SOWING PEACE for Mindanao

Are you aware of the quickest and harmless way to protect your family from influenza?


Buy anti-viral medications in advance in case you catch a cold. This month at half price!

sana magkaroon na ng kapayapaan sa mindanao . it's not only 4 them but 4 the good of all . para lumagay na sa tahimik ang ating bansa.

“Pinoy Quakers” refer to attenders of a Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in the Philippines. We met for the first time on February 22, 2009 in the campus of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. We are composed of those who belong to both Programmed and Unprogrammed Friends, as well as observers. We are linking with you through this venue so that we can learn from you and share. Keep in touch!

Please, sign the petition at:
Call for accountability in Gaza and Southern Israel

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=11644&tr=y&auid=4461054

To you who care about the wellbeing of Mindanao--

Greetings of peace!

Before sunset on September 20 a motley crowd of over a hundred people lined the sidewalk along Katipunan Avenue (in front of Miriam College) in Quezon City to make a stand for sowing peace for Mindanao. They were students, teachers, members of the interfaith community, representatives of NGOs, and employees of various offices and business establishments who took time from their busy schedule to join forces in order to make their voices heard.

Interfaith prayers were said amid the din of the careening traffic. But the energy around the circle was high. Torches were lit for the peace walk that followed, and they walked to the beat of the drums, the ringing of the chimes and the voices that were raised in a chorus of chanting. "Stop the war in Mindanao! Give peace a chance!" filled the air. Some drivers of vehicles honked their horn in solidarity, but mostly the traffic on the street kept going as though nothing of significance was happening.

But something significant did happen. Hope remained alive in our hearts and burned brightly in our midst.

We, the die-hard advocates of Sowing Peace for Mindanao, believe that we are not alone in our call for peace. We believe that from the sea of 86 million Filipinos will surface a million others like us who will join the chorus. Together we will make our voices heard.

If you are one among the million wishing to join the chorus of voices for peace in Mindanao, please read the Statement below and –

1. SEND an email reply to yesweunite.mindanao@gmail.com
2. FORWARD this message to as many people in your network as possible
3. Practice simple ways of sowing peace in your daily life. Some practical
suggestions are offered by the Mindanao Commission on Women (see
MillionTapsForPeace.org)

Thank you for your kind attention. Looking forward to a million signatures for the Mindanao Week of Peace in November when we will make our harmony of voices heard by all concerned, we are

Your friends, the die-hard Sowers of Peace from—

The Peacemakers' Circle-URI CC, Center for Peace Education (CPE) of Miriam College, Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute, Mindanao Solidarity Network, Balay Rehabilitation Center, Binhi ng Kapayaan Inc., and Interfaith Center for a Culture of Non-Violence

For more information, contact:

THE PEACEMAKERS' CIRCLE FOUNDATION, INC.
(A Cooperation Circle of the United Religions Initiative)
Tel. no.: (2) 920-7622
Fax no.:((2) 920-4618
Or email: yesweunite.mindanao@gmail.com
peacemakerscircle.uri@yahoo.com
Or visit : sowingpeace.multiply.com; www.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.com

We will be happy to receive any ideas, comments and suggestions from you. Please email to yesweunite.mindanao@gmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Million Signatures for
"Yes! We Unite in Sowing Peace for Mindanao"

We, people for peace of diverse cultures and beliefs from different walks of life in the Philippines, unite in the endeavor to support our brothers and sisters who are being adversely affected by the escalation of conflict in Mindanao.

We unite because we are concerned that the renewed fighting between the renegade factions of the MILF and government troops is awakening old fears and attitudes of mistrust, and fomenting division among peace-loving Muslims, Christians and Lumads in the war-torn grassroots communities in central Mindanao. This is polarizing our people and creating huge obstacles to our path to peace.

We unite because we are tired of the fighting and weary of the pain that we are inflicting on each other and on ourselves. As of September 10 hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, mostly women and children, in over 66 municipalities in 11 provinces across Central Mindanao have been reported to have fled their homes and are now living in evacuation centers or makeshift evacuation sites. Homes, schools, mosques and chapels in those areas have been burned. We must stop the war, end the hurting, and begin to sow seeds of lasting peace.

We unite in the belief that peace is possible. But peace can only come about if we look at one another anew as brothers and sisters and see the same hopes, dreams and aspirations reflected in each other's eyes; and if we begin to listen more deeply to each other and hear our pain echoed in each other's heart.

We unite in our appeal to all those who are concerned for the peace and wellbeing of our country—our leaders of government, the military and armed forces, the rebel groups, and the various sectors of our society including the media, and the religious and academic institutions—to join us in sowing peace for Mindanao.

1. Let us accept that we are a country of diverse people—people of different cultures, beliefs, interests, values, and needs—and that our differences in positions relating to the various issues that impact our lives must be taken as opportunities for growth and a strength for unity rather than as a weakness in our system that must be fortified with aggression and violence.

2. Let us lay down the guns and give peace a chance by engaging each other in various forms of dialogue and heart listening.

Let us engage in various dialogues of life in grassroots communities everywhere and live harmoniously as neighbors in the spirit of kinship and love.

Let us engage in dialogue of collaborative action to creatively and lovingly restore peace and justice in the midst of injustice, corruption, and violent situations of conflict.

Let us engage in dialogue of interfaith theological discourse in order to understand each other's culture and beliefs and to see how, at the heart of the teachings and ideals of our respective faith traditions, we share common hopes and aspirations and realize that we are interconnected in the deep levels of our faith.

Let us—Christians, Muslims and peoples of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions in the country—engage in dialogue of worship by expressing our solidarity and kinship with those who differ from us in our beliefs and respecting their unique ways of practicing their faith.

3. Let us be the peace that we wish to see in our country by contributing
our talents, energies and resources in manifesting peace in our
relationships with our God, with our selves, and with one another.

We unite in the endeavor to sow the seeds of peace, justice, and healing for our ailing brothers and sisters in Mindanao and to tend to the wounds that are alienating us from each other in our country.

We unite with all individuals, groups and organizations in the country whose efforts for peace are in keeping with the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.