Name: Lunas, Lady Joy D.

Date: November 13, 2021

Year-Section and Program: I-B BSFM Professor: Mr. Bernardo Miranda, DPSA

ACTIVITY: Essay about Peace and Security Issues

1. Give at least two (2) the root causes of armed conflict to be addressed by the
national government and explain the plan calls for the implementation of
corresponding development tracks to address the causes of armed conflicts via
conflict prevention and peace-building initiatives.

In recent years, the Philippines has suffered two major armed conflicts in Mindanao
involving the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and a countrywide communist
insurgency with the National Democratic Front (NDF). Deep-seated biases against a
minority Muslim and indigenous people are at the basis of the war in Mindanao. Although
the conflict dates back to the colonial era, the armed movement for independence began
in 1969, spurred on by discrimination and human rights violations under President
Marcos' regime. Many armed factions battled against the government to establish an
autonomous Muslim territory on the island of Mindanao, most notably the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In the decades-
long rebellion that followed, almost 150,000 people were slain. The conflict between the
Philippine government and the communist NDF began in 1968 and has since produced
massive instability among the civilian populace, claiming over 40,000 fatalities. Norway
has facilitated peace discussions between the government and the NDF since 2001, but
no additional agreements have been reached, with the most recent session of talks
concluding in 2017. Neither side has made a public commitment to a peaceful conclusion,
making trust and compromise more difficult to achieve.

The Philippines' government and the MILF struck a peace pact in March 2014,
dubbed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The deal brought an end to
four decades of violence and envisioned the creation of the Bangsamoro, a new self-
governing entity in Muslim-dominated portions of Western Mindanao. President Duterte
signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law in July 2018 and agreed to a referendum that would
give voters in Muslim Mindanao's Autonomous Region the last say on the Bangsamoro's
future status. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Regional Government, which will take over
from the present authorities, will be established as a result of the victorious referendum
in January 2019. Financial autonomy and a more representative legislative system will be
granted to regional governments.

In Mindanao, poverty and political conflicts remain despite these achievements. It

remains the poorest area in the Philippines, with inadequate local government systems
due to a lack of resources and corruption. All of these factors have a role in the occurrence
of local disputes. These battles, known locally as "rido" or clan warfare, are intermittent
yet endure for generations, frequently creating flashpoints between the state and
revolutionary armed organizations. While some cases have been handled, the region's
social and institutional frameworks for avoiding and resolving disputes need to be
enhanced. Without these, the people of Mindanao's security and safety are at best
precarious.

2. Give at least three (3) the challenges faced by the Philippine Government in
maintaining global security and discuss.

In current days, the Philippines has several political, economic, and social
difficulties, including China's rise, weak administration, a lack of rule of law, and an ethnic
separatist movement with international ties to ISIS. The Philippines is involved in a long-
running dispute over a significant portion of the South China Sea. China, Vietnam,
Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia are among the claimants in the conflict. China was taken
to The Hague by the former Philippine administration for an arbitral judgement on the rival
claims. The Philippines prevailed, however because to a lack of jurisdiction, China
refused to accept the court's decision. Other maritime conflicts in the Indo-Pacific area
include disputed islands between Russia and Japan, Japan and South Korea, and Japan
and China. In this regard, the Philippines' maritime issue is typical of the area, where
disagreements over major islands, rivers, and underwater oil and gas reserves are rather
frequent among the region's different coastline governments.

The Philippines, like many other Asian countries, is noted for its poor
administration and weak rule of law. President Rodrigo Duterte has made a name for
himself since entering office by waging a ruthless drug war that has been dubbed a
"campaign of mass atrocities" by some. He has publicly advocated for the extrajudicial
death of drug users and sellers by police and vigilantes. Meanwhile, Duterte's domestic
approval ratings are still quite high, with a recent poll showing that 79 percent of the
people approves of him. So why aren't the Filipinos more dissatisfied with Duterte's anti-
drug campaign? The answer is that drug trafficking is treated extremely severely in Asia.
Drug-related violence is a far larger and more politically complex problem in the United
States than it is in much of the rest of the world, and it is frequently viewed as a danger
to national security. In Asia, 15 of the 33 nations that execute drug offenders are located.
Extrajudicial executions are a new and unique trend. However, it is serving as a model
for the region, with the head of Indonesia's Anti-Narcotics Board predicting that the
country will soon be as tough on drug trafficking as the Philippines. The Philippines'
corruption rankings have deteriorated over the last four years, and it now ranks among
the worst in the world. While President Duterte rode a tsunami of anti-corruption rhetoric
and campaign pledges to office, actual results have yet to be seen. Corruption has far-
reaching consequences. Foreign investors frequently can't use local patronage networks
to conduct backdoor deals when corruption is rampant, and they generally refuse to pay
local authorities for fear of legal ramifications at home. This deters investment and stifles
expansion. Corruption is a serious impediment to the Filipino people's progress toward
greater wealth and higher living standards. In the Asian setting, it's a well-known issue
that only a few countries have successfully addressed.

On the southern island of Mindanao, the Philippines is likewise beset by a

centuries-old ethnic war. Last year, in Mindanao, a coalition of armed extremist
organizations emerged and declared allegiance to ISIS. For five months, the gang held
Marawi, culminating in a lengthy siege. According to reports, the terrorist organization
includes international militants with combat experience and training in Iraq and Syria.
Other Asian nations have experienced ethno-religious upheaval in the recent past. Since
1948, Thailand's southern regions have been subjected to a violent separatist movement.
This insurgency, like the Mindanao conflict, has grown increasingly violent and
ideologically radical in recent years, forging both real and ideological ties with Islamic
extremist organizations in the Middle East. Indonesia has faced localized ethnic separatist
movements in Aceh and West Papua in the past.