Welcome Colombianas!

Visiting the country are nine Colombian women taking part in a “Comparative Learning Series,” which consists of exchange visits between groups of women from Colombia and the Philippines and is designed to strengthen the role of women in the peace process.

The exchange is sponsored by Conciliation Resources, a London-based international NGO working to facilitate peace negotiations in various parts of the world, and by CIASE in Colombia and Sulong CARHRIHL in the country. Sulong CARHRIHL is an alliance of various community, church and civil society groups founded to monitor and promote the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, signed by both the Philippine government and the CPP-NPA-NDF as part of an anticipated comprehensive peace agreement.

Last August, the Filipino delegation visited Colombia and, aside from sitting through orientations and talks on the history of the conflicts raging in the country, we visited cities and towns in different parts of Colombia and met with tribal communities, ex-combatants, NGOs and cooperatives, and other groups affected by the decades of fighting.

And now, the Colombian women are in the country to undergo a similar orientation and gain a deeper understanding of the two main conflicts that are even now the subjects of peace negotiations.

Key to understanding the peace process and promoting the role not just of women but also of communities and the public at large in it is acknowledging that “peace” does not begin nor end with negotiations alone. People must “own” the ultimate goal not just of cessation of hostilities but of creating the necessary conditions for development and equitable growth. As Kristian Herbolzheimer of Conciliation Resources put it: “If a peace agreement is only between those holding arms, will the people feel part of it? Will they work to make sure it is fulfilled?”

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Speaking on “Women and Conflict in the Philippines” during Sunday’s orientation session for the Colombian visitors, Ateneo professor Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, who is a member of the Filipino delegation, explained that while conflict has had many negative effects on women, more important is the “agency,” or ability to act on their own behalf, shown by Filipinas these past decades.

Among the initiatives undertaken by women in conflict areas have been the building of community support systems among themselves; grass-roots constituency-building efforts; working with national agencies to mainstream gender concerns in policy, and crafting a “National Action Plan” on peace to ensure that policies on women, peace and protection are implemented.

At the same time, women’s groups are working on increasing the visibility and participation of women in peace negotiations, including sitting on the panels of the government and of the NDF and MILF; while ensuring that the women’s agenda becomes an intrinsic part of the discussions and agreements.

Aside from Veneracion-Rallonza, the other members of the Philippine group are: Susan May Granada, Daryl Leynes, Sabsy Palanca, Mariam Mastura-Linsangan, Gen. Lina Sarmiento of the Philippine National Police, Twinkle Bautista, Vice Mayor Rosemarie Rodriguez of Calbiga, Western Samar, Joeven Reyes of Sulong CARHRIHL, and this columnist.

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The Colombian women delegates are headed by Rosa Emilia Salamanca of the NGO CIASE, a member of the National Women’s Network who took part in the advocacy for women’s rights in the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Colombian Constitution of 1991, and a member of international networks such as Women Waging Peace and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders.

The other Colombian visitors are: Genith Quitiaquez, a young indigenous woman leader; Norma Ines Bernal, a Catholic nun who coordinates the Ecumenical Women for Peace and Justice; Marisol Gomez, an editor for the leading newspaper El Tiempo who is also involved with the National Peace Award and the NGO Media for Peace; Maria Eugenia Vasquez, a former combatant (with the M-19 Movement) who is engaged in consultancy in conflict-afflicted areas; Pilar Hernandez Duarte who represents the private sector through the Foundation for Petroleum Companies; Olga Luz Cifuentes, a social worker who has worked with former women combatants and domestic violence survivors; and Anna Paola Tinoco, a gender consultant and lawyer.

Aside from an orientation on the history of the peace negotiations and the major conflicts, the Colombians will also be visiting conflict areas in Mindanao and Luzon. Here, they will meet with key figures in the peace negotiations and with community folk affected by the fighting, particularly with indigenous people whose voices are hardly heard in the give-and-take of demands and conditions between the government and the combatants.

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At the end of the Colombians’ visit, the participants from both countries are expected to prepare reflection papers or concrete proposals to hasten the achievement of peace. Public forums in the Philippines and Colombia will also be held for sharing the delegations’ insights from their visits.

Two country advocacy documents arising from the individual papers will also be shared with the wider public, including decision-makers in their respective countries.

It is also hoped that one joint advocacy document will emerge from the sharings, in turn to be shared with an international audience of policymakers and organizations.

All these in addition to introducing our respective countries and people to visitors and widening our own views and impressions, including shattering some misconceptions and biases we may have held about each other’s countries.