EDITORIAL - The right to peace

People have a right to peace: this is the theme of this year’s observance of the International Day of Peace. President Aquino is in New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, which marks the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of Peoples to Peace.

Apart from passing a resolution, the UN General Assembly also declared Sept. 21 as an annual day of non-violence and ceasefire. For the occasion, President Aquino can present to the General Assembly the peace agreement with Islamic separatists, although he may have to explain why a new one had to be forged when another treaty has been in place since 1996.

As events since 1996 have shown, peace needs careful, sustained nurturing. It needs enormous resources to support a signed agreement, so that the affected areas can start enjoying the dividends of peace.

Key personalities in the original peace pact are now dismissed by the current administration as “spoilers” of the new deal. The new agreement must be accompanied by an effective campaign against the so-called spoilers, who are armed and have shown their readiness to resort to violence, as well as the criminal and extremist groups that have held back development in Mindanao for many years now. For these groups, there is no day of non-violence or ceasefire.

The conflict zones hold great potential for tourism and offer rich sources of raw materials as well as agricultural and fishery products. But violence has disrupted all aspects of life in the conflict zones of Mindanao, from commercial activities to children’s education.

Blessed with abundant resources, the proposed Bangsamoro can become one of the most prosperous regions in the country. Its people have suffered enough from conflict and certainly have a right to begin enjoying peace.