OVER a hundred Muslim and Christian youth volunteers flocked to the Philippine National Red Cross along Roxas Boulevard last Sunday in a symbolic blood-letting activity as a call for peace and unity in the Philippines.

Rallied by the country?s premier equestrienne Toni Leviste, outreach coordinator of the Young Moro Professionals Network, together with Senator Richard Gordon, concerned youth volunteers from all sectors of society expressed the same call to stop violence and terrorism in Mindanao. ?Whether you are a Moro or a Christian, you are a Filipino. Through collective action, we must strive to make our country a more harmonious, safer place to live in our lifetimes and our children?s future,? said Leviste, a Muslim convert since 2004 and a Ten Outstanding Muslim Youth awardee in 2008.

In the wake of the abduction of three international Red Cross volunteers in Sulu by Abu Sayyaf members, Gordon reiterated that safely releasing the captives is fundamental before any peaceful negotiations with the government can progress.