PDI Talk of the Town: Building Bridges for Peace

Inquirer Opinion / Talk of the Town

Building Bridges for Peace

By DJ Yap

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: May 22, 2010

MANILA, Philippines—Troubled farmers in the Bondoc Peninsula at the southern tip of Quezon know too well the feeling of being pulled left and right—in their case it is the forces of the Left and the Right that are tearing them apart.

Over the decades, the agrarian struggle in this feudal place has been marked by extrajudicial killings, physical or legal harassment and other forms of human rights violations committed by goons hired by the landlords, on the one hand, and communist insurgents, on the other.

But after a long period of mutual distrust, a bridge now connects the farmers to the landowners and the government, as well as the police and the military that can protect them, thanks to the Building Bridges for Peace project (BBP) that was established last year.

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