Gifts to the communities from the peace forum participants. Photo: Alvic Dece

Participants of the Action Asia Peacebuilders forum from Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines transcend the boundaries with people from the communities gathered in one place to share and exchange learnings and struggles on development and peace.

The exposurists, based in Cagayan de Oro City for the forum, traveled their way to the Macapagal Ancestral House in Iligan City, some 100 kilometers away, the excitement and happiness overriding their jetlags and weariness. Much to their delight, the venue was flocked with people from the community who came from different places where situation of unpeace prevailed.

Exchanges from the exposurists and the people from the community filled every corner of the hall. The most striking part was when certain “Boy” from the municipality of Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte was asked what his image of peace was. He said: “Peace is not the silence of the graveyard. Rather, peace is likened to a human body where we use each part in accord with its function.”

It was also in the same venue that the GRP-RPMM peace process was explained in its simplest form. We call this peace process as “The Other Peace Process,” because it is very unique as this is people-centered, where the people in the communities are the principal actors and actresses. The revolutionary groups and the agencies of the government, as well as the non-government organizations, are merely supporting actors in the whole process.

Parties involved in this process, however, do not claim perfection because they are still learning, unlearning and relearning from the experience. What is common to the declaration of the GRP, RPMM and the independent secretariat (which, in this case, is Balay Mindanaw), is the TRUST and CONFIDENCE they have on each other.

The exposure visit ended with a poem shared by Emma Leslie of Action Asia, which you can read here.

Photo: Alvic Dece