Transcript Residual Issues in Mindanao Peace Process

BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE
GPH-CPP/NPA/NDF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
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Insurgency problem has been with us for 42 years
Negotiations have spanned 24 years and 4
presidencies.
This is the fifth Panel to conduct the negotiations.
Over 40 rounds have been completed since 1992.
More than 10 Agreements and Joint Statements
signed by the Parties, including the CARHRIHL
13 interruptions due to contentious & prejudicial
issues (i.e, sovereignty, JASIG, abduction of
military/police personnel, terrorist listing, others) .
RWC-SER OF GPH AND NDF
(L-R) Prof. Fernando Aldaba (GPH), Mr. Randall Echanis (NDF);
Ms. Juliet De Lima (NDF-SER Chair) Mr. Ednar Dayanghirang (GPH-SER Chair);
Mr. Rafael Baylosis (NDF); & Fr. Albert Alejo SJ (GPH)
Public
consultation
on the
GPH-NDF
issues
THE INVISIBLE WAR:
BETWEEN GROUPS
WITH DIFFERENT VALUES,
KNOWLEDGES, ATTITUDES
Challenging “Majority-Minority”
Habit of Thinking
1. The majority now has not been the
majority in the beginning.
2. Christians form the majority in the
Philippines, but we are minority in the
rest of Asia.
3. While Christians feel we are the majority
in the country, actually, in some places
like Basilan, Christians are a minority.
Indigenous
Muslims
and other
84 million Philippine
population
5%
Religious
Catholic Church = 83%
Traditions
Other Christians = 9%
1%
Catholic Church
Muslims = 5 %
Indigenous and other Religious Traditions = 3%
Other
Christians
9%
Muslims
5%
Indigenous
and other
Catholic
Religious
Church
Traditions
85%3 %
Other
Christians
9%
Other Christians
Muslims
Catholic Church
Indigenous and
other
Religious
Other
Christians
Traditions
Muslims
Catholic
Church
83 %
Indigenous and
other Religious
Traditions
Source: www.nationmaster.com
Mindanao Population
• 18 Indigenous groups 8.9%
• 13 Islamized tribes 18.5%
• “Kristiyanos”/“settlers” 72.5%
Provinces where Muslims are majority
LANAO
DEL SUR
BASILAN
TAWI-TAWI
MAGUINDANAO
SULU
S. KABUNSUAN
MINDANAO
Public Land Law and
Resettlement
Hectarage Allowed
Year
Homesteader
Non-Christian
Corporation
1903
16 has.
(no provision)
1,024 has.
1919
24 has.
10 has.
1,024 has.
1936
16 has.
4 has.
1,024 has.
COTABATO 1918 CENSUS
Bayan ng
Lumad - 5
Bayan ng
Moro - 20
COTABATO 1939 CENSUS
Bayan ng
Settler - 3
Bayan ng
Lumad - 9
Bayan ng
Moro - 20
POPULATION CHANGE IN
COTABATO 1918-1970
1918
1939
1970
Bayan ng Moro
Bayan ng Lumad
Bayan ng Settler
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
AND CONFLICT
Trigger:
How do religions
get into conflict?
Islam is a religion of peace. Christianity is a religion of
love. But why do we witness so much fighting among
Muslims and Christians? Why the deep and persistent
prejudices hurled against each other? And this despite
the many interreligious and interfaith dialogues?
Presuming that religion is not the main culprit, how is
religion “recruited” as it were into this friction? And to
what extent are we part of this?
Could it be the
link between
religion, culture,
and history?
Faith-based peace activists must understand the
dynamics of religion, culture and conflict. E.g. Religion
initiates individuals into a community. Community
building, however, builds not just identity but
boundary. Identity markers both define who is in and
who is out. Formation of identity involves oppositional
identity. This distinction, when taken too sharply, or
too exclusively, can lead to fundamentalism or
chauvinism.
COLONIAL CONDITION
IF YOU WANT PROGRESS, LEARN OUR
WAYS. THEY’RE THE BEST!
I MUST LEARN
THEIR WAYS AND
FORGET OURS.
“COLONIZER”
“COLONIZED
”
FROM INTERFAITH
TO INTRAFAITH DIALOGUE
Working on Prejudices
A study reveals that both Muslims and
Christians have developed prejudices
against each other, but that Christians
seem to have stronger prejudices against
the Muslims.
One problem is the prevalent lack of training
in dialogue. Much of education is
monologue, or debate---which often is
nothing but a clash of two monologues.
We need to engage in
Intra-Faith Dialogue
Existing peace initiatives are closing the gap
between “dialogue Christians” and
“dialogue Muslims”. But it is not clear
whether we are closing the gap between
the “dialogue Christians” and the
“prejudiced Christians”, or between the
“dialogue Muslims” and the “armed
Muslims.”
Bishops-Ulama Conference, 35th General
Assembly, Jolo, Sulu, November 18-21, 2008
• While we continue with interfaith activities,
we shall also pursue authentic intrafaith
dialogues among our own communities.
We hope that through this open
communication, we will find a way to face
our own share in the prolonged problem in
Mindanao as well as discover how we
could go beyond our hurts and biases.
Perhaps this holds a key to more creative
solutions to the impasse in our peace
process.
TAYO-TAYO MUNA!
Intrafaith Dialogue among Catholics in the Service of
Interfaith Dialogue with Muslims and Lumads
CORRUPTION AS
VIOLENCE
INTEGRITY AS PEACE
Corruption and Violence
Corruption is violence. Corruption kills. It destroys
the environment. If destroys institutions. It
destroys hope. Corruption makes people angry.
Corrupt people refuse to accept that actions have
consequences. My actions affect other people.
And my bad decisions for the sake of my
immediate benefit may destroy others’ dream in
the future. Corruption snatches away hope. That
is why corruption breeds conflict and war.
Integrity as Peace
If we want peace, we need to live a life of integrity.
Integrity means you are not deceiving other people.
Integrity means you are not taking away what is
not yours.
Integrity means not feeding your family with what
you have stolen from other people’s family.
Integrity means you are not getting rich or powerful
through illegal and immoral means.
Gold
• Money speaks …
a) patronage for the campaign, for
network-building
b) vote-buying and other illicit practices
c) political advertising [often in violation
of the laws that place limits on media
exposure], and other such activities.
Corruption destroys the
environment
Logging and tree cutting
Soil erosioninappropriate agri system
Irresponsible Mining
and extractive industry
Flooding & Flashfloods
Landslides
Drought
Risk: Climate Change
(Temperature)
Very High Risk Areas:
Maguindanao
Sulu
Basilan
Mindanao is generally Agri-based and considered
high risk if there is an increase in temperature.
Education and Corruption
Business
Church
Goverment
Non-Government
Leaders
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
CORRUPTION
…Corruption in education
affects more people than
corruption in most other
sectors and it affects the
development potential of
the whole country…
Possible Areas of Corruption
in the School Educational
Establishment
of School
Employment
Library
Approval
Activities
Uniform
Curriculum
Textbooks
Financial
Administration
Requests &
Liquidations
Students
Examinations
Report
Card
Taxation
Appropriations
Disciplinary
Actions
Teacher &
Staff
Task
Allocation
Personnel
Matters
Work
Time
The Overdue Challenge:
Slide 17
Localization of Corruption
The different facets and manifestations of corruption in the campus:

Cheating
 Plagiarism
 Cutting classes
 Bullying
 Loitering
 loafing
 bumming
 tambay
 Bribery
 Stealing
 Vandalism
 Habitual
tardiness and
absences
 Faked diplomas
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Campus election frauds
 Deceptive campus election campaigns
 School funds mismanagement
 annual yearbook
 school paper
 club funds
 Campus sports anomalies
 Rampant solicitation
• annual yearbook
• club t-shirts
• Christmas parties
• construction of fences
• field trips
 Other malpractices and malfeasance
Bullying
is a
serious
matter!
http://fvdb.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/plagiarist-supremecourt/
Catholic Schools
• ‘Many graduates of Catholic schools have
been successful economically and
politically but they have also contributed to
the dismal economic and political
imbalances existing in our country’
(Plenary Council of the Philippines II, no.
267)
CHURCH’S EXAMINATION
OF CONSCIENCE
V. CONFESSION OF SINS COMMITTED IN ACTIONS AGAINST
LOVE, PEACE, THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLES, AND RESPECT FOR
CULTURES AND RELIGIONS
(POPE JOHN PAUL II, DAY OF PARDON, MARCH 12, 2000
• “Lord of the world, Father of all,
through your Son
you asked us to love our enemies,
to do good to those who hate us
and to pray for those who persecute us.
Yet Christians have often denied the Gospel;
yielding to a mentalíty of power,
they have violated the rights of ethnic groups and
peoples, and shown contempt for their cultures
and religious traditions: be patient and merciful
towards us, and grant us your forgiveness!
We ask this through Christ our Lord.”
CANADIAN OBLATES OF MARY
IMMACULATE (1991)
• “We apologize for the part we played in the
cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious imperialism
that was part of the mentality within which the
peoples of Europe first met the aboriginal
peoples and which consistently has lurked
behind the way the Native peoples of Canada
have been treated by civil governments and by
the Churches. We were, naively, part of this
mentality and were, in fact, often a key player in
its implementation.”
Jesuits confession in GC 34:
Intuition and alienation
“Our intuition is that the Gospel resonates with what
is good in each culture. At the same time, we
acknowledge that we have not always followed
this intuition.
We have not always recognized that aggression and
coercion have no place in the preaching of the
Gospel of freedom, especially in cultures which
are vulnerable to manipulation by more powerful
forces.
We have often contributed to the alienation of the
very people we wanted to serve” (90-92)
FRANCISCAN PROVINCE OF SAN
FELIPE DE JESUS TO THE MAYAN
PEOPLE (MANI, YUCATAN 2009)
We ask forgiveness of the Mayan people for not
having understood your world view and your
religion and for having denied your deities;
for not having respected your culture and for
having imposed upon you for many centuries a
religion that you did not understand;
for having demonized your religious practices
and for having declared in word and writing
that they were works of the devil and that your
idols were Satan incarnate…
Considering Forgiveness
During a number of sessions on clan conflict
and interfaith dialogue, forgiveness was
mentioned both by Muslims and
Christians. While nobody thought it was
easy, nobody seems to claim that it was
impossible. A few testimonies proved it
was necessary.
Testimony of Datu Toto Paglas
As a young boy, he witnessed the murder of
his father. He was old enough to
remember, but too young to fight. When
he grew up, his relatives told him to
revenge. But Toto Paglas refused.
Later, his younger brother was killed. Again,
he decided not to be like his brother’s
murderer. When another brother was
killed, his relatives volunteered to take
vengeange into their hands.
Toto stopped them, saying that if he killed
another person, the family of that person
will take another life back, and the cycle
will not stop.
From Arms to Farms
“I believe that real peace is in education and
livelihood. If people are not educated, then the
only pride they have is to own and use a gun.
If the people are hungry, they can not think
properly; they fight for their family. So I
converted our land into a plantation. I hired
the members of the family that killed my father
and my brothers. Now I can walk even without
a body guard. I am at peace.”—Toto Paglas
Celebrating Culture of Peace
Peace Village:
Village of Peace,
Children of Peace
Presented by:
Estrella Abid-Babano, CESO III
Regional Director
DepED X, Cagayan de Oro City
Peace Campaigns
☺“Kids Say NO to Guns”
From instruments of
death to nurturing of life.
Converting arms to
farms