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in Mindanao, realize meaningful autonomy in the regionand deliver social justice through political and economicreforms.”“If we don’t lose sight of these basics, we will find a goodway to ensure the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law andbring to life new institutions and not be stomped along theway.”Deles also took note of the great opportunity that thecurrent conversations on the peace process afford. “Ourlegislators are now very much engaged in the discussionson the law. I hope and pray that this will strengthen andresult in to an even better Bangsamoro Law.”Sisterhood in peaceBai Sandra Sema is the wife of Moro National LiberationFront leader Muslimin Sema. She has been very vocalabout her experience of being caught in the cross fire ofconflict since her childhood in Mindanao. Since then, shehas actively worked for peace so that her children andgrandchildren will never have to suffer through what sheherself has gone through.“It is easy to call for war,” she said at a hearing on theMamasapano incident of the House of Representatives’Committee on Public Order. “We are here to know thetruth, so that what happened will not be repeated; so thatfinally peace can be attained; so that the lives of military,police, MILF, and others will be spared, but most especially,the lives of our people.”For her part, Sittie Djalia has called for openness andacceptance of Muslims and the Bangsamoro people by thelarger Filipino populace.In a television interview, Sittie Djalia shared a conversationwith her son where the latter said, “Ina (Mother), I don’tthink that most of the Filipinos do not like us. I think it’sjust that they do not know us.”The Muslim lawmaker noted that “education, knowledge,and pagpapakilala (getting to know one another)” are veryimportant for the larger Filipino populace to understandthe context of the Bangsamoro struggle.Sittie Djalia has been a peace advocate for 18 years prior tobeing a party list representative. She related a conversationshe had with a young woman-leader from Al-Barka, Basilan,the site of a bloody encounter in October 2011 betweenthe military and MILF forces, and the last recorded violentclash between the parties. Since then, the ceasefire has heldfor more than three years until the unfortunate incident inMamasapano.“The first time I met her, I asked her, what do you want?Ang sabi lang ho niya, saan ho kami makakakuha ng ID or ngcertificate o kahit na anong sulat na magsasabing mabubutingtao kami (She just said, where do you think we can get an IDor certificate or any kind of document at all that attests tothe fact that we are also good people)?”“I believe in the inherent goodness of every person. That’swhy, we are not giving up,” Sittie Djalia said. “Makiusaptayo, magpaliwanag tayo, baka sakaling marinig, mabuksanang isipan, mabuksan ang puso, magkakaroon ng pagkakataonpara sa kapayapaan (Let us appeal and explain [to theFilipino people], perhaps they will listen, they will haveopen minds, open hearts for us to finally have a chance forpeace).”Nudges and moving forwardTaking stock of current realities, the women peacechampions know how difficult the work is going to be,winning over an angry public, getting them to support thepeace process, and making them see what the other side isall about.For both Secretary Deles and Chair Ferrer, it doesn’tmatter if they continue to be bashed by lawmakersand crucified in the public sphere. No matter what fireand bluster are unleashed in the public sphere andin the venerated halls of Congress, Ferrer holds, “It isvery important that we keep nudging – cautiously andgraciously, ever so sensitive to the cultural milieu of theFilipino social strata.”For Deles, “If speaking this truth labels me as lawyering forMILF, I do not mind. Better that than to shut up because itis not popular, or sexy, to speak up at this time in defense ofpeace. How oddly strange it is to be so viciously assailed forspeaking up for peace.”Undeterred and even more determined, she said, “Thepeace process has been disrupted but not beaten back. Wewill forge ahead. Let us stand for peace and reclaim thebirthright of countless generations of Filipinos yet unborn,of a country united in a just and lasting peace.”8 KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN March 2015