PRO-PALESTINE organizations, lawmakers, and members of the Bangsamoro parliament convened on Friday, April 10, for the national solidarity conference for Palestine and a call for peace in the Middle East, at Acacia Hotel in Davao City.
International participants from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Maldives, Turkey, and Palestine were also present for the two-day gathering.
Hashim Manticayan, League of Bangsamoro Organizations, said the event is to show solidarity for Palestine, who are suffering from genocide and continued aggression.
“Hindi lang ito simpatiya, we are expecting to come up with activities that will help both our civilians in Gaza and diaspora in our country, dapat in the name of humanity and of course, Islam, we have to show support for any initiative that will help our brother and sisters,” Manticayan said.
Manticayan said the ongoing aggression in Palestine resonates deeply with the Bangsamoro people, having endured conflict, displacement, and struggle for self-determination.
“Given the same history, there is oppression in Gaza, and of course, there is also oppression right now in the Bangsamoro. This is very important, aside from oppression is the injustices committed against the people of Gaza and the injustices committed against the Bangsamoro people,” Manticayan told reporters.
He stressed the situation in Gaza is similar to the situation of the Bangsamoro people, hence the need for solidarity, strengthened by faith and shared humanity.
Manticayan said the two-day solidarity conference aims to produce a unified statement of solidarity, develop policy recommendations, and establish long-term networks for continued humanitarian support and public action.
“Over the next two days, we will reflect on the historical and political roots of the Palestinian struggle, strengthen interfaith and regional solidarity, and build collaborative pathways for peaceful advocacy,” he stressed.
Mohagher Iqbal, Moro Islamic Liberation Front vice-chair and chairman of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, said in his speech that solidarity should not only be “rhetoric” but a responsibility “to act, to give and to stand with purpose.”
“On behalf of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro people, I offer our undying support for the Palestinian’s legitimate struggle for peace, freedom, and justice. As one Ummah, we are interconnected like one body. We are one: your pain is our pain, your suffering is our suffering, and before Allah we are responsible for each other,” he stressed.
Palestinians and Bangsamoro people, Iqgbal said, carry enduring narratives of land, faith, and identity that shape who they are and what they aspire to.
Iqbal said the Bangsamoro’s struggle for self-determination and for the correction of historical injustices was not a battle fought alone, with the support of the international community, for MILF and the Philippine Government to negotiate a peace agreement.
“The outpouring of support from the community of nations has made peace possible in the Bangsamoro. And the solidarity that we have received before, we now extend to our brethren in Palestine,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal emphasized that the call to free Palestine is not hatred towards the Jewish people and not against the people of Israel, as there are Jewish people who support Palestine holding the government accountable against genocide.
“As I have personally experienced in the peace process, one of the practical lessons to apply is to be hard on issues but soft on people. The MILF is fortunate to have supporters who are Christians and who effectively served as bridges for dialogue with the Philippine Government and the majority Christian Filipinos,” he said.
He noted that solidarity with the Palestinian should not be confused with anti-Semitism.
Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, Mindanao Peoples Caucus co-convenor, called on the public, Muslims or non- Muslims, to be involved in the call for peace as the war in Palestine affects all.
“We are not ignorant; we are not innocent of what is currently going on there. We see the atrocities, suffering very young children who are not supposed to be experiencing this,” she said.
Arnado stressed the solidarity for Palestine, and the call for peace in the Middle East is not a question of religion, nor an issue of whether for Israel or Palestine, but an issue that awakens a sense of humanity.
