We are literally a fragmented nation; a people of disparate ideals. Our definition of help that of doling alms, not uplifting through education; and of tolerance keeping injustice isolated outside the realm of our clique, our religious beliefs. In a nation dying to be perceived as strong, the power to borrow commandeers all agendas. Peace becomes an afterthought: a moribund concept, consequently brushed aside.
Peace has become such an abstraction that we merely encounter it in hypothetical situations, like beauty pageant question-and-answer portions, and parodies of such. It is a matter perceived alien and laughable.
But in reality, it isn’t so. Peace has a blueprint.
Bluntly stated, concrete steps to peace are: (1) equitable distribution of wealth and economic opportunities, (2) better access to education, especially the marginalized and the women sector, and (3) interfaith dialogues.
Senator Gringo Honasan stated that the main cause of crime is poverty. By ensuring that everyone gets their fair share based on their work excellence, and stepping away from job contractualization, we show the disenfranchised a way out and the working class a means of prospering.
Sometimes greed exploits poverty.
Recently, the Abu Sayyaf has beheaded another hostage, a Canadian. Several more foreigners have been forcibly taken.
But peace gets to answer right back.
US military man, Col. Jim Linder, told Smithsonian.com, that to wage peace in Jolo, the camp of the terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf, people must be pulled out of the battlefield. They have done this through the building of roads, and providing needed social services.
We can call them gateways to peace.
DPWH-ARMM On the road reviews various infrastructure projects by the government.
The Polloc Port, being ARMM’s largest seaport, was rehabilitated and upgraded recently with the help of Governor Mujiv Hataman. It is a major export-import focal point for consumer products and petroleum. It also serves as entry point to the other islands of the archipelago, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Also in the works is a circumferential road in Lake Dapao, where people board boats to get from one place to another. The lake is considered to be the most breathtaking in Mindanao. It is also seen as a tourist magnet for Mindanao, currently a stop for those traveling from Cotabato to Marawi, where resort residences could be built. With the said road, it will be more accessible to Lanao, Region 9 and 12.
But the inception of roads does not always mean they are built.
While the Manilenos and Cebuanos are busy bickering among themselves, they do not intend on breaking away from the Philippine flag entirely, which is what the Moro National Liberation Front intended, given leeway with the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Abandoning allegiance to Philippine patrimony in a general manner of speaking and specifically, the creeping expansion of the “opt-in” clause is what led to the failure of the bill. The opt-in clause lets municipalities, cities, provinces and other geographic areas to request to join the Bangsamoro at any time.
Rappler’s Angela Casauay, on the evolution of the BBL, presented opposing views: Senator Miriam-Defensor Santiago on the unconstitutionality of a parliamentary autonomous region, and former Chief Justice Hilario Davide on its allowability within a local government unit.
The technical side of issues fails to grasp the human element.
How will we know how Muslims live or how Mindanaoans are in real life if we do not talk with them, if those from Manila have no inkling of what they experience day to day? Interfaith dialogues do not start with debates. They start with us listening to the Muslims and Mindanaoans. The failure to be fully informed and aware of what goes on in Mindanao, as well as how people there think, is what keeps us from peace.
One proof of this is asking ourselves what we know of the history of Mindanao aside from what we hear of wars and songs of wars about the place. We have heard so many bad things about them, but have we bothered finding the common misconceptions about them, especially the Muslims? In Christian communities in Mindanao, the Christian children find zero difference with their Muslim playmates.
In the noise of conflict, we are left with reminiscences of peace – hard to grasp, and still harder to attain.
Pining for peace and quiet, what do we get? A gazillion distractions. Myriad contradictions for whatever it is we desire. Want to relax at home? Suddenly the neighbor drills a hole in the wall for the 100-inch TV for their videoke sessions. This mystical resistance percolates into any and all attempts at peace, from simple quiet solitude to nationwide peace.
It does seem that all hope is lost.
But then, we have a secret weapon as the strongest deterrent against any terrorist organization or mustard poison gas.
Education, and its lovely postulate.
Education leads to peace. With it, we are able to run after that which enamors us. Access to education in all social classes reveals that we will live dignified, fulfilled lives. The higher a girl is educated, the more she knows her place in society as that walking alongside the men, not behind them. Education shows us a way out, so that we can choose not to play the confidence game, so that chivalry and philanthropy is still a choice available to the Filipino and can be done without any lurking agendas.
Now the election comes to a denouement. Some are fearful, prophesying impending economic doom, but still more are willing to risk it, because the rewards are exponentially greater – progress, in a big, inclusive way.
Know that voting in the election is not the end game of democracy. Rather, it is the ability to go after that which makes you happy. Should you have the capacity to create meaningful jobs, you are already considered a peacemaker. Heaven reserves a special place for you and your family.
Please remember that all of us have the capacity to work for peace through education. And the classroom setting is just a small piece of it. Let us put ourselves out there. Be with the people, listen to them, talk to them, encourage them. Sure we’ll encounter pilferers who ask for consultation fees even though they weren’t able to fix our vehicles or gadgets, but are still many good people out there.
Educate the people on how to land jobs. Yes, contractualization is an issue, with only a tiny percentage of skilled workers getting regularized. But they still do. Education is about bringing out what the person already has. You shall be their confidence Viagra. A pat on the back and a shout of ‘Fight!,’ and you would have done more good than the quintessential traditional politician.
It is suggested with much brashness that we seek out the people who need our help, who want that help, and in doing so, we take out the bullet from the gun, render it powerless, and provide that abstract commodity integral to peace – happiness.
(Author’s note: Unless otherwise stated, The Philippine History, Culture & Tradition facebook forum, government websites, and an individual highly knowledgeable on peace requisites. Much obliged to them all.)
Photo credits: bible.org.ph