Core Message The core message underlying the Moral Renewal Movement that I am advocating may be stated as follows. A. Reconciliation and Moral Values Historically, the Philippines is a nation with high moral values. This is expressed, in part, by how our people were united and determined to fight against the excesses of foreign colonizers. After we became an independent nation, we had insurgency problems with the Hukbalahap and the Communist Party of the Philippines in the 1950s and 1960s. The insurgency was actually an arm struggle of the peasants and the proletariat classes against the landed and the capitalists classes for a more meaningful social justice. We dealt with the insurgency problem with commendable success initially by police action, then followed by peace negotiation and reconciliation and finally by President Magsaysay’s land for the landless program. The repressive Martial Law era from 1972 to 1986 resuscitated the Communist Party of the Philippines with its armed component, the NPA, in Luzon and the Visayas; while a rebellion by the Moro Liberation Army under Nur Misuari broke out in Southern Mindanao. After the ouster of the dictator, President Corazon Aquino and President Ramos both undertook in earnest negotiations with the leaders of the insurgents with the end in view of achieving lasting peace. Leaders of the Communist Party were released from detention by order of President Aquino; while Misuari and his army of rebels surrendered and were later integrated into the Arm Forces of the Philippines. Misuari himself was later elected governor of the Mindanao Autonomous Region. With the dismantling of the Moro Liberation Army and with the failure of the national government to address the grievances of the Moslems in southern Mindanao, a new group of insurgents, the MILF, took up arms for the avowed purpose of establishing an independent Moslem state of Mindanao. The armed struggle continues to this day, although there are on-and-off peace negotiations between the government and the rebels. These experiences have taught us to understand the root cause of the insurgency problem of our country and the imperative need to resolve the problem through peaceful negotiation and reconciliation and implementing a meaningful social justice the common good, particularly for the benefit of the poor and the marginalized. For it is not good for Filipinos to be killing Filipinos. The process of reconciliation and nation building, across cultural, ethnic, religious and political lines, underlines the moral character of the Filipino nation. B. Moral Renewal The Constitution of the Republic of Philippines provides a framework for the realization of this country’s moral values. All Filipinos can play their part in promoting national morals and values. Although the underlying principle of the crusade is moral values, it is not just the religious institutions that are called to promote and uphold these values. The contribution of citizens in the crusade for moral renewal is necessary and should be encouraged. C. Sustaining Moral Communities The building of moral communities is a necessary requirement for the fight against immoral behavior in our communities and public institutions. We need to build vigilant communities which can identify potential acts of immoral behavior in government and in private institutions and refer these to legitimate institutions with a mandate to deal with such issues.