Aimed at empowering the youth in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) convened the region’s younger generation to an inter-faith dialogue entitled “Common Understanding on Moral Governance.”
BYC Commissioner Nasserudin Dunding for Maguindanao said Thursday they had organized the activity in partnership with the Hay Ato Al-Ulama El Muslimina Bil Filibbin, Inc., the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, and the Union of Muslim Youth Organizations.
In attendance for the two-day dialogue here that started Wednesday were 80 members of religious youth organizations composed of indigenous peoples (IP), Moros, and Christians from Cotabato City, Maguindanao province, and BARMM’s Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato.
Dunding said the dialogue provided space for the youth of different faiths to unite for a similar cause of magnifying their voice on the stance of “moral governance,” a model dominance strategy envisioned by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim in running the affairs of the fledgling political entity.
“This dialogue will help foster understanding and solicit support from the youth sector in the BARMM,” Dunding said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ebrahim said the concept of moral governance is not exclusive to Islam as providing good leadership and competent governance are universal, and true, even within Christianity and the IP communities.
“I hope that this dialogue highlights these commonalities and helps us further appreciate that the work on making the lives of our people better is shared responsibility with understanding,” Ebrahim said.
In the dialogue, youth religious leaders discussed their roles in enhancing social cohesion among the youth in the region, attaining a consensus on the definition of moral governance in the context of Bangsamoro, and gathering proposals for policy development primarily in the context of the youth of different faith.
Christian youth representative Adolfo Crisver Nimes from Cotabato City said the gathering of young minds from various faiths showed that “unity in diversity” is very active in the region.
“Through this, may the misinformation about the BARMM and the moral governance concept be corrected,” he said.
The forum speakers came from various leaders of different faith working as one in the region.
Source: Philippines News Agency