An Open Letter from the Tri-people Youth of Mindanao to the President Elect
Dear Tatay Digong,
Warmest greetings of peace from the young peoples of Mindanao!
On May 9, more than 15 million Filipinos entrusted not only their votes but more so their hope for change on you. As you have promised, #ChangeIsComing and this hope will soon spread to include the whole country when you take your seat as the 16th Philippine President in June 30.
We, the members of the Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan (AKMK) is holding on to that promise of change. For 14 years now, we have been committing ourselves to make a difference in our own communities, for our generation and our people. After all, our organization was born as a protest movement to this disregard of our voices in deciding our present and future. When former President Joseph Estrada waged an all-out war in Mindanao in 2000, we knew that the younger generation of Mindanaons would again bear the costs of war.
We couldn’t stay silent and do nothing. We joined various civil society organizations, rallied and called for peace: a peace that is more than the absence of violence; it is the presence of it is the presence of social justice through equal opportunity, a fair distribution of power and resources, equal protection and impartial enforcement of law.
It is in this framework that we engaged the Estrada, Arroyo and Aquino administrations and we will continue steadfastly with your government. We know that you understand greatly the power of will as you have for years showed how this changed your beloved city of Davao and more than a month from now, the journey to correct the injustices of the past will begin. We are with you in this journey towards change, Tatay Digong, but critically.
Hence, we present to you the tri-people youth peace agenda:
Inclusive Peace. We believe that peace is not an elusive but an achievable result of not only the peace processes between the government and revolutionary and/or rebel groups but more so of the genuine participation of the people in addressing the historical injustices done to the indigenous and Bangsamoro people in Mindanao.
The tragic result of the restrained Memorandum Agreement on Ancestral Domain of the GPH-MILF peace process showed the effects of exclusive and top-down approaches to peace. It also paved the way for a more participatory and inclusive peace framework with the insistence of peace civil society organizations.
We demand that the same framework will be used to guide not only the peace negotiations but also the peacebuilding and conflict transformation processes that your government will undergo in the next six years. Hence, we reiterate our demand for the inclusion of the young people in all these processes as one of the holders of peace and development.
Furthermore, we also demand for the full inclusion of the Indigenous Peoples rights in the Bangsamoro Basic Law to ensure the recognition and protection of their rights and to correct historical marginalization and exclusion. We ask that you will you execute in the fullest of your capacity the promotion and implementation of international humanitarian law, conventions, and standards so that no child or youth will be ever compromised again, either as soldiers or weapons of war. We believe that all of these are possible because of your deep commitment in protecting the rights of the children and the youth.
Sustainable Development. We foresee a sustainable future where peace and development is anchored in ecological justice that includes climate justice and environmental justice and celebrates the interconnection and interdependence and co-existence of all beings on Earth.
However, with the onslaught of environmental destruction, we are presently suffering from the devastation brought by man-made and natural disasters. The extreme droughts and super typhoons that wreaked havoc to vulnerable communities emphasize that climate change is an important political issue. However political decisions even in the recently concluded Climate Change Conference in France still failed to bring about international cooperation in the resolution of this problem.
Furthermore, mining, logging, and other ecologically-destructive activities for the sake of development still continue domestically. Needless of elaboration, we feel that the current measures directly ridicule the young people. The more we build infrastructure of destructive capitalism, the more we are pulled back to the memory of our fellow Subanen youth who vowed to offer their lives to protect the Midsalip mountain ranges in Zamboanga Peninsula and to ensure the survival of their tribe.
Fuelled by their determination and the entire commitment of the young people for ecological justice, we strongly call for the promotion and protection of biodiversity. Make the laws work for us and shake the resolve of the government agencies that are responsible for bringing about justice for the environment. The government must be at the forefront in protecting, managing and conserving the finite natural resources and challenge the excessiveness of extractive industries and multi-national companies.
We commend your prompt response to the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda and the more recent Kidapawan massacre, however, we strongly advocate for a more pre-emptive than responsive disaster response and risk reduction under your leadership.
Education. The Philippine Constitution guarantees the right of every Filipino youth to quality and affordable education, yet many of our young people nowadays find it difficult to enjoy this very right. In Mindanao, war took away that right when schools were attacked and bombed or turned into refugee camps even in times of calamities. Young girls and boys in far-flung had to walk miles everyday to reach their schools if not have education at all. Education has not only become remote, it also has become expensive when privatization came to affect state universities and colleges. It’s “quality” declined as a response to global competitiveness and forcing the change of curriculum to fit in the demands of globalization.
With all our force, we call for the genuine accessibility and affordability of education for all. Moreover, aside from modernizing our educational system to address our specific labour demands, we are pushing for the passing of a Magna Carta for Students that will cater to their rights and welfare. In addition to that, we call for the integration and inclusion of Indigenous and Bangsamoro history, culture, customs and traditions in the educational curriculum from grade school to college levels in order that we may able to learn and relearn our history and our roles in our communities and in building this nation.
Genuine implementation and promotion of equality laws. The absence and poor implementation of laws for women and LGBT only promote and encourage hate. We call for a heightened and more efficient implementation of VAWC and RH Law. We also appeal for the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill which has been dormant in Congress for years. It is about time to make this as one of your administration’s legacy to protect the LGBT community against hate crimes and discrimination in the work place, public spaces, and even in the confines of their own home. We envision that the next six years and beyond will integrate and recognize the contribution of the LGBT sector in national development. We hope that your support to the women and the LGBT community in Davao City will be the same for the entire country.
Food sovereignty. We saw how the long droughts and typhoon devastated and brought hunger to the agricultural food-producing communities in the country. Food has become a commodity even for those who till the land and produce. We demand that your government should do concrete actions and policies that forward sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty and serve the interests of the people. We call for further prioritization of laws that strengthen sustainable agriculture to ensure that there is sovereignty and not only security of food. We also push for genuine and sincere agrarian reforms for the farmers.
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. The culture of impunity has plagued the country for decades even after the dictatorship was toppled down. Human rights are trampled upon through the institutionalization of violence and the victimization of those who go against this abusive and oppressive system. The number of people, human rights defenders included who are harassed, abused, tortured and killed continue to increase in a concerning pace.
We call on your government to be steadfast in promoting, upholding and protecting human rights and let the rule of law bring into the folds of justice those who perpetrated the violations of such rights. Let your government be an example of fair justice to the young people.
Enriching Intercultural Dialogues and Solidarity. We push for the further promotion of cultural diversity by empowering local communities, celebrating their peculiar traditions, and reinforcing not a monochrome but a kaleidoscope of Filipino identities and cultures.
Uplifting Human Dignity in the Labour Force. We appeal to protect the welfare and correct the injustices to the Overseas Filipino Workers while at the same time creating sustainable jobs domestically. The government must protect its workers against contractualization, informalization, and precariousness of labour in the country.
We know, Tatay Digong that this is quite a huge amount of responsibility that we demand from you and your government. Past governments have failed us in delivering the change that we want to see in our communities and in our country. Despite these, we continuously do our best in our own ways to bring about change because our future is important to us.
As a father, a mayor and now, the father of this country, we know that you know nothing is more important than ensuring the best for your children. We will be with you in this 6-year journey. We will be in the forefront of the struggle for genuine social change.
Sincerely and critically yours,
The young Lumad, Bangsamoro and Migrants’ Descendants of Mindanao