MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday conducted a one-day symposium in observance of the National Peace Consciousness Month.
Col. Noel Detoyato, military public affairs office chief, said the event themed “Hukbong Sandatahan: Maki-isa at Makibahagi sa Gawaing Pangkapayapaan”, was held at the AFP Commissioned Officers Club in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
About 90 participants from the AFP, Philippine National Police (PNP), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC) attended the symposium.
The AFP Peace and Development Office (AFPPDO) headed by Col. Cesar De Mesa spearheaded the activity.
“It is imperative that the military is made cognizant of the developments in the peace process, for us to be well informed on how we can contribute in the overall peace efforts. Today’s symposium is, basically, one of those venues where we can learn more and understand better about our role in the peace processes,” De Mesa added.
Detoyato said one of the goals of the symposium is to inform its participants on the critical role of the AFP in ensuring the successful implementation of these programs.
He added that the military has a significant role in the normalization track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The AFP, as a member of the Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC), shall take part in the organization and training of the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPSTs).
Each team, composed of 30 personnel from the AFP, PNP and MILF, will be deployed in conflict-affected areas jointly identified by the government and the MILF until the establishment of the Bangsamoro government in 2022.
Among the speakers invited for the symposium were Undersecretary Nabil Tan, Deputy Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, who talked about Updates on the Government’s Five Peace Tables, and Commissioner Jose Lorena of the BTC who discussed the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Other speakers were Director Jennie Claire Mordeno, JPSC Secretariat, who talked about the CAB’s Normalization Programs; Chief Supt. Geraldo Rosales, Chief of the PNP Peace Process and Development Office who explained the JPSTs; and Atty. Yeshter Donn Baccay, Assistant Secretary for Finance and Admin Sercvices of OPAPP, who tackled the Role of PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program) in the Peace Process.
The National Peace Consciousness Month is celebrated every September as mandated under Proclamation No. 675, which was issued in July 2004 to “instill greater consciousness and understanding among the Filipino people on the comprehensive peace process to strengthen and sustain institutional and popular support for and participation in this effort, as well as in the global movement spearheaded by the United Nations to promote a Culture of Peace based on nonviolence, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, tolerance, understanding and solidarity.” (Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
