BAGUIO CITY, Sep. 24 — The key to better understanding of the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people and their appeal for genuine self-autonomy is through
Speaking to over 600 youth leaders at the University of the Philippines Baguio campus, Ferrer emphasized the importance of Filipinos, especially the youth, in knowing and understanding the historical injustice suffered by the Philippines’ Moro community.
This will make Filipinos understand why biases and prejudices against Filipino Muslims are the main factor that contribute to the delay in the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress.
“Why do we have the antipathy to the Moros or Muslims? Why do we fear that they are going to separate themselves if we give them their wish for genuine autonomy? What is the driving force behind the continued delay of BBL? It is because we do not know them. We do not know the reason for their struggle and that the prejudice comes first,” Ferrer told youth leaders from all over the country.
“What I want for the youth is to study their history, research the accurate information, read reliable learning materials and get to know the facts… because through these, we will break the misconceptions that we have against the Moro people,” she added.
Earlier this September, Senator Loren Legarda proposed Senate Bill No. 2685 which mandates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to include “Moro History, Culture and Identity Studies” as a subject at the tertiary level.
According to her, mandating the inclusion of the Moro History subject in college would provide young Filipinos a broader perspective of their past, and help reinforce Filipino identity and promote national unity.
“The history of the Bangsamoro people forms part of the backbone of the historical development of our country. It is about time that we recognize the rightful place of the history and identity of the Bangsamoro in the fabric of our national history,” Legarda said
Through a documentary film, the University of the Philippines – Third World Studies Center (UP-TWSC) showed the history of the armed conflicts in Mindanao in a documentary titled “Bangsamoro: The Quest for Peace in Mindanao,” directed by Boyette Rimban, written by Luz Rimban, and produced by the K.A.K. Tri-Media Productions.
Running for 54 minutes, the film was screened last September 22 and will be shown again today from 10:00AM-11:30AM; 1:00PM-2:30PM and 2:30PM-4:00PM at the PH 400, Palma Hall, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman campus.
According to their Facebook page, the timely documentary attempts to discuss the roots of the conflict and present a deeper understanding of the Bangsamoro’s struggle to attain genuine peace and autonomy.
Ferrer underscored the need to further understand the stories and dreams of our fellow Filipino brothers and sisters in the prospective Bangsamoro and the history behind the armed struggle through these initiatives
“I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping the Bangsamoro peace process in the consciousness of the public because the best opportunity to end the decades of alienation and hostility is now with us,” explained Ferrer.
Ferrer added that the BBL addresses these social injustices done to the Filipino Muslims but it suffers from misinformation.
“The peace negotiations are (an attempt) to solve the imbalance in the system that has been the root of the Moro insurgency caused by the marginalization to the Muslims in their own ancestral homes in the South,” she said.
“If you have peace, you have better chances for development. It is important to find a way to stop the war permanently and stabilize the political situation in Mindanao,” she said.
“Because of the armed conflict between the government and the insurgents, schools are being turned to evacuation centers and the average life span of the people living in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is 50 plus years compared to the national average of around 70 years,” she added. (OPAPP)