30 November 2015•Update: 30 November 2015
By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
A prominent Philippine presidential official has compared Pope Francis’ comments encouraging Christian-Muslim harmony during his recent Kenya trip to those he made while visiting the archipelago earlier this year.
According to a statement released Monday by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Francis told Christian and Muslim leaders in Kenya to maintain dialogue to curb and eradicate “the barbarous” extremist attacks that have been shaking the country in recent months.
The pope called on them to “[work] to shape a society which is ever more just, inclusive, and respectful of human dignity."
Kenya has been facing attacks from the Somali based al-Shabaab militant group since 2013. In April, gunmen from the group took 700 students hostage at a mostly Christian university in Garissa, leaving around 150 dead.
The Office’s secretary, Teresita Quintos, said that while both Kenyan and Filipino leaders face the challenge of tensions between some Christian and Muslim communities, the relationships between the faiths is “more peaceful and hopeful” in the Philippines.
She referred to the ongoing peace process between the government and the country’s one-time largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in the majority Muslim southern Bangsamoro region as an example of reconciliation and cooperation.
Deles recalled how Pope Francis, during his January visit to the archipelago, had said, “I express my trust that the progress made in bringing peace to the south of the country will result in just solutions in accord with the nation’s founding principles and respectful of the inalienable rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious minorities."
She, however, expressed concern that months after the Pope’s visit, delays persist in passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law, a law that would seal peace and grant the MILF more autonomy in the south.
"We trust that both chambers of Congress will respond to the call of the Bangsamoro and recognize the urgency of this piece of legislation,” Deles said.
“We know this is what our people want, especially in the core territory of the Bangsamoro region,” she added. “We know that this is the best chance we have now for achieving peace and security and for bringing development to Mindanao, which the region has sorely needed for so many decades already."
Both houses of Congress have until Dec. 19 before they go on Christmas break.
Peace advocates and stakeholders are concerned that if the Bangsamoro bill is not passed before the intercession, the legislation will not be enacted before the current administration’s term ends in 2016.
Earlier, the government’s chief peace negotiator, Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, and MILF panel chair Mohagher Iqbal had issued an open letter to lawmakers asking them “to not lose time” and “to work for the immediate passage of the draft law on the Bangsamoro.”
“We are at the cusp of closing a major armed conflict that has divided our people for decades,” they said. “Time is of the essence, and opportunity knocks only once.”
