Proposed Resolution No. 520
AdoptedA Resolution Supporting Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (Hwpl)’s Efforts for the Recognition of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War as an International Instrument of Peace
Filed
Adopted as Resolution No. 440Now
Voted on and adopted by Parliament.
What this measure does
The proposal would have Parliament support the efforts of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) to win recognition of its Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) as an international instrument of peace. The published copy of the filed text breaks off after the 'Whereas' clauses and goes straight to the signature page, so its operative and copy clauses cannot be read from it.
Filed on 19 February 2024 by Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim and 17 other principal authors, with 23 co-authors. It was adopted as Resolution No. 440 on 26 February 2024.
Why it was proposed
HWPL, founded by Lee Man-Hee in 2013, is an international peace NGO registered in Seoul. Its 3 initiatives in the Philippines are the DPCW, a Religious Peace Academy and peace education. Its International Law Peace Committee introduced the DPCW on 14 March 2016; the declaration calls for prohibiting the use of force, friendly relations and peaceful settlement of disputes, and HWPL wants it adopted as a binding covenant. The proposal ties its principles to the 1987 Constitution, which renounces war as an instrument of national policy.
Who it affects
- HWPL
- Residents of the region, as the audience of a peace endorsement
Funding
No appropriation. The resolution appropriates nothing.
What changes if it becomes law
- Adopted as Resolution No. 440 on 26 February 2024, a week after filing.
- An endorsement; it binds no one and commits no funds.
Raised during deliberations
No published record of the debate on this measure. Parliament’s journals cover sittings up to March 2023 only, and no committee report on it has been published.
What to notice
Parliament here endorses a single organization's document rather than a principle, with the Chief Minister leading the authors; Resolution No. 440 records that he had already signed a joint statement with HWPL in South Korea on 19 September 2023. The index lists MP Mohagher M. Iqbal twice among the principal authors. Its companion, Proposed Resolution No. 519, made HWPL's 24 January anniversary the region's Peace Day.
Sources