Bohol has declared February 11 as the Provincial Day of Peace, marking the province's triumph over insurgency and strife as it begins to pursue a “nonkilling Boholano society,” an ambitious advocacy that is almost as surreal as the rise of Filipino skater Michael Christian Martinez at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The peace declaration was timed on a significant date because, four years ago, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), or on February 11, 2010, proclaimed Bohol as an “insurgency-free” land. There is truth to this declaration because since then we have not witnessed here nor heard of bloody encounters between the military and the rebels. The status of the province as “insurgency-free” is an AFP's showcase to the world, making Bohol a model of peace where the peace programs of the AFP have been successfully implemented, with the close collaboration of Boholano officials and the people themselves. We understand that peace is such a grandeur vision. We also understand that establishing a nonkilling Boholano society can be unreachable as the stars in the sky, that is if you're standing on the earth.

The world, at its nascent stage, had once witnessed the murder of Abel, perpetrated by his own brother Cain. That crime happened long before guns and other forms of deadly weapons were invented, and it took place long before violence and indecencies were seen on movies. This ancient crime illustrates the illusiveness of building a nonkilling society. In fact, a day before the nonkilling Boholano society advocacy was launched, a barangay captain in Tubigon town was gunned down by unidentified assassins, a crime that stoked fears in the eyes of people in Tubigon. Nevertheless, no matter how unreachable the utopia of peace, or the abode of non-murderous citizens is, it should not stop us from pursuing what is best for us, what is right for us, what we deserve to have during our lifetime, and in the lifetimes of our children's children. As what Gov. Edgar M. Chatto has said last Tuesday: “Development is meaningless without genuine peace.”

In many highly urbanized cities around the world, enduring peace remains a blurry dream since crimes thrive in every corner of the city. Without going too far to cite an example, Manila alone is one which holds no promise of peace of mind whether one is staying indoor or outdoor. But there are many other highly developed cities in the world which remain relatively peaceful despite its rapid economic boom. And this is what we fear to happen: that if Bohol becomes an economic giant, we might lose the blessings of peace, thus development would be meaningless without long lasting peace. Now going beyond the externalities of peace…

Attaining peace is more than solving all crimes. It is beyond eliminating the presence of evil in our midst. To cultivate peace in our society and nurture it in our hearts and minds require the primordial involvement of the Creator, the God in the Bible. The Lord Jesus Christ, being the Prince of peace, has promised real peace to believers, “a peace that the world cannot understand.” In our pursuit of peace, we have to go beyond the external. The true beauty of peace can only be felt and experienced through the hearts of the enlightened, and this is the kind of peace that would be given to those who seek the Truth and the Light.