The Philippines and Colombia today continued their bilateral meeting on sharing their experiences and strategies on resolving peacefully the long-running insurgency problem both countries have been grappling for years.
Secretary Annabelle T. Abaya and officials of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) briefed the Colombian delegation led by Alejandro Eder, political advisor of the Office of the High Presidential Counselor for Reintegration, on the status of the ongoing twin peace processes the Philippine government is conducting with Muslim and communist rebel groups.
Theme of the conference is "Armed Conflict, Negotiation, and Peace-building: The Philippine Experience" held at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Zenonida F. Brosas, Assistant Director General of the National Security Council (NSC), gave a historical background of the Muslim secessionist movement in the Philippines, while Paulyn Sicam, a member of the government peace panel negotiating with communist rebels, gave an overview of the communist insurgency in the country.
Romulo Halabaso, OPAPP Executive Director on Peace-building and Conflict Prevention, made a presentation on the Philippine peace process and peace infrastructure.
Both the Philippines and Colombia have so much in common in resolving their insurgency problem.
The Philippine government has been engaged with the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF) and with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
For its part, the Colombian government is principally engaged with the Marxist-Leninist movement Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The two countries are also experiencing kidnapping, extortion, and other lawless activities by rebel groups. The other similarity both countries experienced is third-party facilitation to end the armed conflict peacefully through negotiation.
The Colombian delegation will also visit Bohol and Davao where they will be briefed on the government peace processes in the local level.
Members of the Colombian delegation led by Mr. Eder are Mr. Miguel Suarez, Ms. Maria Lucia Upegui, and Ms. Andrea Salazar.
The first Philippine-Columbia meeting was held last July.
