BAGUIO CITY – A member of the government peace panel revealed that the best practices of indigenous peoples in the Cordillera are vital inputs in the on-going talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which is set to open its fifth round of talks in Norway by May 27.
Former Agrarian Reform Secretary Hernani Braganza said the government panel got important inputs from the Cordillera’s best practices on managing resources, preserving and protecting their ancestral lands and how the region’s rich culture and traditions have been passed down through generations which could be infused in the upcoming discussions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER) and ceasefire by both parties once the peace talks resume before the end of the month.
Braganza expressed his gratitude to the active participation of stakeholders in the recent first wave of consultations on CASER and ceasefire held in the city last week, saying that there is a big possibility that both parties will sign either the CASER or bilateral ceasefire by December this year.
“We were able to learn much from the Cordillera experience of keeping peace and protecting their domain which we think is an important aspect to be infused in the discussions of both parties. We were able to establish common grounds and set our targets that is why we might be signing either the CASER or ceasefire by the end of the year,” Braganza, a member of the government peace panel, stressed.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) and the Regional Development Council (RDC) chaired by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan for issuing a joint statement supporting the on-going peace talks to achieve just and lasting peace with the provision of sustainable socio-economic reforms.
According to him, the joint RDC-RPOC statement speaks well of the region’s support to the on-going peace talks but the government must also continue recognizing the clamor of the Cordillera for the establishment of an autonomous region as part of the national government’s planned shift from the current form of government to a federal system.
He claimed the primary objective of the peace talks is to eventually achieve lasting peace and the striking out of poverty in the countryside.
Braganza admitted poverty is the root cause of the continuing struggle for peace but the differences on how to approach the realization of lasting peace seem to be one of the major hindrances on how to make peace reign and development to enhance the living condition of the people in the countryside.
Braganza urged Cordillerans to sustain the time-honored practices of preserving and protecting their rich culture and traditions, uphold their right to their lands and resources, and sustain practices of peacefully settle conflicts and disagreements, among others, because these are practical and doable solutions to end conflicts among the people.
By HENT