BISHOP FOR PEACE. Diocese of Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez (center), Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Philippine Army commanding general (right), and Philippine Army 8th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III check firearms recovered by soldiers before the demilitarization ceremony in Camp General Vicente Lukban on Wednesday (Feb. 26, 2020). Diñoso has expressed optimism to attain peace in conflict-stricken Samar province after the three Roman Catholic bishops in Samar Island accepted the challenge to lead the localized peace talks with the New People’s Army. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)
TACLOBAN CITY – A top official of the Philippine Army expressed optimism to attain peace in conflict-stricken Samar province after the three Roman Catholic bishops of Samar Island accepted the challenge to lead the localized peace talks with the New People’s Army (NPA).
Maj. Gen Pio Diñoso, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said on Friday the participation of Catholic bishops is proof that the goal to end the decades-long armed struggle needs a whole-of-nation approach.
“Church leaders are deemed neutral people. They are wise and smart enough to feel if the NPAs are really sincere because of their exposure, knowledge on social issues, and spiritual maturity,” Diñoso said in a phone interview.
He noted that bishops play an important role in localized peace engagement with spiritual guidance from the Almighty.
On February 20, key government, church, and civil society leaders passed a resolution designating three Catholic bishops to lead localized peace engagements with members of the communist group operating in the region.
Officials approved the resolution during the 43rd assembly of the Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development (SIPPAD) held in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
The SIPPAD is a multi-sector organization composed of government, church, and civil society representatives coming from the three provinces of Samar Island.
In the resolution, Bishop Crispin Varques of the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar; Bishop Emmanuel Trance of the Diocese of Catarman, Northern Samar; and Bishop Isabelo Abarquez of the Diocese of Calbayog in Samar were tasked to lead a panel that will hold peace dialogues with rebels who have expressed their willingness to return to the fold of the law.
Localized peace engagement is one of the 12 clusters of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, the multi-agency body created under Executive Order 70 or the “Whole-of-Nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace”.
Established in January 2006, SIPPAD is convened quarterly by the Catholic Bishops of Samar Island together with the governors of the Samar provinces.
The group became a platform for collective action by the church, government, and civil society in addressing pressing issues and concerns relative to peace and order, good governance, and development and the environment across the Samar Island.
Some Samar areas are considered as NPA strongholds in Eastern Visayas due to poor road network, thick forest, high poverty incidence, and low level of education in upland communities.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
