Photo by Ryan Lim/ Malacañang Photo Bureau: President Benigno S. Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak witness MILF Peace Panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal, Malaysian facilitator Tengku Ghafar, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles affix their signature to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in a ceremony at the Kalayaan Grounds of the Malacañan Palace on Thursday (March 27). Also in photo are MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim,Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles,MILF Peace Panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal,GPH Peace Panel chairperson Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato Abdul Ghafar
A letter of congratulations was sent to Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III to commemorate the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on this historic day.
27 March 2014
President Benigno S. C. Aquino III
Malacañang Palace
Manila, Philippines
Re: Wholehearted Congratulations from the United Religions Initiative Community
Dear President Aquino,
On behalf of our global community, we offer congratulations on the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). We celebrate this historic occasion with you across the seas, and hold your country’s commitment to peace in the highest esteem.
As a worldwide interfaith network, we at the United Religions Initiative (URI) have been watching these developments on the CAB with great interest. The overall peacebuilding process is especially relevant to our organization’s mission of promoting “enduring daily, interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.”
As part of our worldwide network of 625 member groups – called Cooperation Circles (CCs) – 38 are situated in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with the regional coordinating office housed in Metro Manila. 19 of these 38 CCs are in the Philippines, with five CCs operating in Mindanao – Pakigdait, Inc.; Interfaith Council for Peace in Mindanao; Ranao Muslim-Christian Movement for Dialogue and Peace; Interfaith Youth Council; and Mindanao Peace Garden. We also maintain close partnerships with other sister Philippine organizations, such as The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc., based in Quezon City. These groups are deeply engaged in conflict resolution initiatives, committed to creating cultures of peace among the people of Mindanao, and are proactively involved in the peace process at the grassroots level.
Although the hard work does not yet end here, we celebrate you taking the crucial next steps in a sensitive peace process. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your leadership in this important endeavor.
May peace prevail in the Mindanao! May peace prevail in the Philippines!
Sincerely,
The Right Rev. William E. Swing Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr.
President and Founder Executive Director
