Hillary Clinton uses Philippines as example in gender-inclusive peace process

MANILA, Philippines - During a speech at Georgetown University, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended the Philippines for its gender-inclusive peace process.

According to a report, Clinton mentioned the participation of women in the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which resulted to the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“Consider what has happened recently in the Philippines. Hope for peace was all but gone when two strong women, Teresita Quintos Deles and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, took over the negotiations. They made inclusivity their mantra. And thanks greatly to their efforts, finally a peace was brokered in a historic deal," Clinton said.

The signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro ended one of the longest internal conflicts in Southeast Asia.

Coronel-Ferrer is the first woman in the world to sign a major peace agreement, also under a woman peace process office chief- Deles.

Deles and Coronel-Ferrer are joined by two more women in the negotiating team - National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Yasmin Busran-Lao and National Security Council Undersecretary and Technical Working Group on Normalization chair Zenonida Brosas.

“Women leaders, it has been found, are good at building coalitions across ethnic and sectarian lines and speaking up for other marginalized groups… It’s important to underscore this overriding fact: Women are not just victims of conflict. They are agents of peace and agents of change," Clinton added.

Clinton talked about the Philippine peace process in front of women peace leaders from various countries at the Georgetown's Institute of Women, Peace and Security.

The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law is currently under deliberation at the Senate and House of Representatives.

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