Reflections on Public Participation in

Peace Processes in Mindanao

Fr. Bert Layson, OMI
At the start of this discussion, it is important, I guess to understand the nature of the conflict in
Mindanao and who are the actors involved. It is always easy to say that the problem in Mindanao
is economic and political in nature involving the MILF and the government and the solution is
political negotiated settlement and development of Mindanao.
But this is only one way of looking at the reality. The other dimension of the problem is deeper
that many of us think and what our eyes can see. It has something to do with the way people look
at themselves; the way they interpret their history, religion and culture; the way they look at their
neighbors, their officemates, their fellow farmers, their classmates and even their friends.
A Muslim baby girl was born in the evacuation center in 1997 Rajahmudah war. Three days later,
the baby died. I told the group of mothers what happened to the baby. To my surprise, one of
them remarked, “Good for them.” In our psychosocial intervention activities, we ask the kids
what they want when they grow up. A Muslim boy tells us he would like to become a rebel in
order to fight the military and a Christian boy to become a soldier in order to fight the rebels.
Hatred, prejudices, biases, suspicion, distrust, traumas, intolerance, polarization and inability to
forgive- these are the little wars that are going on in the hearts of Muslims, Christians and
Indigenous people of Mindanao that prove to be bigger than the real war itself.
This is how is view the conflict in Mindanao- the visible and the invisible wars. Necessarily then,
a comprehensive approach to the Peace Process must address these two interrelated problems. In
short, there are two arenas or levels where the Peace Process takes place- the vertical and the
horizontal. The vertical aspects is the formal Peace Talks or negotiation between the GRP and
the MILF and the horizontal is the peace process within and among the communities in the
grassroots level.
Let me share, then, my little experience, first on the vertical level. A lot of people think that
Peace Talks are sole business of the GRP and the MILF of which they do not have any right to
participate. Many are satisfied with their role as bystanders. Others, out of frustration, would
even readily support a protracted war instead of a protracted Peace Process. They said that the
GRP and the MILF always talk and talk about peace but they always fight.
It is important, therefore, to restore the confidence of the people in Peace and for them to
understand that they are stakeholders and they have as much right to be involved in the Peace
Process. Happily, this people’s participation in the Peace Process, whether in the vertical or
horizontal aspect, is a fact that is now recognized both by the government and the MILF.
Two years ago after the all-out-war, people from affected communities in Central Mindanao
decided to organize themselves with the help of the Initiatives for International Dialogue, an
advocacy group based in Davao City. It was then that the Mindanao People’s Caucus was born,
an organization composed of Muslims, Christians and Lumads from grassroots communities. The
group decided to support the Peace Process both in the vertical and horizontal level.
Since MPC has acquired accreditation with an observer status from the GRP and the MILF, it
had sent observers to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia during the formal Peace Talks on two
occasions. The group also sent position papers to the GRP and the MILF, providing analysis,
ideas and alternative mechanisms to sustain the Peace process. The group has gone as far as
engaging the two panels in a roundtable discussion on certain issues and succeeded in lobbying
for the inclusion of one IP representative to the technical committee. On several occasions, MPC
has also sent representatives to the meetings of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of
Hostilities or CCCH.
The same group also participated in monitoring Ceasefire Agreement along with other peace
groups. So far, two Monitoring Missions were conducted – one in January and one in July after
the Buliok incident. Reports of these missions were presented and discussed with the two panels,
the military establishment and MILF Central Committee. Surprisingly, these reports were readily
accepted by the government and the MILF. In fact, they were generous in saying that they were
grateful for the role of the civil society in the Peace Process.
On one occasion, Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, now head of the CCCH on the government side, made
an honest remark of the group’s findings when we met them at Camp Aguinaldo, “We find your
report objective. It is true that some of our soldiers on the ground may have committed human
rights violations. As you know, the military is not a perfect organization. We’ll try our best to
look into these reported violations.” Precisely, we are involved in the Peace Talks because we
know that the military is not a perfect organization. Neither the MILF, we found out.
Last February, at the height of violence, MILF forces harassed two civilian communities in Pikit.
I immediately wrote a letter of complaint to Hadji Murad, the chief of Staff of the Bangsa Moro
Islamic Forces. He responded my letter saying, “The MILF conducted an investigation and the
initial findings show that the MILF, on the basis of command responsibility, is either guilty of
omission or commission.” He said that, “those who committed anti-Islamic or anti-people
activities such as robberies, lootings and the like have penetrated the ranks of our freedom
fighter.” “It is for this reason,” he said, “that through you, we are hereby offering apology to
where it is due for whatever excesses committed by the members of freedom fighters of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front.”
The lesson I learned in these two incidents is that there are better results if we are dialogical in
our approach rather than confrontational. The former is pro-active while the later is reactive.
Education plays a very important role in mobilizing people. Education of their rights is a source
of power. It is the belief of their right to have a say in the Peace Process that brought “bakwits”
last April 4-12 face to face with the decision makers in Manila in what called “Bakwit sa
Siyudad”. The delegates had dialogues with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Sec.
Angelo Reyes and his staff in the Defense Department, Senator Nene Pimentel, other government
agencies and support groups.
It is this same conviction that brought the “bakwits” to the highways of Pikit, Pagalungan and
Pagagawan in June 25-26. Dubbedas “Bakwit Power”, about 8,000 evacuees went out of their
makeshift tents. They occupied half of the Cotabato-Davao National Highway, and appealed to
the government and the MILF must declare a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table.
But if there is going to be real participation of the people in the Peace Process, then, both the
government and the MILF must observe transparency. We cannot condone the back-channeling
approach that leaves many of us in confusion. The public must assert their right to know and to
be informed regarding what the GRP and the MILF talked in private.
Last September 13, the “bakwits” had a dialogue with the government and military officials in
Pagalungan and Pagagawan. They complained about lack of transparency on the part of the
government in the implementation of rehabilitation projects and lack of religious and cultural
sensitivity on the part of the military. It was a fruitful dialogue. As a result, several mechanisms
were agreed upon that would improve the situation.
There are also other movements in Mindanao supporting other peace processes like the Federal
Movement and the Movement for Referendum. These are movements that offer alternative
peaceful solutions to the Mindanao conflict. Women and children are natural peacemakers. Most
of the time they don’t carry guns but they bear the brunt of the effects of war. They should speak
more often in public and their voices be heard.
Now, let me stress at this point that while a political negotiated settlement is certainly one of the
solutions in resolving the Mindanao conflict, it is not the only solution. In fact, the Peace
Agreements may create conducive space but they are not a guarantee that there will be an instant
peace in our communities. A lot of work will have to be done in the grassroots level.
I remember a few years ago the statement made by a farmer when he said, “People create
conflict. The conflict comes from the people. In the same way, people create peace and therefore
peace must come from the people.”
The problem in Mindanao is deep-seated. We do not have to go far to find indication. One only
needs to listen with the way members of our family talk about the Muslims or the Christians or
the Lumads. We only need to observe how they look at other people that happen to belong to
other religious and cultural communities. In this sense, the horizontal peace process is even more
urgent and needed. And here lies the challenge for the government and MILF and among NGOs,
church, civil society and the communities in Mindanao.
I have seen how the government implemented rehabilitation projects, having experienced four
major armed conflicts in Pikit in the span of six years. I have met NGOs as well, both local and
international, and even worked in partnership with some of them. Sadly, rehabilitation in most
cases only addressed the physical damage caused by the war. Yea, there may be ceasefire on the
ground. The people may have returned back to their homes. Roads may have been repaired.
Shelters, water facilities and latrines may have been constructed. Livelihood projects may have
been implemented. But these interventions only address one aspect of the damage and fail to
address the deeper problems that are psychological, social and relational in nature.
If we really want to succeed in the Peace Process, we must also intensify our psychosocial and
peace-building efforts in the horizontal level, allowing peace processes to take place in and
among communities in Mindanao. I am happy that there are now quite a number of groups that
are engaged in Dialogue and peace-building especially in conflict areas. The Catholic Relief
Services for example has a comprehensive community-based Peace and Reconciliation Program
in Mindanao. TABANG MINDANAO, a Manila-based foundation, has transformed 42 affected
communities in Central Mindanao into Sanctuaries of Peace. UNDP has established many PDCs
or Peace and Development Communities. Other NGOs have assisted communities in creating
Zones of Peace.
Socio-economic projects were not only implemented in these communities but also peace
education seminars aimed at repairing the relationship of people. This is the framework that we
adopted when we started the work of rebuilding in Nalapaan, a community in Pikit inhabited by
Muslims, Christians and Lumads. At that time in 2000, the Peace talks had collapsed, there was
no more ceasefire and the war was going on.
Despite this, we said, the Peace Process must go on, at least in the horizontal level. People must
continue talking. We must send the message to our people that Peace is still possible even in the
midst of war, at least in our communities. This was how the Nalapaan Space for Peace was born.
One barangay leader later said, “If there is going to be another war, perhaps our houses will be
burned down again, these water facilities will be destroyed and our farms will be damaged. But
what is important to us now is our relationship.”
A year later the Space for Peace expanded to four more barangays in partnership with OXFAM
and NDU Peace Center. I remember the day barangay Panicupan was declared Space for Peace
on June 4, 2002. It was like a barrio fiesta. People put up bantings, bandalas and streamers.
Muslim and Christians mothers prepared food for visitors the night before. Governor Piñol, the
town mayor, the battalion commander, Chief of Police, representative from the MILF Central
committee, MNLF representative, international and local NGOs all sat on the same table as they
listened to the statement of declaration being ready by the barangay secretary. NGOs like
BALAY and BALIK KALIPAY have also come and initiated healing sessions a mong
traumatized children through psychosocial intervention.
There are other civil society movements, as well, that continue to promote peace and
understanding among the various cultural and religious communities in Mindanao. These groups
have also built linkages with other peace groups who are close to the policy and decision makers
was how to strengthen linkages and networking among different groups. This became a reality
when 7 big networks coalesced in the aftermath of the February incident. The idea was to have
one strong voice for Mindanao.
The academic sector also plays an active role in the promotion of peace in Mindanao. A number
of universities now has peace centers and are also working beyond the confines of their
campuses. The Bishop-Ulama Forum has been active in the peace process. Different churches
have put up their Interfaith Dialogue desks and are engaged in dialogue with their counterparts in
Islam. In one of the inter-religious dialogue workshops that I facilitated in Kidapawan City, about
40 religious leaders from the Catholic Church, Protestant Churches, and Islam attended. After the
workshop, I left for Jolo. At the airport in Davao City, I received a text message, “Father, salamat
sa ibanahagi mo sa amin. Ingat sa iyong paglalakbay.” The message came from one of the
participants whom I met at the workshop. He was an Ustadz.
In the culture of Peace Seminars that we conducted in the parish, the participants were made to
sit in a victim-offender setting. They take turn in pouring out his or her painful experiences while
the rest is listening. After the session, they come to a realization that each has his or her story to
tell and that their tribe has actually directly or indirectly hurt the other. They usually end up
shaking hands or embracing each other in an emotionally-charged atmosphere.
Last August 15, one of our seminarians was ordained priest in the parish. We invited our Muslim
and Manobo friends. At the program, the Muslims played their kulintang while the Manobos
their windpipe instruments. During the reception, it was so nice to see Muslims, Manobos and
Christians in the same compound sharing the food together. Peace-building in Mindanao is
indeed difficult but it is not entirely impossible, I found out.
In closing, let me reiterate what I have said in the beginning that the Mindanao Problem is more
than just political and economic in nature. Manila can bring in plane loads of soldiers and
military hard wares to Mindanao, sign a Peace Agreements with the MILF, and transport
shiploads of food and medicines to impoverished communities. It can bank-transfer billions of
pesos to develop Mindanao. But it will have little success, because there are things in this world
that are not for sale. And Peace is one of them.
Manila government must understand that Peace for the Mindanawons is like a tree that must be
planted in our ground must be rooted in our soil. And for the Mindanawons, its only when we
can look at the other no longer as enemies, not only as neighbors, or as friends, but as real brother
and sisters, that perhaps, Peace will dawn in our homeland.
( A paper presented in a panel discussion during the seminar-workshop on Learning from the Public
Participation in Peacemaking held at Sydney Hotel, General Santos City On September 18, 2003 )