kababaihan-at-kapayapaan-issue-3

Women forge on, echoing the calls for peaceA women’s group urges us to look at the Mamasapano incident from a different angle.By ANA NATIVIDADWE Act 1325THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT, which has dominatedbroadsheets for weeks now, serves as a loomingreminder of how delicate the road to peace really is. Itshows how one incident can create a giant speed bumpto an otherwise steadily moving process that had allintentions of charging ahead. In the midst of the shockand outpouring of emotion, social media has developedinto another battleground where cries for all-out warhave joined the mourning voices, those seeking answersand the truth, and those calling for justice. The streamsof information released have also contributed to thegrowing negative sentiments felt all around. Despite thesechallenges, peace advocates have not wavered. On thecontrary, they are as motivated as ever to push for peace,to provide a less-heard but equally important perspectivethat takes a look at the bigger picture. Among them are thewomen of WE Act 1325.The Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (WE Act 1325)recognize the pressing need to insert positive voices,voices of peace, into this mix. Following January 25,various efforts have been mobilized to remind the generalpublic that turning our backs on the peace process atthis critical juncture would be detrimental to everyoneinvolved. These efforts highlight the need to look beyondthe incident. There is a need to look at the context,the history, and, most importantly, the community—the ordinary citizens affected by what happened inMamasapano. They urge the public to look beyond thedeaths of the 44, acknowledging that 67 Filipinos lost theirlives that day, and many more may suffer the same fate ifwe do not continue with the peace process in Mindanao.The gains achieved by the laborious process that hasspanned decades will be negated, says their statement, ifwe allow the peace process to be taken hostage as a resultof the incident in Mamasapano.The network has been heightening its advocacy byjoining other peace networks, such as the Friends ofthe Bangsamoro, in public actions, such as the one heldon Mendiola bridge, and press conferences calling forpeace and truth in these trying times. The network hasalso launched newspaper ads, asking such questions as,“As stories of Mamasapano are told, can’t we rise aboveour prejudices long enough to mourn them all?” Thishighlights the fact that many people beyond the SpecialAction Force members were affected, and that thisincident should not be the cause for us to renege on ourcommitment to peace and revert to our prejudiced lensesof viewing the Bangsamoro.A notable and very important initiative that the networkhas participated in is the Women’s Solidarity and ListeningMission, wherein civil society representatives visitedthe women of Mamasapano to hear the stories that havebeen missed by the mainstream media. In the shadows ofthe headlines are women’s voices sharing their personaltragedies, and hopes for true and lasting peace fortheir families and communities. WE Act 1325 SteeringCommittee member, Carmen Lauzon-Gatmaytan’s articlein Mindanews, opens a window into other wounds leftin the wake of Mamasapano, and how these mothers,wives and grandmothers continue to forge on, despiteeverything they have lost.The women of WE Act 1325 are determined not to let thisincident turn into a glaring stop sign, but simply a speedbump, on the longer journey to a just and lasting peace forthe Bangsamoro and for the entire nation.March 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN13