MINDANAO PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

I. CONTEXT
Mindanao is a beautiful place filled with wonders. It is commonly misconceived
as a wartorn area, which is not entirely true. It is home to developing regions that are
catching up to other major Philippine cities. One of the factors contributing to its
development is peace.

Peace affects different situations in Mindanao namely the economic situation,

political situation, cultural situation, and environmental situation. The economic situation
is affected by peace because of its relationship to the GRDP. Second, the political
situation is also affected by peace because if there is proper government then proper
laws will be implemented. Third, peace affects cultural situations because Mindanao is
culturally diverse. Lastly, the environmental situation is also affected by peace because
people get livelihood from the environment. If the environment is not protected, people
will fight over its resources.

To attain peace, the four pillars of peace and the four components for personal
peace should be understood. After understanding these things we will be able to
become peacemakers.Through all these things Mindanao will become better as it
becomes more peaceful and developed.

II. INPUT 1:
Part 1: A Historical Situation of Mindanao (2016)

● Almost 40 years of on and off fighting between Muslim rebels and the Military
● Began in late 60s
○ MNLF advocated a Moro homeland
○ The Govt responded through military means
■ Resulted in deaths and collateral damage in the area
● In the 70s
○ Govt initiated peace talks with the then main armed group MNLF
■ ‘76 Tripoli Agreement
● Poorly implemented
■ Confrontations still broke out every now and then between the
military, the MNLF, and the MILF
● MILF is a breakaway group from the MNLF
■ Every break out of hostilities, thousands of noncombatants are
caught in the crossfire
● The 80s, 90s, and 2000s
○ MNLF accepted government’s offer of semi-autonomy in disputed regions
■ Birth of the ARMM
● Largely a hollow entity undermined by poor governance
○ This discredited the MNLF, becoming one of the
reasons of the MILF’s continued insurgency
■ MILF refused to accept this and continued insurgency
 ● Adopted a more overt Islamic identity
■ Some autonomy
○ A ceasefire was signed between the government and the MILF
■ Abolished in 2000 when Estrada declared all out war on the MILF
● MILF declared a jihad against the govt and its supporters
and citizens
○ Another cease-fire was entered under Arroyo
■ MILF attacked govt troops in Maguindanao, resulting in 23+ deaths
in 2005
○ The MILF withdrew demands for independence, instead pursuing a
substate status (like a U.S. state)
○ These decades and the next few in western Mindanao and Sulu was
characterised by low intensity armed conflict
○ The Maute group, linked to ISIS took over Marawi in May 2017
■ 6 month long battle between the Military and Maute
Roots of this conflict
● Many factors, some of which include:
○ Muslims are a majority group in the ARMM (now the BARMM) area
○ Have been struggling for greater autonomy
○ Sense of historic injustice and feeling of discrimination
■ Forcible annexation of Moroland to the Philippines under the Treaty
of Paris (1898)
■ Filipinization of public administration in Moro land
■ Govt financed and induced land settlement in Moro territory
○ Many conflict affected Moro areas see the state as an intrusive and
predatory entity
■ Sort of a an entity bent on forced assimilation of the Muslim
minorities
○ Grievances on Manila sponsored ‘internal colonization’
■ Transmigration of Christian Filipinos to land originally belonging to
the Muslim and indigenous people

Effects of peace according to:

1. Economic situation in Mindanao

ADVANCING PEACE AND STABILITY IN MINDANAO

● According to USAID:
○ Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago comprise ¼ of the Philippines’ total
population
○ Hold significant potential for economic growth
○ Addressed by:
■ pairing with national and local governments and civil society and
deal with the root causes of these challenges.
 ● Which could happen by expanding economic opportunities
through improving health and productivity, protecting wildlife,
and enabling youth to access productive opportunities

According to Asiafoundation.org:
● Overall, the Mindanao economy has shown strong economic growth as of late
○ Despite continued conflict, the economy (from both Moro and non-Moro
areas) has kept pace with national growth
■ Average 5% growth from 2003 to 2009, actually surpassing the
national performance
○ In spite of this growth, further study shows a highly uneven development
of the Mindanao economy
■ Mindanao as a whole had a large average GDRP (gross domestic
regional product) growth, but when looking at it by region:
 ● Uneven growth favoring the more generally conflict-free zones is seen
○ Highest average growth = Davao, followed by Northern Mindanao,
SOCCSKSARGEN, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga, and finally, the
ARMM landing in last place
● Problem is not achieving growth, the growth is already there
○ E.g. Metro Davao, CDO, General Santos City, Butuan City
● Main problem is the highly uneven distribution of this growth and wealth
○ 54% of the growth was contributed by the cities of Davao and Cagayan de
Oro, in Regions X and XI, while only 5% was produced by the ARMM
(now the BARMM)
○ These conflict affected areas have the highest poverty levels due to the
highly uneven growth
■ The poverty and uneven growth is one of the causes for the
insurgencies and conflicts in Mindanao
■ Closely related to the high poverty in this area is a low Human
Development INdex (HDI): the areas of Basilan, Tawi Tawi, Sulu
and Maguindanao all have an HDI of around 0.3 - 0.4, which is
miniscule compared to the national average of 0.747
■ Human and financial costs of the conflict have not helped the
economic situation, although the situation has been improving lately
○ As of 2018, ~40% of the country’s poor live in Mindanao
○ These have been improving over the years
■ Its share in the national budget has ranged from 13-15%
previously, although it has now risen to around 17.9%

2. Political situation in Mindanao

● Two major political streams came to simultaneously exist in the Philippine
islands:
✔Moro
✔Filipino
● These two bodies politic with a third un-unified, unorganized group (i.e. the
Lumads) co inhabited mindanao
● Those of the third disorganized group separate because they were:
▶Inaccessible or
▶Entered the ambit of the larger political bodies
● Under U.S. rule, what were two distinct political systems began to be fused
together by common subjection to a colonial master

3. Cultural situation in Mindanao

§ ​Moro Province
v It later leads to the notion of ​Bangsamoro​.
Ø ​Bangsamoro - derived from the Malay word “nation” or “bansa”
which means “nation of the Moro”. These natives and original
 inhabitants of Mindanao belong to multiple ethnolinguistic groups made
up of Muslims who mostly live in Mindanao, Sulu, and Basilan. They are
those who have retained some or all of their own social, economic,
cultural, and political beliefs and have the right to identify themselves by
ascription or self-ascription.
v Their territory became the destination of migrants coming mainly from
Central Philippines.

§ ​The rise of U.S rule

v Mindanao became known as the Land of Promise.
Ø It is because of its rich biodiversity and natural resources. The land
holds an incredible wealth from nature, but also has dark moments of
truth.
v American colonial government encouraged landless peasant-settlers to
come to Mindanao through the homestead program.
Ø ​Homestead Program of 1903 ​– This program allowed an
enterprising tenant to acquire a farm of at least 16 hectares to cultivate.
However, the program was not implemented nationwide and was
introduced only in some parts of Mindanao and Northern Luzon, where
there were available public alienable and disposable lands.
v Plantations for rubber, pineapple, coconut, etc. arose throughout the island.

§ ​The Statistics on the Migration of the Muslims and the Lumads to Cotabato

Resettlement: Case of Cotabato 1918, 1939, 1970 Census

Year Moro Maj Towns Lumad Maj Settler Maj

Towns Towns

1918 20 5 0

1939 20 9 3

1970 10 0 38
§ ​Public Land Law & Resettlement

Hectarage Allowed

Year Homesteader Non-Christian Corporation

1903 16 hectares No provision 1,024 hectares

1919 24 hectares 10 hectares 1,024 hectares

1936 16 hectares 4 hectares 1,024 hectares

§ ​The Influx of Migrants into Mindanao

v The Church and Christians became part of this.
v As more Christians migrate to Mindanao the Catholic Church wanted to
have her presence among them.
v At the end of the Spanish colonial era, Christians communities, which are
the minority, inhabited some parts of Zamboanga, Caraga, Misamis,and
Davao.
v In the 1940 – 1960s, there were insufficient numbers of diocesan and
religious priests available from Luzon to go to Mindanao – Sulu.
v Due to the revolution in China in which foreign missionaries were forced to
leave, foreign religious congregations moved together to Mindanao-Sulu.
v ​Bishop Luis del Rosario, S.J. of Zamboanga – he was responsible for
inviting the OMI, PME, Maryknoll Fathers, and Claretian Fathers to Mindanao.
v ​Bishop James Hayes, S.J. of Cagayan de Oro – he was responsible for
inviting the Columban Missionaries.
v By 1948, the Muslims and the Lumad combined had become a minority of
just about 30%.

§ ​Competition of Lands
v More land-hungry peasants-settlers flocked to Mindanao.
v Lands became more contested.
v Tensions arose at local levels and eventually became widespread.
§ ​The Rise of the Moro Rebellion
v In the late 1960’s, President Ferdinand E. Marcos had Tausugs from Sulu
trained under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in proposal to
re-claim northeastern Sabah for the Philippines.
v Then, the Tausugs would be sent to Sabah to destabilize it.
v On ​March 18, 1968, ​for unconfirmed reasons, there were more or less 68
trainees killed on Corregidor Island by the AFP personnel. This event was
then known as the​ Jabidah Massacre​.
v In ​May 1968​, in revenge to this massacre, ​Datu Udtug Matalam organized
the ​Muslim Independence Movement​.
v Also in revenge, ​Abdul Rahman of Malaysia ​trained 90 Moro young men
who were initiated by Congressman Luckman.
Ø This group went from Malaysia to Cairo for studies, making the
progress easier for integrating elements of Islamic faith into an armed
rebellion, known as the ​Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

§ ​Two Muslim Groups

1. ​Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) ​– a more secular (nonreligious)
group set up by Nur Misuari ca. 1969
2. ​Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ​– group that is adhered to Islam
teachings under Hashim Salamat ca. 1977
Ø Both groups shared the Bangsamoro dream.

§ ​Armed Groups opposing Muslims

1. ​Illaga ​– set up by settlers led by the Ilonggos
2. ​Blackshirts ​or​ Barracudas
Ø Violence flared up in Mindanao creating the problem of ​bakwits,
evacuees​.

§ ​Declaration of War
v Marcos declared an all-out war against the Moro rebels.
v In October 1973, MNLF made its first appearance to take hold of Jolo.
v In February 1974, the war between AFP and MNLF in Jolo started to spread
across Mindanao.

● Other Massacres – by the Philippine Armed Forces

○ Tacub Massacre – 1971
○ Malisbong Massacre – 1974
○ Patikul – 1977
○ Pata Island Massacre – 1981
 ● Tripoli Agreement of GRP and MNLF (under Marcos regime) – December 23,
1976
○ broke by Muammar Quadafi
○ Thirteen of twenty-three provinces were suppose to be granted with
autonomy, but was never fulfilled by President Marcos.

● After 1968 Power Revolution…

● The 1987 constitution
○ Provided for setting up an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao –
ARMM, during the presidency of Corazon Aquino
○ Congress passed R.A. 6734 (Organic Law) – August 1, 1989
○ The ARMM was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990
● The Final Peace Agreement
○ was signed with the MNLF on September 2, 1996 under the presidency of
Fidel Ramos
○ provided for transitional structures for the Southern Philippines Council for
Peace and Development (SPCPD)

Some Muslim Factions

- Satisfied with autonomy
- wanted nothing less than a succession from the Philippine sovereignty

MILF - One of the largest and strongest of some of the Muslim Factions rose in arms
and once again war erupted in Mindanao

1997 - Peace negotiation between the government and the MILF begab

1998 - term of president ramos ended

- Government continued with low level peace negotiations into the presidency of
Joseph Estrada

March 21, 2000

- President Joseph Estrada declared an all-out war against the MILF
- The war policy continued until the premature end of Estrada's term.

2001 - Peace process resumed under the presidency of Gloria Arroyo

- "The agreement for the general framework for the resumption of peace talks"
was signed by the government and the MILF

EO. 9054
- amended the Organic act
- Marawi City and Basilan were added to the four original provinces of the autonomous
region

*Peace process continued with various agreements

*Memorandum of agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) of the Tripoli Agreement
of 2001 which was finalized in 2008 and would have created the Bangasamoro Juridical
entity (BJE)
*Unfortunately, the agreement was not signed and war came to Mindanao once again

2010 - Peace process continued into the presidency of Noynoy Aquino

October 15, 2012 - Signed the framework agreement for Bangsamoro (FAB)

April, 2016 - Bangasamoro Basic law (BBL) has been stalled in congress

*Islamic extremist forces from Middle East are suspected to be making Inroads into
rebel groups in Mindanao

III. INPUT 2:
The Four Components of Personal Peace
1. Harmony With Self:​ This component is related to an individual's physical,
emotional, psychological and mental health. Emotional, psychological and mental
health pertains to a sense of well-being and happiness.
2. Harmony With Others:​ This component is about achieving peace to others. To
share happiness with others. To know and acquire the value of forgiveness and
resentment. To have a harmonious relationship with others.
3. Harmony with Nature:​ This component is often overlooked. It pertains to how
our environment can affect our sense of harmony and peace. It is about having a
harmonious relationship with nature.
4. Harmony with God:​ This component is about how having a harmonious
relationship with God is essential to attaining peace and harmony. It is about how
God's love can shape us and affect us as we grow.
IV. Living in Peace: A Practical Guide
The Four Pillars of Peace
1. Truth:​ will build peace if every individual sincerely acknowledges not only his
rights, but also his own duties to others
2. Justice:​ will build peace if in practice everyone respects the rights of others and
fulfills his duties towards them
3. Love:​ if people feel the needs of others as their own and share what they have
with others, specially the values of mind and spirit they posses
4. Freedom:​ will build peace and make it thrive. People act according to their
reason and assume responsibility in their action

Being an example as an peace maker:

a. Being willing to share with others about one's commitment to build peace.
b. Talking about the significance of having peace as a basic value.
c. Helping members of one's family, especially ones children, to imbibe the basic value
of peace.
Sources:
● https://www.gppac.net/news/interview-struggle-peace-mindanao-philippines
● https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/blog/the-mindanao-peace-process-and-roles-of-
civil-society
● https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2008/12/mindanao-conflict-in-search-o
f-peace-and-human-rights.html
● https://www.usaid.gov/philippines/fact-sheets/advancing-peace-and-stability-mindanao
● https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/MindanaoCaseStudyFullReport.pdf