Ecumenical peace group wants peace agenda from 2010 hopefuls

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

16 February 2010
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Philippine elections have been more of pomposity than platforms. But a church-based peace movement wants to see the issue of peace talks with the insurgents be taken seriously by the candidates.

This movement called Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP), which held its first national assembly in Davao last February 11 to 13, will ask candidates on their commitment to resume the peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) that remains stalled under the Arroyo administration since 2004.

The group noted presidential candidates have yet to include the peace agenda in their platforms. "Sad to note there is none," says Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, head of the PEPP secretariat and chair of Ecumenical Bishops Forum. But Iñiguez said they will hold dialogues with the presidentiables "to let them see the importance of the peace agenda as something vital for the country.”

The PEPP was formed three years ago in an effort to unite diverse Christian denominations in the country in addressing the stalled peace talks. Major church groups such as Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, National Council of Churches of the Philippines, Ecumenical Bishops' Forum, Philippine Christian Evangelical Churches, and the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines formed the core of this movement.

Bp Iñiguez says consultations they held in the past three years around the regions echo "the resounding call to resume the GRP-NDF talks."

The consultations showed the churches' concern with the decades-long armed conflict between the GRP and the NDF as it affects majority of the Filipinos.

This concern was again raised in the assembly where delegates heard testimonies from indigenous peoples in Mindanao and families of victims from extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, of how government's counter-insurgency aggravated the injustices.

"There never will be peace if this situation continues," says Sharoy Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes, co-chair of PEPP and former secretary-general of the NCCP. "This situation would not be eradicated if the root causes are not addressed (through peace talks)."

PEPP reiterated their call for the resumption of talks and implement signed agreements such as the Comprehensive Agreement for the Respect of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (Carhrihl). They said the implementation of Carhrihl is more urgent with the rise of extra-judicial killings, and the recent arrest and reported ill-treatment and torture of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal.

PEPP welcomes the intent of the two parties to form working groups to discuss the two agenda namely political and constitutional reforms, and the end of hostilities and disposition of forces, which was discussed by representatives of both parties during the assembly.

The GRP-NDF talks was supposed to resume last August to discuss the second agenda on socio-economic reforms (SER).

PEPP co-chair Bishop Antonio Ledesma from the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro said they will continue their advocacy and consultations in their churches and with communities to broaden people's participation to the peace talks, and bring their agenda to both panels.

"As PEPP, we act as a bridge to bring the issues of the people to the panels, and pressure them to resume the talks," says Bishop Ledesma.

Even as peace talks take a backseat for the elections, Duremdes says PEPP regional formations will do its part to engage candidates to come up with platforms on reforms to lead to "a just and lasting peace".

Duremdes also said PEPP will monitor election-related violence and bring this to the panels. The group took note of the military's campaign against progressive candidates and partylist groups, especially with senatorial candidate Retired Gen. Jovito Palparan reviving the anti-communist Alsa Masa in Davao City.

The group will also look in to the fragile situation in Maguindanao.

"This election can be seen a laboratory for church groups to monitor election-violence and bring this un-peace situation to the panels so they can see the urgency to resume the talks," says Duremdes.