THE PHILIPPINES: A ray of hope in North Cotobato
April 1st, 2008
in:
CPTnet
1 April 2008
THE PHILIPPINES: A ray of hope in North Cotobato
by Richard C. Williams
Seven communities composed of Filipinos, Indigenous, and Muslim peoples have formed a ring of "peace communities" in North Cotabato, which lies in the center of violent struggle on the southern island of Mindanao. Since this "G7 Communities Organization" was formed by the signing of peace agreements among all parties, open violent conflict has significantly subsided.
This project has been a collaborative effort of Non-Governmental 0rganizations (NGOs), People's Organizations (POs), Local Government Units (LGUs), and Local Government Agencies (LGAs). It began with the initiation of four program phases in the municipality of Pikit, Cotabato. Phase I consisted of a series of negotiations with the Moro (Muslim) International Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Association of Filipino People (AFP) and other stakeholders to obtain continuing support and endorsement of the peace process. Phase II included community consultations, planning, and coordinated effort for the Peace Programs and Services. Phase III was the writing of the "Declaration of Spaces for Peace and Children as Zones of Peace." Phase IV is the planned expansion and replication of the peoples' declared Spaces for Peace and Children's Zones to other areas in Mindanao, and eventually Sulu. This current phase includes a desire on the part of the G7 for partnership with Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT).
The February 2008 delegation spent two days in Pikit. After a night with our host families, we all shared our experiences with these families and spent some hours walking through the community. To the east of us was a large open field, a "killing field," dotted with old concrete foundations of houses that had been burned in the violence of 2003. We were introduced to the widow of a former Alliance pastor who had been killed during that violence. She was quiet but pleasant, recounting sadly and graphically her experiences during the violent times. Leaders in the community tend now to be widows whose husbands had been killed, mostly by the Filipino-US joint military over-running the countryside "eliminating terrorists." They all hope that those fearful times are over now that the G7 in Pikit have declared themselves peace communities.
"Things are quieter now and life is much more peaceful in Mindanao since the G7 agreements," our hosts all say. Peace talks are presently going on between the Philippine government and the Moro International Liberation Front and National Liberation Front leaders. Hopes are that this peace movement will eventually extend to the provinces of Basilan and Sulu, nearly 100-percent Muslim areas in the southwestern archipelago.
The only disruption of this progress toward peace is the mostly violent presence of the U.S. military. "Please tell your communities in the U.S. and Canada that we would rather not have this 'benevolent invasion' of North American military personnel—for whatever stated reason they have for being here. Also, we hope and pray that Christian Peacemaker Teams can have a permanent presence here to partner in the peace monitoring process."
[Williams, of Boulder, CO, was a member of a delegation to the Philippines sponsored by Christian Peacemaker Teams. Other members of the 14-29 February delegation were Kelly Hayes-Raitt (Santa Monica, California), Camilia MacPherson (Toronto, Ontario), Steve Ramer (Ft. Collins, Colorado), Henry Troyer (Springfield, Missouri), and Julius Camannong, Rey Lopez, Cromwell Rabaya and Nathaniel Villareal from the Philippines.]
1 April 2008
THE PHILIPPINES: A ray of hope in North Cotobato
by Richard C. Williams
Seven communities composed of Filipinos, Indigenous, and Muslim peoples have formed a ring of "peace communities" in North Cotabato, which lies in the center of violent struggle on the southern island of Mindanao. Since this "G7 Communities Organization" was formed by the signing of peace agreements among all parties, open violent conflict has significantly subsided.
This project has been a collaborative effort of Non-Governmental 0rganizations (NGOs), People's Organizations (POs), Local Government Units (LGUs), and Local Government Agencies (LGAs). It began with the initiation of four program phases in the municipality of Pikit, Cotabato. Phase I consisted of a series of negotiations with the Moro (Muslim) International Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Association of Filipino People (AFP) and other stakeholders to obtain continuing support and endorsement of the peace process. Phase II included community consultations, planning, and coordinated effort for the Peace Programs and Services. Phase III was the writing of the "Declaration of Spaces for Peace and Children as Zones of Peace." Phase IV is the planned expansion and replication of the peoples' declared Spaces for Peace and Children's Zones to other areas in Mindanao, and eventually Sulu. This current phase includes a desire on the part of the G7 for partnership with Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT).
The February 2008 delegation spent two days in Pikit. After a night with our host families, we all shared our experiences with these families and spent some hours walking through the community. To the east of us was a large open field, a "killing field," dotted with old concrete foundations of houses that had been burned in the violence of 2003. We were introduced to the widow of a former Alliance pastor who had been killed during that violence. She was quiet but pleasant, recounting sadly and graphically her experiences during the violent times. Leaders in the community tend now to be widows whose husbands had been killed, mostly by the Filipino-US joint military over-running the countryside "eliminating terrorists." They all hope that those fearful times are over now that the G7 in Pikit have declared themselves peace communities.
"Things are quieter now and life is much more peaceful in Mindanao since the G7 agreements," our hosts all say. Peace talks are presently going on between the Philippine government and the Moro International Liberation Front and National Liberation Front leaders. Hopes are that this peace movement will eventually extend to the provinces of Basilan and Sulu, nearly 100-percent Muslim areas in the southwestern archipelago.
The only disruption of this progress toward peace is the mostly violent presence of the U.S. military. "Please tell your communities in the U.S. and Canada that we would rather not have this 'benevolent invasion' of North American military personnel—for whatever stated reason they have for being here. Also, we hope and pray that Christian Peacemaker Teams can have a permanent presence here to partner in the peace monitoring process."
[Williams, of Boulder, CO, was a member of a delegation to the Philippines sponsored by Christian Peacemaker Teams. Other members of the 14-29 February delegation were Kelly Hayes-Raitt (Santa Monica, California), Camilia MacPherson (Toronto, Ontario), Steve Ramer (Ft. Collins, Colorado), Henry Troyer (Springfield, Missouri), and Julius Camannong, Rey Lopez, Cromwell Rabaya and Nathaniel Villareal from the Philippines.]