for more than 12 years now.
The JCMACs will be cooperating with
the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM which is tasked with
delivering humanitarian assistance in these areas.
It is significant to point out that
Malabang is considered the oldest settlement in mainland Mindanao. Malabang
comes from the Maranao word “mala” meaning big and “bang” meaning call to
prayer. It is where the Arab missionary, Sharif Kabunsuan, arrived in the 14th
century to Islamize the people of mainland Mindanao.
Malabang is also known in history as
a place that resisted conquest from the Spanish to the Americans to the
Japanese.
At the Monday meeting, President Duterte
assured the MILF and the Bangsamoro people that he will honor all signed peace
agreements and implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro starting
with the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Santiago also reported that the
Bangsamoro Transition Commission is holding plenary sessions in Davao to
finalize the draft law which will be submitted to the President by mid-June.
The Peace Corridor is a
manifestation of the shared vision of government and MILF of what our society
should look like — one that is open, inclusive, compassionate, just, and
cooperative. This is the complete opposite of the kind of society the
terrorists want in Marawi — a closed, isolationist, violent, ruthless society
ruled by fear with total disregard for human life and the integrity of our
government and our diverse Philippine society.
The Peace Corridor is more than a
safe passage way for people and goods. In working jointly to deal with this
humanitarian crisis, the government and the MILF are also building a major
corridor to peace.