Peace Policy Forum on Security Sector Reform: NOW SHOWING AT ANC!

Peace Policy Forum, February 19,2010 at the Ateneo de Davao University. 
MindaNews photo by H. Marcos C. Mordeno

The Peace Policy Forum on "Transforming Conflict and Building Peace Towards Security Sector Reform" will now be shown at ABS CBN News Channel (ANC) this coming March 20, 2010, 7:30 to 8:30 in the evening, Manila time. 

Moderated by Philippine's veteran news anchorwoman and broadcast journalist, Tina Monzon-Palma, the Forum featured the discussion on the peacebuilding efforts of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, headed by its Chief Commander Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, the need for these efforts and their impacts to be seen and learn as well as the possibility for a policy to integrate peace education in the armed forces and police.

Aside from Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, the forum also included the Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and AMIN Party-list Representative Ariel Hernandez as Resource Persons. Reactions were also delivered by Mr. Vicente Lao of the Mindanao Business Council, Ms. Irene Santiago of the Mindanao Commission of Women,  Former GRP Panel Prof. Rudy "Ompong" Rodil, Prof. Saturnina "Bebot" Rodil of the Mindanao State University, Commanding General of the 6th Infantry Division MGen. Anthony Alcantara and the Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Infantry Division BGen. Romeo Fajardo.

Sponsored by Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. in cooperation with TAMBARA and the Research and Publication Office of the Ateneo de Davao University, the forum was conducted last February 19, 2010 at the Finster Hall of the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City.

Premier Airing Schedule: March 20, 2010

Original Airing	Time	Day
Manila Time	7:30 – 8:30 PM	Saturday
East Coast	7:30 – 8:30 AM	Saturday
West Coast	4:30 – 5:30 AM	Saturday
Australia	9:30 – 10:30 PM	Saturday
Middle East	2:30 – 3:30 PM	Saturday
Hongkong / Singapore	7:30 – 8:30 PM	Saturday
Japan	8:30 – 9:30 PM	Saturday

Replay Schedule: March 24, 2010

Replay Airing	Time	Day
Manila Time	6:00 – 7:00 PM	Wednesday
East Coast	6:00 – 7:00 AM	Tuesday
West Coast	3:00 – 4:00 AM	Tuesday
Australia	8:00 – 9:00 PM	Wednesday
Middle East	1:00 – 2:00 PM	Wednesday
Hongkong / Singapore	6:00 – 7:00 PM	Wednesday
Japan	7:00 – 8:00 PM	Wednesday

2010: Balay Mindanaw Peace Center celebrates its 5th year with a new name: The International Center for Peace in Mindanaw or ICPeace

The International Center for Peace in Mindanaw is a place dedicated to the peoples and communities in Mindanao as they continue to empower themselves and strive to attain equity, development and peace.

	Photo: Jasper Llanderal
	Click here for more photos of the Peace Center launch.

It is a Peace Center.Balay Mindanaw humbly offers this Center as its contribution to everyone’s task of seeking and building peace. It has a Peace Room (not a war room) that offers learning resources for peace-builders. The Center will also be the venue for various short and long-term peace courses.
It will also be the venue for the various activities related to the on-going peace processes especially between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Revolutionary Workers’ Party-Mindanao (RPM-M).
It is a formation house for development workers and peace-builders.It has state-of-the-art but modest facilities for workshops, conferences, seminars and courses especially on the broad aspects of sustainable integrated area development (SIAD), conflict transformation and peace-building.
It will be the main site for Balay Mindanaw in-house center-based initiatives and activities that help promote and facilitate human and institutional capacity-building, awareness-building, nurturance and enrichment of indigenous knowledge and technologies, and deepening of commitment to development and peace-building work.
It is the home of the Balay Mindanaw Family.The Center also serves as the main base of operations of Kab-ot Gahum: Resource Center for Empowerment and Development (RCED), Katilingbanong Pamahandi sa Mindanaw Foundation Inc (KPMFI) and Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc (BMFI), – three of the four independent development NGOs that believe in the same vision. As such, it is fondly called "our ancestral home."
It is not intended to be a commercial lodging facility for walk-in or drive-in clients.The Center is not a business enterprise or a commercial facility as it is considered to be part and parcel of Balay Mindanaw’s package of programs. However, partners from various people’s organizations, communities, tribes, churches, local government units and government agencies, NGOs and others who wish to seek the services, resources and hospitality of the Center are considered and accepted warmly as house guests.

Peace Policy Forum cum Book Launching: Transforming Conflict and Building Peace Towards Security Sector Reform

Transforming Conflict and Building Peace in Mindanao Towards Security Sector Reform:      an option or a policy?

                 

Background

Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI) is in partnership with the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMINCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in a program of building capacities of the military on conflict management and peace building through the conduct of peace trainings for soldiers and of peace dialogues among commanders and generals. This program is seen a strategy to enhance the security sector reform (SSR) that helps create non-violent mechanisms in resolving local conflicts and that engages the local government units and other stakeholders in developing communities.

Prior to this partnership, Balay Mindanaw has already engaged three infantry brigades, namely 103^rd, 602^nd and 403^rd that cover Lanao Provinces, Cotabato, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental. In the whole 2 years of 2007 to 2008, peace training courses were provided to over 500 junior officers, non-commissioned officers, enlisted personnel and even CAFGUs/CADREs combined. Policy discussions workshops were also made possible with ground commanders led by General Raymundo Ferrer.

In 2008, the Institute of Autonomy and Governance (IAG) has begun a partnership with the Philippine Marines Corps then under the leadership of General Ben Dolorfino. With fund support from AusAid, IAG and Balay Mindanaw conducted series of peace workshops in Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo and Palawan for the officer corps of the Philippine marines.  The workshops were geared towards enhancing the role of the military in building peace.

These continuing partnerships with the military aim to transform the security sector through (1) transforming the paradigm of the military on peace and conflict in Mindanao and (2) formulating policies that institutionalizes peace education and changing the basis of promotions of soldiers apart from body count and fire arms surrendered syndrome.

Update

The Peace courses at the division level (4^th, 6^th and 10^th Infantry Divisions) are finally over, with more than 500 junior officers (from the army, navy and police) as participants. These trainings tried to enhance soldiers’ understanding on the conflict in Mindanao and develop their skills in conflict analysis and other peaceful approaches to conflict and violence like mediation, negotiation, dialogue and assertive communication.

In a similar vein, IAG is presently engaged in the phase two of the peace workshops for the Philippine Marines that includes, among others, topics on sustainable development, environmental protection and communication skills to provide a more holistic approach to bridging leadership training.

As Balay Mindanaw and IAG continue to engage the East Mindanao Command and the South Mindanao Command of the AFP on security sector reform, Policy discussion workshop among key personnel of the AFP has started.  The on-going talk on security sector reform looks very promising with the prospect of integrating the peace trainings modules in the curriculum of military schools.

Many of the soldiers who are graduates of the peace courses have somehow applied their lessons in their present areas of operations. Salient personal stories of transformation were documented including their efforts in building peaceful relations with the civilians through resolving local conflicts and family feuds, and helping barangays develop their own community.

A Peace Policy Forum with the Eastern Mindanao Command

This forum will be another space for the key military leadership in Mindanao to talk about workable peace policies and peace interventions in the armed forces – how peace education help improve conflict management strategies, help reduce violence and ultimately help develop peaceful communities in Mindanao.

With the past armed conflicts in various part of Mindanao and the recent violence in Maguidanao, the forum is deemed necessary to discuss what possible transformation that the military and police can do that can reform the security sectors and rebuild the peace that was hardly been seeing and acting upon, but can be done.

Anchorwoman: Ms. Tina Monson-Palma of ABS-CBN

The forum will be moderated by the veteran broadcaster,  Ms. Tina Monson-Palma. At present, she is the host of her own talk show at ANC, TalkB@ck with Tina, where she tries to “explores a more interactive approach to discussing the topics that affect the quality of lives of Filipinos everywhere and enhance the viewer’s understanding, form a more enlightened opinion and turn them into action that can shape our country’s future.”

Resource Speakers (Panelists) will include the Secretary of National Defense, Norberto Gonzalez, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Anak Mindanaw Party List Representative Ariel Hernandez.

Reactors will include  MGen. Alcantara, CMDR 6ID; MGen Holganza, CMDR 10ID; Gov Daisy Fuentes (LGU-South Cotabato); Prof. Saturnina Rodil (Academe/MSU IIT), Prof. Rudy Rodil (Former GRP Panel),  Inday Santiago (MWC), Vicente Lao (MBC).

Major Discussion Themes

These are the 3 major discussion themes: (1) Analysis of the Mindanao conflict? (2) What has been done to help address the conflict? (3) How do we continue to respond to the conflict in Mindanao?

Specifically, the following are specific points that are also relevant to respond to:

o   How can a peace policy of the DND or AFP/PNP be implemented effectively and responsibly?

o   How do AFP integrates/institutionalize the course (or certain modules) on conflict management and peace building in military academic institutions

o   What are the impacts of peace education to the soldiers and to the communities, its impact to the whole security sector?

o   How military sees and deals to the local government units, civil society groups and line agencies both in settling local violence & conflicts and in the effective delivery of basic services at the community?

o   What are the appropriate approach/es towards peace and security: military operations versus community development?

o   How do soldiers respond to conflicts like rido and other family fueds?

o   How do we recognizing peace building efforts of soldiers as parameter of success and basis of promotion (other than the body count and number of firearms recovered, number of people surrendered)? Are there ways in taking care of soldiers: stress management, trauma healing, conflict analysis and discussions, follow-up peace session, etc.

At the end of the forum, 4 major output should have been made:

·       Policy Level Discussion and dialogue

·       Recognition of the modest efforts of soldiers for peace

·       DND Policy to institutionalize peace education in the military

·       Agreement on military’s role in the Security Sector Reform

·       Video Documentation of the Forum professionally arranged for the television show at ABS-CBN News Channel this coming March (Date TBA)

Program of the Forum

The program will start at 1 pm with Welcome Address by Prof. Lourdes Sobrevega-Chan of the Ateneo de Davao University, Committee Chair of the Research and Publications. A short launching ceremony will take place to recognize the key players of the book, Soldiers for Peace.

This will be followed immediately by the forum proper, where Ms. Tina Monson-Palma will moderate the discussion with the Resource Speakers on the issues and concerns of the military and the community at large as they work with peace and conflict in Mindanao. A set of reactors will also be asked to give feedback and recommendations. Before closing the forum, Ms. Palma will provide a brief wrap-up including the agreements discussed during the forum.

The forum will end at 5pm with a closing remark from the Balay Mindanaw Chairperson, Sylvia Okinlay-Paraguya.

Dinner will follow. Outside the Amphitheater are photo gallery show, snacks, Soldiers for Peace Book and other Peace Products for Sale.

The forum will be recorded/filmed by Caelestis Productions, Inc. with a set of production crew led by Sally Belosillo as the Director. The forum will be shown at ANC this coming March 2010

The audience will include soldiers and police who were graduates and trainers of the peace course. It is open to the public especially to the students and faculty of Ateneo de Davao University, other Civil Society Groups, Non-government and Government Agencies.

Prepared by:

International Center for Peace in Mindanaw

Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc.

5 February 2010

Let there be peace in Mindanaw!

As the 2009 Mindanaw Week of Peace opened yesterday, the last batch of soldiers and police attending the peace course for the Eastern Mindanao Command gathered together (a total of 27 participants coming from the 6th and 4th Infantry Divisions and Philippine National Police-Region 10) and joined Balay Mindanaw on the call for greater accountability and justice on the Maguindanao massacre.

Candles were lighted at 6 in the evening while individual prayers were whispered in the air.

A collective prayer was simple and clear, "Let There be Peace on Earth. Let There be Peace in Mindanao. Let there be Peace in Maguindanao."

( see Balay Mindanaw Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre at www.balaymindanaw.org)

Introducing ICPEACE in Mindanaw

The Balay Mindanaw
International Center for Peace in Mindanaw 

(ICPeace in Mindanaw)

ICPeace was conceived in 2008 from the then 12 year-old journey of Balay Mindanaw.

With the vision of Equity, Development and Peace in Mindanao, in the Philippines and in the World, Balay Mindanaw has for its mission to help build empowered and sustainable communities and helping build peace.

And it is exactly from the above vision and mission of Balay Mindanaw that ICPeace envisions to be recognized and valued as an international center for peace initiatives, a center that develops, promotes and sustains peace works and practices based on the knowledge, lessons and experiences of local people and communities.

Thus, ICPeace is committed to help build capacities of peoples by offering a sustainable learning environment capable of helping transform peoples and communities.

ICPeace conducts peace courses and training activities at the regional and international level, will initiate and pursue Asian exchanges and exposures, conduct researches and studies, policy discussion series and continue peace advocacy. ICPeace endeavors to help sustain the momentum of peace builders, local and international alike, to ensure that peace happens here and now.

With “ICPeace” (as its acronym connotes), Balay Mindanaw will continue to work so that peace can be seen. More and more peace builders are making it happen and will make it happen in this part of the region and in other part of the globe.

Specifically, ICPeace aims at

(1) helping develop capacities of peoples and communities in resolving

conflicts and transforming them positively,

(2) helping create opportunities for learning and strengthen peaceful relationships,

(3) helping provide venues for innovative approaches in seeking peaceful means,

(4) helping develop studies and researches by identifying models of peace building

and conflict transformation based on peace practice, and

(5) helping foster collaboration and sustain the momentum of peacebuilders

working at the local, national and international levels.

Strategic Directions:

Peace Education and Training -

ICPeace develops educational approaches in building peace and conflict transformation and initiates other learning activities which will pursue and support the peace building activities that Balay Mindanaw started 2004. It implements the Comprehensive course on peace building and conflict transformation, otherwise known as the Operation Peace Course, dubbed as OPKORS!

Peace Constituency Building -

The strength of ICPeace lies in the foundation of Balay Mindanaw that is grounded on community-based development and peacebulding work from where unique local knowledge and realities are derived, developed and demonstrated. It draws heavily from the learning experiences of communities of local leaders, government officials, tribal leaders, police, soldiers and paramilitary officers, NGO workers, youth and religious, business and academic institutions. They will all form part of a social movement of peace builders.

Peace Research and Resource Development -

The unique local knowledge and lessons learned will be contextualized into the bigger peace building field through the establishment of the ICPeace thus, greater opportunities for creative & constructive models in peacebuilding and conflict transformation will be developed and promoted.

Peace Internship and Exchange-

A Peace Internship and Exchange Program, facilitated by Balay Mindanaw ICPeace, is envisioned to be a new learning program for young peace workers and advocates. It will allow them to be exposed to various peace work assignments depending on the needs of their respective host peace centers or peace institutes all over the world. It will supplement Balay Mindanaw’s peace education program and the program of the organization of the intern with the emphasis on expanding spaces for new ideas as well as actual experiences on peace and conflict transformation and broadening understanding among various peace organizations.

Peace Center Development-

ICPeace is also an established place and an open space dedicated to the peoples and communities in Mindanao and in the World as they continue to empower themselves and strive to attain equity, development and peace.

‘Boodle fight’ to ‘boodle peace’: from warriors to peace builders

Graduates of the Operation Peace Course for Soldiers

under the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

13-19 September 2009, Davao City

by Walter I. Balane/MindaNews

Thursday, 01 October 2009 07:59

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/30 Sept) − Counting how many battles fought, enemies killed, and firearms recovered has been among the usual indicators in an official’s military scoreboard.  But it’s got to change, military officials tell new generation officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Mindanao. Col. Julieto Ando, of the Eastern Mindanao Command, has stressed this point to junior military officers who attended the Operation Peace Course (OPKORS), a conflict management and peace building training, now on its seventh in a series, organized by the AFP, Balay Mindanao Foundation Inc. and other partners.  “Instead, count how many enemies you have convinced back to the folds of law,” Ando said in his presentation on “The Challenge: Towards Fresher Perspectives”. He said it involves changing perspectives from calling “boodle fights” to “boodle peace” at the least to building consensus and partnerships with other stakeholders to win peace.  The new mindset for military operations in Mindanao, he said, calls for more focus on building rather than destroying.  For five days, 30 junior military officers of the 10th infantry division have studied how exactly this could be done. The training was held from September 13 to 19 at the Mindanao Training Resource Center in Davao City.  Pulled out from their areas of responsibility, the officers became students again attending lectures and workshops on how to manage conflict and become peace builders.  The course covered a comprehensive set of topics to provide them an opportunity to learn on peace building so they can apply and promote it in their units.  The discussions were heavy on theoretical inputs but also weighed on practical applications from community based experiences and other peace initiatives.  Included among the nine modules were presentations and workshops on the context of conflict management and peace building work in Mindanao, the imperatives of security sector reform in peace building, human rights and international humanitarian law, the government’s thrust on peace building, understanding conflict and peace, theories of peace, and localizing the peace agenda.  But there were also presentations that focused on skills for peace building such as the one on conflict analysis where they learned about mapping conflict parties and other tools and on inner peace where the military officers were introduced to self transformation through self awareness.  One of the lecturers actually asked participants to situate themselves in front of the vast universe for them to see how much they need to learn, they were introduced to development and management of anger, and the relationship between personal emotional baggages and conflict processes.  “Does it make you less courageous as soldiers?” Lt. Gen. Raymundo B. Ferrer, Eastmincom commanding general, asked participants towards the end of the training on their impression of the peace building initiative.  2Lt. Robert Entoma, platoon leader of the Charlie Company of the 66th Infantry Battalion based in New Bataan, Compostela Valley, said it did not diminish his courage and bravery.  “But we still need to do combat operations,” he said.  “Definitely. We are not talking about stopping that. While we are running after them, we are also offering a peaceful way for the rebels. With the SIP (Social Integration Program) we reintegrate them to community as peace loving citizens,” Ferrer explained.  Training has been aimed, he added, at making soldiers understand, know, and promote peace toward military transformation.  The desired result, Ferrer said, is to transform perception from fear to respect for the soldier, from mistrust to mutual trust, from an image of oppressor to protector, and from plain warriors to peace builders.  “Military operations alone will not solve social divide in the face of conflict and unpeace. There should be other approaches like dialoguing to understand the divide and reorienting the military in the midst of conflict,” he added. Soldiers clarified that there are also problems in the implementation of the SIP that has affected their work in handling reintegration of the rebels.  Ferrer cited that the military has been part of the problem as indicated by the stories of abuses, public fear for the soldiers, and it being seen as an occupying force.  He cited examples of abuses made by the military in Basilan where he was previously assigned and how it contributed to the unpeace in the communities.  He said the abuses -- such as disrespect to property, elderly, and women -- contributed to the resistance of the communities to the path of peace.  “Many are fighting the Marines and ambush them not because of their struggle for independence, but because they hate us,” Ferrer said.  But the military, he said, is a stakeholder to peace and should be part of the solution.  Ferrer said the soldiers have to be true to their commitment and professionalism to service.  “We must be able to repair the damage that has been done to the society. That is why we are here. We are training you to understand peace, know peace and promote peace,” he added.  Entoma could relate to the situation Ferrer has raised.  He has been assigned to the village where the family of nine-year-old Grecil Buya, slain in a crossfire between the rebels and the Army in 2007. Buya was first identified as a child soldier, which the military later retracted.  “It is so hard to regain the trust of the people in the area,” he said as he related their effort in one of their community based projects.  In the lectures, participants were told that death of a rebel or a civilian will earn for the military more enemies as relatives would vent their ire on the military. Entoma said that is why peace building and conflict management skills are very important for soldiers like him.  While the military has shifted its strategy from combat based to community based operations, many soldiers are not well equipped to be agents of peace in a time of insurgency, said the fresh graduate from the Philippine Military Academy. He said he never learned the context and the nuances of peace building in military school.  But he said now that he has been to the training, he vowed to be a soldier and a peace builder. Entoma said he would share his knowledge and skills to colleagues and promote peace, a vow he will keep both as part of his job and as a personal commitment. (Walter I. Balane / MindaNews) This training is one of the 10 trainings being organized by the Balay Mindanaw-International Center for Peace (ICPeace) in Partnership with the Eastern Mindanao Command of the AFP. Expecting to train 300 soldiers from the Army, Navy and Police of the 10th, 4th and 6th Infantry Divisions, these trainings aim to develop the capacities of soldiers in analyzing and managing conflicts in their areas of operation and for them to be able to educate other fellow soldiers about the fundamentals of peace building.

Welcome to Peace Center of Balay Mindanaw

Now named as Balay Mindanaw International Peace Center in Mindanaw, it is place dedicated to the peoples and communities in Mindanao as they continue to empower themselves and strive to attain equity, development and peace.

It is a Peace Center.

Balay Mindanaw humbly offers this Center as its contribution to everyone’s task of seeking and building peace. It has a Peace Room (not a war room) that offers learning resources for peace-builders. The Center will also be the venue for various short and long-term peace courses.

It will also be the venue for the various activities related to the on-going peace processes especially between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Revolutionary Workers’ Party-Mindanao (RPM-M).

It is a formation house for development workers and peace-builders.

It has state-of-the-art but modest facilities for workshops, conferences, seminars and courses especially on the broad aspects of sustainable integrated area development (SIAD), conflict transformation and peace-building.

It will be the main site for Balay Mindanaw in-house center-based initiatives and activities that help promote and facilitate human and institutional capacity-building, awareness-building, nurturance and enrichment of indigenous knowledge and technologies, and deepening of commitment to development and peace-building work.

It is the home of the Balay Mindanaw Family.

The Center also serves as the main base of operations of Kab-ot Gahum: Resource Center for Empowerment and Development (RCED), Katilingbanong Pamahandi sa Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (KPMFI) and Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc (BMFI), – three of the six independent development NGOs that believe in the same vision. As such, it is fondly called "our ancestral home."

It is not intended to be a commercial lodging facility for walk-in or drive-in clients.

The Center is not a business enterprise or a commercial facility as it is considered to be part and parcel of Balay Mindanaw’s package of programs. However, partners from various people’s organizations, communities, tribes, churches, local government units and government agencies, NGOs and others who wish to seek the services, resources and hospitality of the Center are considered and accepted warmly as house guests.