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L.A. Alaban: Proposals for Peacebuilding in Mindanao
Written by Bishop Lucrecio A. Alaban, Capitol United Evangelical Church, Oroquieta, Philippines
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Mindanao is the second biggest island of the Philippines. It is underdeveloped despite its huge and vast natural and agricultural resources that abound in its areas. This southern island is where Islam has taken root in the country, and the majority of its provinces have been dominated by Muslims.
It helps to understand something of the island’s history. The encroachment of colonizers such as the Spaniards and Americans during the 19th and early 20th centuries made the population more diverse and bred violence and hatred among them. This was compounded by the greed and selfish interests of some exploitative politicians with foreign connections. More recently insurgents have been exploiting the situation and are seeking independence.
Such a condition is described in the words of Rev. Father Sun Myung Moon: “Behind this evil we find the machinations of politics, with its power and money. The responsibility of a leader, above all else, is to keep the peace. Yet leaders often seem to do the opposite and lead the world into confrontation and violence.”
The complexities have multiplied in this volatile situation. For generations and centuries, Mindanao has not seen peace. There was no light at the end of the tunnel until the Universal Peace Federation conducted a series of seminars on peace principles during late 2010 and early 2011 in five provinces: Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental. These were led by Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Chair of UPF-Asia, and the most able management of Sister Grace Mayo, coordinator of UPF-Mindanao and Eng. Arman Morala, coordinator of UPF-Misamis Occidental. Several national administrations have tried but failed to bring peace on this forsaken part of the Philippines, where a great majority of the people are suffering in poverty.
As Father Moon has said, “Tens of millions of people suffer from hunger, with nothing to eat. Yet, trillions of dollars are spent on weapons. The money spent on guns and bombs alone would give us enough to end hunger for everyone.”
In the spirit of the UPF, there are models of peaceful co-existence. For example, in the province of Lanao del Norte, there are more Christians than Muslims. Violence in the town of Dilabayan spread throughout the island Mindanao. A group of Christians on their own volition reconstructed a mosque which was burned during an air raid. The native Muslims responded positively to their help, and interfaith dialogue and activities took place. While the Christians were rebuilding the mosque, their Muslim brethren gave them food and water with much joy in their hearts. This case became a model. [For more information about this fascinating process, click here.]
Many people believe that the population of Mindanao needs to be re-educated so they realize that what has divided them is not religion but rather the long history of conflict created by colonialism, special interest groups, corporate greed, and the connivance of local politicians and warlords.
As Father Moon said, “Religious wars continue to occur because many politicians use enmity between religions to satisfy their selfish designs. In the face of political power, religions often waver and lose their way. They lose sight of their original purpose, which is to exist for the sake of world peace. Yet, lamentably, we see that religions because the cause of conflict instead.”
Many analysts have stated that the international community should come together through the UPF to establish a sustainable spiritual, moral, and economic mechanisms in Mindanao. In contrast, international terrorists are also eying Mindanao as a training ground and safe haven from which to launch their terrorist ambitions to conquer the universe. United Nations peacekeepers and local peacekeeping forces generally work jointly to reduce conflict. In a similar way, religious people should join forces to develop spiritual, moral, and economic interfaith resources for peace.
Thus, the following options are proposed:
- Choose for a model a relatively peaceful province of Mindanao where the peacekeepers and provincial leaders have a good working relationship and support the peace principles taught by UPF. We suggest the province in Misamis Occidental. Here, interfaith religious leaders who have been inspired by UPF’s peace principles are active in all districts of the province. They are willing to work with a joint team of peacekeepers that includes the Armed Forces, police, government officials, and school personnel. If this approach is successful in this province, in may be an example for the whole of Mindanao.
- Teach martial arts in all the towns and cities of the province and require peacekeepers to complete the highest belt course to promote personal discipline.
- When conflicts occur, have the UN and local peacekeeping forces share intelligence information.
This will be an application of Father Moon’s about the power of religion to transform people: “The complex problems our societies face today can be resolved quickly if there is a revolution in people’s thinking. If each individual and nation begins to look out for the other first, working together with the other, the problems of modern society will be resolved.”