On
04 March 2008, a landmark agreement between the Catholic Church and the Armed
and the Forces of the Philippines was signed by both parties in Bacolod City.
Top leaders and officials of the church and the AFP in the Visayas gathered at
the Bishop’s Palace in Bacolod City to sign a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU), which subsequently formed the Church–Military Advisory Group—Negros
(CMAG-N). The church was represented by the four dioceses in Negros Island,
namely, the Diocese of Bacolod, Diocese of Kabankalan, Diocese of San Carlos,
and Diocese of Dumaguete. On the other hand, the AFP was represented by then Commander
of the 303rd Brigade, Col. Honorato S. Delos Reyes. The MOU was signed
in the presence of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, D.D., the President of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines; Most Rev. Leopoldo S. Tumulak,
D.D., of the Bishop Military Ordinariate of the Philippines; Maj. Gen. Victor S.
Ibrado of the Central Command; and Maj. Gen. Juvenal Narcise of the 3rd
Infantry Division. Four years later, on 18 October 2012, the Philippine
National Police represented by the Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental Police
Provincial Offices, was formally accepted as part of the group. CMAG-N would
then become known as the Church, Military and Police Advisory Group- Negros or
CMPAG-N.
Tracing the roots
CMAG-N was borne out of the collective desire
of the leadership of the church and the military to help achieve peace,
security, and development in Negros Island. During the height of the insurgency
problem in Negros Island in the 1980s, an invisible “wedge” was said to have
existed between the Catholic Church and the AFP (which then included the
defunct Philippine Constabulary). The tumultuous years of the Martial Law was
said to have been the main driving force behind the perceived mutual mistrust
between these two sectors, which naturally resulted in lukewarm working
relationships. Although only a few members of the Church and other religious
sects were actively involved in the underground movement of the Communist Party
of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front
(CPP-NPA-NDF), it was generally branded as “left-leaning”, or worse, as
communist fronts. On the other hand, the religious sector also labeled the
military as fascists, human rights abusers, and even puppets of politicians and
private individuals. Naturally, this kind of labeling or tagging from both
sides strained the already volatile relationship between the two, which lasted
for many years. Hence, even though they have the same goal of bringing peace
and sustainable development to the people of Negros, the church and the military
seemed to have gone separate ways, virtually ignoring the wedge lodged between
them.
The Church–Military
Liaison Committee
It took a while before key military and
church officials in the island started reaching out to each other. The series
of talks or engagements between them resulted to the formation of the Church–Military
Liaison Committee (CMLC) during the late 1980’s. Although no formal agreements
were established, the CMLC then regularly held meetings and dialogues to iron
out issues and concerns affecting or involving the military, the Church, and
the general public. The committee has become an effective venue or forum for discussing
and addressing contemporary social issues, and eventually paved the way toward
the enhancement of the relationship between the two sectors. Soon enough, the
committee attracted more participants from both sides, and dialogues and other
similar activities were also conducted more frequently.
The
CMLC would soon find itself on the brink of extinction again during the early
‘90s when insurgency in the island subsided. Most of the Army units stationed
in Negros left for Mindanao to help contain the threat posed by the secessionist
groups thereat; hence, the meetings and engagements became less frequent.
The CMLC would soon be revived with the
assumption of then Colonel Ibrado (who later became AFP Chief of Staff) as Commanding
Officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade. As the highest-ranking
military commander in Negros that time, he actively sought the restoration of
the CMLC by designating the late Maj. Nelson L. Gerona, who was then the Brigade’s
Civil-Military Operations Officer, as the military’s liaison with the church. Major
Gerona re-established and strengthened the partnership and coordination between
the two sectors, particularly with the Social Action Center (SAC) of the
Diocese of Bacolod. Dialogues and meetings were held frequently again as the
two sectors jointly addressed the social issues prevalent in the island during that
period. However, the untimely demise of Major Gerona once again slowed down the
progress of the newly revived CMLC, as no officer was immediately designated to
perform his role.
In
2007, the CMLC would have another milestone in its history, with the assumption
of then Maj Gen Jovenal C. Narcise as the Commander of the Army’s 3rd
Infantry (Spearhead) Division. Major General Narcise, and Brig Gen Gregorio
Fajardo, then the 303rd Brigade Commander, opened up the idea of
formally reviving the CMLC to Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, D.D., at the Bishop’s
House in Bacolod City last 02 April 2007. Brigadier General Fajardo lost no
time renewing contacts with the church through the Civil–Military Operations
Task Unit—Negros, which was under the supervision of the Brigade.
The
first of many exploratory meetings was held at the Bishop’s Palace on 27 April
2007, which coincided with the death anniversary of Rev. Fr. Niall O’Brien, the
founder of Pax Christi—Pilipinas. Father O’Brien is said to be the pioneer of the
advocacy for “active non-violence” as a means of attaining peace in Negros. This
was followed by a series of formal meetings among representatives from the four
dioceses in Negros — the dioceses of Bacolod, Kabankalan, San Carlos, and
Dumaguete — and key Army commanders in the island. It was facilitated by Bro.
Jack Pamine of Pax Christi—Negros, and Atty. Francisco Cruz, the legal adviser of
the Diocese of Bacolod. From then on, regular monthly meetings were held every third
Thursday of the month.
The birth of the CMAG-N
Upon
the recommendation of then Lt. Col. Franco Nemesio M. Gacal, then Commanding
Officer of 11th IB, CMLC would soon be christened the Church–Military
Advisory Group—Negros (CMAG-N). This was after representatives from both
sectors concluded that the lack of a written agreement containing the common
vision and objectives of the committee was behind the failure of the CMLC to
sustain its activities. As an advisory group, the representatives saw the need
for an MOU that would serve as the basis for their joint undertakings. This was
unanimously agreed upon by the church and the military leadership in Negros,
and soon enough, the MOU was signed on 04 March 2008.
According
to the CMAG-N MOU, both the military and the church have a collective vision to
promote and respect human dignity and achieve sustained peace and development
in Negros. Both parties recognize the need to foster a harmonious relationship
and cooperation, along with the necessity to maintain an open line of
communication between them. The CMAG-N shall serve as a body in resolving
issues or conflicts in achieving a harmonious and proactive relationship and
cooperation between the parties. It was to be composed of the SAC Directors of
the four dioceses and the Civil Military Operations Task Unit–Negros (CMOTU-N).[1]
Upon
its establishment in 2008, CMAG-N released a statement, as follows:
“…the CMAG-N…envisions
a harmonious relationship among its members and spontaneous response to issues
and concerns that call for mutual cooperation, deep understanding and objectivity.
Anchored on the principle that respect for life and human dignity is the
uncompromising foundation for peace and development, CMAG-N is laying down the
cornerstone of brotherhood not just between the Church and Military but more so
among the communities in Negros. The body believes that the conflicts can be
resolved through pro-active, discerning, honest, and sincere initiatives.
CMAG-N is taking on the task of bringing together the compassion of the Church
for the people and the supportive presence of those in the Military to
facilitate a greater understanding of everyone’s common goal – a progressive,
peaceful, and economically independent Negros Island. It is the common vision
of all those involved in the CMAG-N that all Negrenses will be given an equal
share of opportunities and the chance to be listened to without prejudice.”[2]
Since
then, the CMAG-N convened regularly (every third Thursday of the month) to
discuss prevailing issues related to the church and the military. Significant
matters were resolved through the active participation of church leaders and
military commanders. The military and police would regularly present updates
regarding operational matters, while the church would tackle the social and
spiritual development aspects. As the partnership became stronger, the group
also began inviting representatives of the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente (Aglipayan) and representatives from the Philippine
National Police (PNP).
PNP participation
Representatives of the PNP began joining the regular
group meetings on 21 May 2009. In September 2010, both the Negros Occidental
and Negros Oriental Provincial Police Offices (NOPPO and NORPPO) formally
expressed their desire to be a part of the group, which was subsequently
approved by the body. With the entrance of the PNP, CMAG-N became Church–Military
and Police Advisory Group—Negros (CMPAG-N), effective 18 October 2012. The new group committed to actively work on
the concretization of the following principles enshrined in the 1987 Philippine
Constitution, along with the Catholic Church’s mission:
(i) “The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of
life, liberty and property, and the promotion of the general welfare are
essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy.”
(Article II, Section
5)
(ii) “The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of
the people and the state. Its goal is to
secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national
territory.”
(Article II, Section
3)
(iii) “The Church’s mission is to proclaim good news to
the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year in the Lord’s favor.”
With an expanded constituency, the group came
up with the declaration below:
1)
THAT we with the
people of Negros shall work for an honest, orderly and peaceful election and
shall intelligently select leaders who can provide good governance that we need
in these crucial times as the outcome of the elections will affect the future
of the Negrenses and the entire country as well;
2)
THAT we shall
vigorously support the effective implementation of agrarian reform as part of
social justice; and,
3)
THAT to win the peace
in Negros, the Military and Police shall continue to address security threats
and challenges working collaboratively with the other stakeholders: the
government, non-government and other sectors led by the Church, who shall work
hand-in-hand to address the spiritual, social, economic and political
dimensions to bring the long-overdue development in the countryside.
The declaration further said that the church,
military, and police must dedicate themselves to the attainment of these
objectives “for our people to enjoy a life without fear, a choice without
force, an act that promotes freedom, justice and equality for all”.[3]
[1]
Lifted from the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on 04 March 2008
[2]
Lifted from the Joint Press Statement of the CMAG-N during the signing of the
MOU on 04 March 2008
[3] Lifted from the CMPAG–N COMMUNIQUÉ, jointly signed in Bacolod,
Negros Occidental, on 04 April 2014 by the different bishops of the dioceses in
Negros Island, PNP, and AFP Commanders led by Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista (AFP)
