As Ambassadors for Peace, we, Christians, Muslims and Lumad in Mindanao, particularly the different tribes, different religious groups and organizations in the Islands, resolve and declare as one body bound together in love and faith:
Whereas, we declare our confidence in the unyielding love and quiet power of a Divine God to bring about sustainable peace and prosperity to Mindanao;
Whereas, we acknowledge that purity of heart, mind, word, and deed are requisite to establishing peace, and that we must reflect God’s will within our own lives and families so that God’s love can manifest in our midst. We wait not for magical power to change our world, but count ourselves as God’s own instruments, desiring to share the burden, and labor to build a better world through relationships and harmony for all people and to help us fulfill our own promises to God to build a peaceful and better world as “One Human Family Under God.”
Whereas, the only path to peace lies in the everlasting power of God, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation, the peace built by us as Ambassadors for Peace will result in a joyful life together for Lumads, Christians, and Muslims in Mindanao. We share as well the excitement of building prosperity, good government, wholesome transformational education, effective and compassionate health and medical services, and ennobling and ecologically sound industries for life and for leisure.
Whereas, the principles of Ambassadors for peace are requisite not only for the realization of long-term peace, but also to accomplish strategic goals and steps that lead to sustainable peace dialogue, we recognize several dimensions to conflict and disorder in Mindanao, including the religious and political. To foster a culture of peace initiative we hereby resolve the following:
1. We religious leaders, speaking from the most enlightened call from the scriptures to teach in Spirit and in truth. Therefore, must lead the effort of God’s will for eternal peace, courageously bringing about acts and advocacy for integrity, repentance, forgiveness, by ministering reconciliation among all groups to establish a spirit of “One Family Under God.”
2. We, the religious leaders who represent the tri-people in Mindanao are Ambassadors for Peace and are peace makers. Therefore, are people with good conscience from all professions, living in accordance to repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation among all believers and should establish an Interreligious Peace Council with proper jurisdiction in national and regional affairs.
3. We religious leaders, all Ambassadors for Peace and NGO leaders will foster interreligious dialogue, service, cooperation and understanding to reconcile enemies bringing enlightenment and transformation through education to society and their elected representatives, so that a path of ethical governance that is truly for the betterment of all Mindanaon people can be achieved as “One Family Under God.”
4. We the Ambassadors for Peace desire to “Pursue peace with all men, and follow sanctification, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14
Signed by representatives and delegates from Mindanao Province, Philippines, on the 12th day of November 2009