A personal preparation
to the International Workshop of Nonviolence, Healing and Developmental Play to be held in Peace Place, Pati,
Indonesia from March 14-22, 2015
By Frence M.
Boiser
There is always a room for Peace.
I am very
excited to prepare for the upcoming international workshop on nonviolence,
healing and developmental play in Pati, Indonesia, specifically in a venue
where they call it, “The Peace Place” come March 14 to 22, 2015. I feel blessed
to be part of the Philippine team who will be trained and will be working
sooner in spreading the word of peace and understanding among people of
different backgrounds and perspectives.
Last year, I
was able to join two runs of Alternatives to Violence Project workshops. I can
say there is a common denominator from these activities that make me believe transforming power exists.
I came from a
family that values solidarity and fair treatment. Thankfully, I didn’t experience
major divisions and misunderstanding among my siblings and parents. There are
little quarrels though but these didn’t grew tensions among us. But, a mere
blessing of peace from within cannot justify that it is the same thing that
happens outside.
My country,
the Philippines has been beset recently of occurrences showing images of social
violence and war atrocities seen on national and international media. The
southern region is the most talked about. Almost every year clashes among rebel
groups and the government spark which leads to the displacement of affected
families and innocent individuals, losing their homes and even more, losing
their lives. The government struggles to find a meeting point to keep a promise
of lasting peace in the said region.
There is a
crisis of mutual understanding among the divided groups and the long history of
my country reveals a lot of stories. These are pieces of information that I
knew when I attended a formal lecture presentation on the Comprehensive
Agreement of the Bangsamoro which later led to the drafting of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL). The agreement aims to disarm Islamic separatists and
decommission an arm wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF). In
return, the government will work on its promise to establish Bangsamoro as an autonomous state of the
Philippines. However, even with this agreement, there are still strong doubts as
to how it will be implemented. Lately this year, a separatist rebel group
brewed tensions in the said region after a controversial incident with the government’s
Special Action Force happened.
I am not yet
able to see the end of the rope here. For sure, there will be another agonizing
process between the government and the plea of the Bangsamoro people to build an independent, stable and harmonious state.
I will not further dig into the possible solutions. A lot of studies had
undergone already for several years to better understand the situation as to
whether the wounds were inflicted by cultural and religious divisions or social
injustices.
My deep concern
goes with the impact of terror to the lives of the people affected, children,
women and innocent men. I can imagine the trauma brought about by crossfires
and forced evacuation. It is in this sense that I will see a difficulty of a
family to define peace among themselves and in the community where they live. A
friend of mine from the southern region once described, “Peace in our place is a
word gone trapped in our mouth.”
As I prepare
my bags towards the Peace Place in Indonesia, I shall keep a silent prayer for
my fellow brothers and sisters, Christians, Muslims, Lumads, Indigenous and all
who are severely broken by the smears of war, abuse and misunderstanding.
Furthermore, my country is also battled every year of horrific natural
disasters. I also include my intentions to all who lost their lives and
especially to those who suffered and are still suffering from the horror of the
tragic events. Most of all, I pray for my country and then to other countries
who need it most.
I haven’t
been to the Peace Place but I feel there is a big room waiting there to learn
and to speak the language of Peace. I am excited to travel to another country I
am new at. Indeed, I will be happy to meet new friends and to share with them my
experiences as well as listening to their personal experiences too. There are
many questions growing now in my mind. How will my new friends define peace?
What is a sign of lasting peace? Is reconciliation and healing a road towards
harmony? How do we understand each other and learn to accept our differences
beyond beliefs, traditions and religions?
I am
very grateful to the generous people and community who support me for my
travel. My big thanks to all who believe in my capacity to be somehow a “little”
bearer of peace along with my companions from the Philippines.
May the room
wherein I will stay in the coming days create more rooms for peace after the workshop.
I shall see how the transforming power
will work again in me and in my community. Hence, I shall not forget the power
of love as the centrifugal force in building a peaceful world. I end with William
Ewart Gladstone’s quote:
“We look
forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then
will our world know the blessings of peace.”
AMDG!
