by Nicole Hutchison

“It is only with the political leaders' genuine commitment in protecting, promoting and respecting Human Rights and upholding the rule of law that true peace can be achieved not only in Mindanao but in the Philippines in general,” says Kishra Dawabi.

On January 25, 2015 a mission by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to serve arrest warrants against two men suspected of terrorist activities led to the death of over 40 members of the Philippine Police Special Action Force (SAF) and at least 16 members from the Muslim Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The clash between the SAF and the MILF, took place in the town of Mamasapano, in the Maguindanao Province in the southern island of Mindanao. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) also got involved in the firefight.

At least four villagers, Badrudin Langalan, Murshid Hashim, Omar Dagadas, and five-year old Sarah Pananggulon were hit by stray bullets and died. An unknown number of civilians were injured.

The incident caused the Philippine Congress to suspend the discussion of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which will implement the agreements reached by the government and the MILF in the peace process.

Below is the statement by Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (WE ACT 1325), a network of women's organizations that work for peace in the Philippines. Other women's organizations have called for an investigation into the encounter to determine what happened and to seek justice for the families of the civilians killed.

by Juliana Cano Nieto

On September 10, 2014, the government of the Philippines and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) presented before Congress the Draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). This 119-page document sets the legal basis for the political and financial autonomy of the Muslim region in the southern island of Mindanao. Will this law and what will follow be sufficient to achieve the sustainable peace people in this region aspire to?

At a small hotel in Tagaytay, Philippines, a diverse group of women gathered to talk, dance, and share their stories of peace building in their communities.

Some were indigenous, others, Moro (indigenous Islamic people in the southern Philippines). They came from nearby areas of Luzon, and from as far away as the southern reaches of Mindanao. Some were in their twenties, just beginning to shape their identities as defenders of human rights; others were in their fifties, looking back on decades of peace building, while looking forward to the years to come. They identified as NGO workers, community organisers, social workers, teachers, and peace activists. Some were very familiar with ideas of feminism, while others were newcomers. What they shared was a commitment to human rights and social justice.

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. It is also the year that the Philippines launched its National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 making it the second country in the Asia Pacific region to formalise its commitment to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 through a concrete national action plan. Despite progress achieved through the efforts made by government, civil societies and women's groups and communities that have been affected by war and armed conflict, it is a reality that community, local government, media and even some civil society groups remain unaware of UNSCR 1325, let alone UNSCR 1820, 1888 and 1889, the other relevant UN resolutions regarding women in peace building.

With financial support from ICCO, Isis International recently concluded a two year two country project entitled “Cultural Politics of Peace and Conflict: strategising and capacity building for the Philippines and Indonesia”, June 2008-May 2010. The project aimed to help create an enabling environment where women can actively participate in and significantly contribute to peace and conflict resolution processes; and to build the capacities of women in peace building processes.

By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Baileng Mantawil heads a nongovernment organization called Bangsamoro Women Action for Development Initiatives or Bwadi. She is also, she says, a 'child of war.'

Her father is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and as a child she lived with her family in an MILF camp in Maguindanao. When the government launched a major offensive against the MILF, she and other women members of the family had to disguise themselves and flee the camp, crossing a river and trudging through marsh lands. I think I changed schools about four times during my elementary years, she recalls. But the onset of peace negotiations put an end to her wanderings, enabling her to finish a Computer Science course from the Mindanao State University in Marawi.

Manila, February 4, 2013 – Isis International, in partnership with WeAct 1325 and the Norwegian Embassy, today hosted “Huntahan, Balitaan at Kapayapaan: A Dialogue with Media and Mindanao Women on the Peace Process” at the Richmond Hotel in Pasig City. The event was a venue for four women from Mindanao to tell their personal stories about their experiences working and living in Mindanao and the various roles they have assumed in the common effort to bring lasting peace to the region.