BAUKO, Mountain Province – The office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace process (OPAPP) has chosen the Cordillera, particularly Mount Data, as the starting point of the so called ‘peace buzz’ popularly known as the Luzon to Mindanao Peace Caravan to aggressively promote the culture of peace among Filipinos amidst their diverse culture and traditions.
Former Sagada Mayor and OPAPP consultant Tom Killip explained the concept of the ‘peace buzz’ is that peace advocates from the different parts of the country will be boarding a bus that will start in Mount Data and will end in Marawi city purposely to advocate for the reign of peace and order in the country.
The ‘peace buzz’ will kick off in the historic Mount Data area on September 21, 2017, and will have several stopovers in Baguio City, Quezon City, Bicol, Samar, Surigao, Davao, Osamis and end up in Marawi after a week with President Rodrigo R. Duterte joining the peace advocates in a simple but meaningful culmination program.
Killip explained at every stopover of the ‘peace buzz’ there will be various programs involving the local officials of the places and the peace advocates on board the bus.
“Mount Data was chosen as the starting point of the peace buzz because of its historical significance having been the venue of the signing of the peace pact between the Philippine government under former President Corazon C. Aquino and the Cordillera Bodong Administration–Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) under the leadership of the late Fr. Conrado Balweg on September 13, 1986 plus the fact that Mount Data is the headwaters of major river systems providing abundant water supply for various uses in the lowland communities,” Killip stressed.
The OPAPP official added the ‘peace buzz’ will kick off in Mount Data in the early morning of September 21, 2017, with an indigenous ritual and immediately proceed to Baguio city where the main program will be done at the Malcolm Square at around 9 am.
According to him, the region’s hosting of the ‘peace buzz’ will be considered as timely as it will be celebrating the 31st anniversary of the historic signing of the peace agreement that ended the armed struggle in the Cordillera for several decades.
Killip encouraged peace advocates in the region to actively participate in the ‘peace buzz’ which will kick off in Mount Data and the program in Baguio City to make the Cordillera leg of the activity as memorable as possible.
He added that the culmination program in Marawi City will also be memorable because it will be possible that the over three months of conflict will come to an end and no less than the President will be meeting the bus fully loaded with peace advocates to underscore his administration’s program for peace and development in the country, one of the vehicles of growth and development, especially in the countryside.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza is the champion of the region’s renewed quest for regional autonomy having worked out the first-ever meeting of Cordillera leaders and the President and is now working on the release of the President’s certification that the proposed autonomy bill pending in the House of Representatives is an urgent administration measure. By HENT
