Army, Church team up to promote peace culture in Mindanao

The Philippine Army and the Catholic Church's Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese have teamed up with a non-government organization to promote a culture of peace there in Mindanao. Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said he and Maj. Gen. Victor Felix, head of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, discussed peace issues on Saturday. “We talked about peace, which is everybody’s main concern, especially here in Mindanao," Ledesma said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site on Tuesday. “Peace transcends boundaries. All our efforts are peace-building should also go beyond religion, culture and status," he added. He said his archdiocese and the Army will work with the Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI) to promote peace in the area. Felix, who assumed his post two weeks ago, was accompanied by BMFI Founding President Charlito Manlupig and BMFI Executive Director Ariel Hernandez during the meeting. “This is the essence of our collaboration, synchronization and alliance with all the sectors of society in our effort to promote and build lasting peace in Mindanao," said Col. Triumph Bagaipo, head 4th ID’s Civil-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion. “We have already established this partnership before but we are now firming this up so we will have one voice in the promotion of peace," he added. Bagaipo, who was also present during the breakfast meeting at the Archbishop’s House, said the partnership goes beyond personalities, beliefs and religious affiliations. “We are actually marrying all our efforts now especially in the area of peace-building," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV