Justice builds a home in Sulu

Earlier this month, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and other justices, alongside local leaders, and hundreds of proud Tausug as we broke ground for the new Sulu Hall of Justice.

- SECRETARY CARLITO G. GALVEZ, JR.

I have travelled to Sulu many times then as a soldier and now as Presidential peace adviser. I have been to villages where firefights used to rage, spoken with former rebels and violent extremists, and heard the pain of mothers who lost their sons to war.

But the emotions that swelled in my chest that day were different. I knew I was witnessing the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Sulu, one that marked a major shift wherein the province was letting go of the past and welcoming the present.

Patikul — once the epicenter of conflict — was brimming with optimism. The energy was palpable in the people smiling, taking photos using their cellphones and clapping as the shovels dug into the soil. Sulu was saying: “We are ready and moving forward.”

Supreme Court Chief Justice Gesmundo captured that moment best when he declared in his remarks: “Today, as we break ground for the new Sulu Hall of Justice, we affirm our unwavering belief in this truth: that peace, stability, and justice are inseparable.”

The nation’s top magistrate’s words encapsulated the significance of the occasion. Justice is not and should not be a luxury because it is the foundation of lasting peace. Justice underpins the democracy we are now enjoying.