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PBCI
PARTICIPATED IN THE 2010 INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP OF FAITH-BASED
GROUPS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
by
Dann Pantoja
Peacebuilders
Community, Inc. (PBCI) joined the International Workshop of
Faith-Based Groups and Civil Society last March 16-17, 2010
at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila,
Philippines. The theme was "Strengthening
Partnerships with Governments on Interfaith Dialogue and
Cooperation."
 The
workshop
representatives recognized
that through the years, in spite of efforts to forge ahead just
coexistence and harmony, the lack of mutual appreciation and
understanding of cultures and religions was seen as a source of
conflict among nations and within a state.
"Religious
sectarianism
and discrimination," according
to workshop participants, "have
at times evolved into religious persecution of minority groups
or have become grounds for acts of terrorism in the name of
religion.
Hence,
continuing dialogue must be exerted to achieve just coexistence
and understanding and to remove barriers to harmony."
There was also an acknowledgement
for the need to promote inter-religious and intercultural
dialogue to the end that "cooperation can become a
cornerstone of a government policy for peace and development."
The participants also noted that the way to peace is not at the
end of a gun nor simply across the negotiating table.
"What is needed," according to the delegates' official
statement, "is a deeper appreciation for the spiritual
bases for peace in all our religious traditions."
The representatives from various faith-based groups and
government officials from the Non-Aligned Movement made a
collective commitment to pursue the following:
1.
Encourage
and assist faith-based and other community-based groups to
engage in dialogue-meetings and inter-faith activities;
2.
Participate
in the dialogue of life and action in areas that are deeply held
and widely shared;
3.
Prepare
a new generation of leaders among our youth that can view
religious traditions as resources for peace and development by
actively supporting existing programs and developing new
initiatives;
4.
Encourage
intra-faith dialogue in each country according to their
respective religious traditions;
5.
Promote
religious freedom of any individual or community as a basic
human right;
6.
Provide
special attention to education on interfaith dialogue and
cooperation as an important element for peace and development,
and that this be started in the formative years, using among
others, sports and cultural activities;
7.
Recognize
the importance of engaging the media in communicating the
positive messages of interfaith dialogue and cooperation;
8.
Advance
shared security through peaceful and pro-active approaches to
development, giving proper attention to the voice of the poor
and the indigenous peoples; respect for minorities; and
vigilance over those who are in power; and,
9. Strengthen
a “focal unit” in the United Nations that shall facilitate
and coordinate interfaith initiatives of member countries.
Bishop
Efraim Tendero, National Director of the Philippine Council of
Evangelical Churches (PCEC), served as Chairman of this International Workshop of
Faith-Based Groups and Civil Society. Susan
Granada was the Head of Secretariat. Joseph Ongkiko was
the Lead Facilitator. Both Susan and Joseph are part of
the core group of the PCEC Peace and Reconciliation Commission.
PBCI was represented by Mei Solocasa (PAR Team Organizer, Ranao
Zone) and Dann Pantoja (PBCI President).
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Other
perspectives on this story:
:: What
Muslim Leaders Say
:: Official
Conference Statement
:: Facebook
Photo Album
PBCI
JOINED PCEC IN "CONVERSATIONS ON PEACE"
WITH RP'S ARMED
POLITICAL FRONTS by Christina Bartel Barkman
Peacebuilders
Community, Inc. (PBCI) joined the Philippine Council of
Evangelical Churches (PCEC) in a vertical process peace
dialogues dubbed Conversations on Peace. It
was held at the Policy Center, Asian Institute of Management, Makati
City on February
5-8, 2009.
 In these Conversations on Peace, various
political fronts in the Philippines who are involved in armed
conflict with the government were invited. We
listened to them and had a dialogue with each of them. Johan
Galtung, a well-known peace facilitator from Norway, led in the
conversations.
Based on what he heard from the various armed political fronts,
Galtung noted that the key positions of the parties, lifting
the most needy out of misery, and some autonomy for the Bangsamoro
nation (the Muslims in Mindanao who arrived long before
today’s Christian majority) are anchored in the basic human
needs and rights for well-being, and for identity.
He also observed that the modern state of the Government
of the Republic of the Philippines has other priorities than the
basic needs of the citizens
Galtung views the Philippine political-economic realities as a modern, secular version of the traditional rule of
the rex gratia dei—a king by the grace of an
omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God. According to him,
“the State became the carrier of omnipotence, the Market of
omnipresence and Science of omniscience. The top priority became
monopoly on force against any armed resistance, a unitary state
against other power centers, and power growth. The second
priority became a unified market within the state and economic
growth, seeing poverty as the root cause and economic growth as
the remedy for most social problems. And the third became
rationality, and scientific growth as opposed to religion.”
“This,” points Galtung, “sets the stage for failure.
Poverty,” he explains, “is not the cause.”
He believes that inequity (I am poor because they
are rich) and repression (I want to be ruled by my own
kind however imperfect, rather than ruled by somebody else) are
the more obvious causes for failure.
He also exhorts the government that the issues of equity and
autonomy have to be solved to bring about an equitable and
sustainable peace. “The road,” he said, “to
disarmament–demobilization-reintegration (DDR), reconciliation
and development must pass through genuine solution, not vice
versa. Putting the cart before the horse aims at pacification,
not peace-building.”
The Conversations on
Peace started on February 5, at 2:30 in the afternoon and opened
with invocation rendered by two representatives from both
Muslims and Christians. Ms.
Jesselyn Dela Cruz, program manager of The Policy Center, Asian Institute of Management (AIM) welcomed all the
participants.
Bishop Ephraim Tendero delivered the statement of purpose of the
series of dialogues.
ON THE BRINK OF WAR: INTERNATIONAL MENNONITES DIALOGUE WITH
BOTH SIDES by Christina Bartel Barkman
 While
sitting in the comfy couches of Coffee for Peace (where 25% of
the profit goes to Peacebuilders Community Inc.) and leisurely
sipping my pure Arabica coffee, my mind and heart is focused on
the 400,000 displaced people in Central Mindanao, Philippines,
who have been running away from Howitzers 105mm Canons and
Rocket Propelled Grenades that have yet to cease. It is hard to
imagine that the road we, from Peacebuilders Community, traveled
last week with a passionate and adventurous delegation of
International Mennonites, is now the scene of an all out war.
The adventurous delegation, who traveled to Central Mindanao on
August 7, 2008, included Jack Suderman (General Secretary, MC
Canada) and his lovely wife Irene, Janet Plenert (Executive
Secretary, MC Canada Witness), Naomi Unger (Mennonite World
Conference General Council Committee Member), Markus Rediger
(Executive Director, MC Switzerland), and Peter Stucky
(Executive Director, MCC Columbia). The team met to dialogue
with leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the
morning and with Major General Raymundo Ferrer of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the afternoon. We were warmly
met by both the MILF and the AFP, who have been participating in
a protracted conflict for over 30 years and are currently at
arms against each other in the Province
of North
Cotabato, Central
Mindanao.
As we were welcomed by a friendly panel of MILF leaders and
began introducing ourselves, it was easily forgotten that we
were sitting across the table from leaders commonly known as
rebels waging war against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.
While we listened to their story, the historical injustices felt
by the Bangsamoro (mostly Muslim Indigenous People in Mindanao)
became a real, human story.
When the US
bought the Philippines
from Spain
in 1898, Mindanao
and the Bangsamoro Nation was included; however, Spain
had never conquered Mindanao.
Since the USA’s
resettlement program starting in the 1950s, which welcomed
Christian migrants form the North, the Bangsamoro people have
been continually pushed from their power and squeezed from their
land. This historical injustice is now being undone through the
signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral
Domain,
which has sadly been postponed because of the protest of
politicians who benefit from war. These spoilers of peace seem
to be the real opposition, as both MILF and AFP leadership spoke
more of them than of each other. Sheik Nhorul-Am Abdullah,
Vice-President of Mindanao Peace Alliance (an NGO articulating
the position of MILF) illustrated this saying, “There is a
snake in every forest.” These ‘snakes’ are hindering the
peace talks and preventing the leadership of the MILF and GRP to
continue the peace process.
Wrapping up the dialogue with MILF leadership, Jack Suderman
spoke to the panel in an expression of deep compassion, saying,
“We do need to confess that in the Christian church there has
been many snakes.” As he expressed his disappointment on how
the name of Jesus Christ has been used, he also articulated MC
Canada’s support and solidarity in our common pursuit of
peace, praying that “God will move in the hearts of the
snakes, the enemies of peace.”
Our second meeting place for dialogue was the 6th
Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,
where we met with Major General Ferrer. On the brink of war,
Major General Ferrer seemed tense and concerned, yet was
surprisingly willing to sit down with a group of Mennonites. He
was introduced to Mennonites at the Mindanao Peacebuilding
Institute, along with many other soldiers, where he learned
Mennonite peace theology and peacebuilding skills. I cannot help
but feel pride in the role of the Mennonite church. Here we
were, sitting with the Commanding General of the primary area of
conflict in Mindanao,
listening to him tell us that “Peace is a process, not an end
state,” and “One of the main parts of the peace process is
dialogue.” This man, with the power to start a war literally
at his fingertips (one 6 Peso phone call away), also understood
the process of peace and had even initiated dialogue with MILF
leaders.
While we were pleasantly surprised with Major General Ferrer’s
understanding of peace theology, the truth remained that in his
position, he was ready to lead an offensive. Because of recent
MILF movement, the AFP had warned them to re-position and the
deadline was coming up in less than 18 hours. Prior to urging us
to rush home before skirmishes began, we had the chance to pray
for this man. In a touching moment of Mennonites reaching out to
a Major General, we embraced him with the love of Christ, asking
for wisdom and patience in his expressed struggle to hold his
punches. As we took a few pictures with him before we rushed
off, I saw the loving embrace of Irene Suderman, as she wrapped
a motherly arm around the side of this uniformed soldier and
smiled for the photo. I will not forget that.
As I sip my Arabica coffee and reflect on our recent trip to Central
Mindanao
and the current war that began to erupt the following day, I
recognize our limited capacity to bring an end to the seemingly
never-ending conflict in Mindanao.
I feel powerless against the ‘snakes,’ who are spoiling the
peace process. I feel defeated with each setback, with each shot
fired. But I am reminded (by the Mennonite-taught Major General
Ferrer), that peace is a process. And we are here to participate
in that process, patiently dealing with the snakes and setbacks
and praying that the shalom of Christ will penetrate our
conflicted land.
PEACEBUILDERS COMMUNITY LEADS CHRISTIAN LEADERS TO TALK WITH
BOTH GRP AND MILF by Dann Pantoja
 COTABATO
CITY, July 4-5, 2008. Peacebuilders
Community, Inc. (PBCI) led a group of Mindanao-based evangelical
leaders to have peace talks with the 6th Infantry
Division of the Philippine Army (6ID-PA) and the Peace
Negotiating Panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
last July 4-5 in Central Mindanao.
Bishop Efraim Tendero, National Director of the
Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), spoke in
behalf of the pastors and other Christian leaders in these
series of dialogue.
In a statement read before the government troops and the Moro
rebels, Bishop Tendero expressed PCEC’s awareness of “the
growing tension and sporadic skirmishes between government
forces and MILF guerrillas in Central
Mindanao.” The Bishop also cautioned the two conflicting parties
that “what appears now as mere sporadic skirmishes could
escalate into a full-blown war.”
The Evangelical Christian delegation reiterated the
PCEC’s call on the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) “to seek all means
possible to break their current impasse, go back to the
negotiating table, and sign a Memorandum of Agreement on
Ancestral Domain.”
During the
July 4th meeting with Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer,
Commanding Officer of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the Christian leaders requested an update
about the current armed encounters between them and the Moro
rebels. Along with
his ground commanders, Gen. Ferrer assured the Evangelical
delegation that the government troops under his command upholds
the primacy of the peace process and that their response to
rebel attacks will be limited to an “active defense”
approach—that is, they will effectively and efficiently defend
their perimeter “but will not engage in hot pursuit.”
The ground commanders also shared their views on
peacebuilding and how they, as military leaders, contribute to
the attainment of holistic peace.
The meeting with the government troops was concluded by a prayer
led by Bishop Tendero.
In July 5th, the PBCI-led Christian leaders visited
the office of the MILF Peace Negotiating Panel at the MILF
Headquarters in Camp Darapanan,
Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan.
During the dialogue between Bishop Tendero and Mohagher
Iqbal, Chairman of the MILF Peace Panel, the background of the
conflict between the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) and the Bangsamoro Muslims in Mindanao was
revisited. Chairman
Iqbal shared the Bangsamoro narrative while Bishop Tendero
shared a Filipino Christian’s narrative.
Atty. Michael Mastura, a member of the MILF Peace Panel,
explained the current situation of the Peace Talks between the
MILF and the GRP. He
showed documentary and historical evidences why the MILF
believes GRP is stalling the signing of a Peace Agreement.
The MILF Peace Panel also affirmed the primacy of the Peace
Process and emphasized their desire to bring closure to this
conflict that has been going on for centuries.
This “closure” means the signing of a Peace Agreement
between the GRP and the MILF that is hoped to be the beginning
of a political resolution towards genuine just-peace in Mindanao.
The meeting with the MILF was concluded by an inter-faith prayer
led by Ustadz Rahib Kudto and Bishop Efraim Tendero.
PBCI
CO-HOSTED INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE WITH MPPM-BANGSAMORO
by Dann Pantoja
DAVAO CITY, April 26, 2008. The Mindanao
People's Peace Movement (MPPM) sponsored a Muslim-Christian
inter-faith dialogue. It was held at the Peacebuilders
Community Center, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City,
Philippines.
 The dialogue focused on a deeper
understanding of the conflict in Mindanao and what the religious
leaders from both the Muslim and Christian communities can do to
build genuine and lasting just-peace.
Professor Aboud Sayyed Lingga, the executive director of the Institute
for Bangsamoro Studies, presented a historical background
and analysis of the conflict in Mindanao. He later
presented the Islamic view of peace (salaam) as the
spiritual basis for the Bangsamoro's struggle for their right to
self-determination.
I also presented a Christian view of peace (shalom or
irene) as our basis for Biblical Peacemaking.
Both Professor Lingga and myself agreed that the Christian faith
and the Islamic faith are both missionary religions. The
professor expressed it best when he said: "We must honestly
admit that it is inherent in both Christian and Islamic faiths
to share with others outside their faith communities what they
know to be spiritual truths. That is simply being faithful
to our respective faiths. But we must be able to share our
truths in peace. No violence. No killings. No
wars."
Pastor Johnny Dalisay, chairman of the Davao City Ministerial
Fellowship, gave his response: "This new understanding of
the conflict in Mindanao prompts us, Christian leaders, to
reflect more on our approaches to ministry based on God's
justice and peace; I wish there were more of us who came to this
dialogue."
Ustadz Abdulkadir Abubakar, executive director of the Bangsamoro
Development and Resource Center, expressed his observation
on the response of Davao's Christian leaders to this dialogue:
"Alhamdulillah! They are so positive. I'm
amazed! Let's do this again."
There were 20 Christian leaders, and 10 Muslim leaders from
Davao City who attended this dialogue. In between the
sessions, we had coffee together, we ate lunch together, and we
enjoyed afternoon snacks together.
We ended the day finding ourselves developing new
friends--Muslim leaders and Christian leaders.
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