Soldiers for Peace A C o l l e c t i o n o f P e a c e b u i l d i n g S t o r i e s i n M i n d a n a o Soldiers for Peace: A Collection of Peacebuilding Stories in Mindanao Copyright © 2010 Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) All rights reserved. ISBN 978-971-92115-4-9 Stories, photos and layout by Bobby Timonera Additional text by H. Marcos C. Mordeno, Gail T. Ilagan and Kaloy Manlupig Additional photos courtesy of ICPeace, 104Bde, 103Bde, 8IB, Nagdilaab Foundation, Priscilla Valmonte, Bob Martin, Prelature of Isabela de Basilan, Lt. Calvin Anthony Macatangay, Fr. Noel Ponsaran, PO1 Mark Claro, Leonardo Bautista, Jasper Llanderal, H. Marcos C. Mordeno. Editing by Gail T. Ilagan This publication is a joint undertaking of Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI) and the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The International Center for Peace in Mindanaw (ICPeace) of BMFI implements the capacity building program on conflict management and peace building for EastMinCom. ICPeace encourages the distribution of the articles in this publication for non- commercial use, with appropriate credit given to BMFI. Published by: Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) 53-A 12th Street, Zone 2, Upper Bulua Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines http://www.balaymindanaw.org Editorial Board: Kaloy Manlupig Ariel C. Hernandez Ma. Corazon G. Llanderal Lt. Gen. Raymundo B. Ferrer Production and Distribution Team: International Center for Peace in Mindanaw (ICPeace) Table of Contents 2 Why do Peace Building with the military? 4 Peace building gaining headway among Mindanao’s military officers 10 The peacebuilding course called OP Kors! 14 Treating the people with respect 16 Building relationships, building peace 18 Gaining the evacuees’ trust 20 When tempers flare up 22 Lantad: From a rebel stronghold to a model village 26 Helping the barangay access services 30 OP Kors! training prepares S1 for his job 32 CAAs: At your service, as soldiers, as civilians 34 Helping settle a ridó 36 Young lieutenant gears for battle 38 The ‘motherly touch’ in the AFP 40 PNP chaplains lead the way toward peace 42 From foes to friends 46 The Basilan peacebuilding experience 48 Can soldiers be peace builders? 55 Winning the people’s hearts and minds 62 Winning the church over 66 Women soldiers in the frontline of peace building 68 Foot soldier wages a different war Why do Peace Building with the military? hen Balay Mindanaw “While all I heard about the military Institute in Davao City. started reaching before was their abuses, here I was In engaging those actively pursuing out to the military, talking face to face with soldiers who non-government work, community members of civil are willing to change, willing to help development and human rights, Ferrer society organizations improve our people’s lot,” Ayi recalls of broke the mold of soldiers in the Wraised eyebrows. For why would an his AIM classroom. collective experience of these civil NGO known for its advocacy for The concept of working with the society groups. He eroded the post- “kaangayan, kalambuan, kalinaw” be military for peace building developed martial law psychological divide that dealing with the very sector perpetually further when Ayi met Brig. Gen. separated the traditionally insular perceived as representing the exact Raymundo B. Ferrer during their military from the progressive groups out opposite of these goals? bridging leadership training at the AIM. to expand civilian liberties and bring the We understand this reaction because Ferrer was then the commander of the people access to development support. we had the same mindset as most in the 103rd Infantry Brigade in Basilan. Ayi Ferrer made them rethink the possibility NGO community when we started out in was pleasantly surprised to find out that of working together for common ends. 1996. We then worked mainly on agrarian Ferrer was working with an NGO in Ayi and Ferrer started talks on issues, helping the poor farmers. Like Basilan to conduct peace building and mounting a joint project. In particular, many others, we lived to tell about our conflict management trainings for his they discussed the possibility of holding share of scary experiences in our previous Civilian Armed Auxiliaries (CAAs). peace building and conflict management encounters with the military. This was about the time when Basilan training workshops for the officers and The change in our perception of the seemingly disappeared from the news men of the 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division, military started serendipitously, when because there were no “good news” where Ferrer had been promoted to our Executive Director, Ayi Hernandez, there – meaning, nothing bad was command. Their immediate concern was working on his masters program on happening. This was the same colonel was how to “deescalate” the violence in development management at the Asian who gave human rights advocates the Mindanao; and in the long range, to be Institute of Management (AIM). He shock of their lives when, some time able to help in the peace process. happened to have some classmates from later, he showed up for a two-week Balay Mindanaw has extensive the military. peace course at the Mindanao Peace experience at conducting peace trainings 2 Soldiers for Peace for tribal leaders of the Higaunon people transforming themselves for peace Forces. But these are small victories and for barangay and municipal officials building. To elucidate, Kaloy likes to for us nevertheless, for we know that in Misamis Oriental. From these, we quote the great physicist and Nobel if we continue doing this, and continue had developed a training module dubbed laureate Albert Einstein: “No problem improving on this approach, their as OP Kors! (short for Operation Peace can be solved from the same level of numbers will gradually grow. Course). For Balay Mindanaw, OP Kors! consciousness that created it.” Trained Kaloy notes that, “We may have has proven to be effective in addressing for warfighting, working for peace encountered drop-offs in the number of our objectives. Ayi saw the possibility of would at first glance appear to be peace builders in the military as officers reconfiguring OP Kors! for the purposes contradictory. For transformation to get transferred elsewhere, or generals of the proposed joint undertaking. happen in the security sector, it needs retire from the service. But we have also And so Ayi asked Ferrer: “Are you something to come from out of the trained lieutenants and captains who willing to commit your entire division proverbial box. would someday become generals or for this?” To which Ferrer readily even department secretaries.” answered with a resounding “Yes!” This gives us inspiration to carry on. The two gentlemen then set about We bring the message of peace and we pulling in other likeminded individuals While all I hope to teach and learn how to bring it and organizations to customize Balay heard about the about. We try to weigh in on expanding Mindanaw’s OP Kors! training for the “ our collective knowledge for alternatives military’s needs. to win the peace in our community Our President, Kaloy Manlupig, military before was through dialogue, training, advocacy, was receptive to the idea. and publication. He likened the experience of putting their abuses, here I In particular, the following pages together the requirements for the project contain some encouraging stories from to the preparations Manny Pacquiao was talking face to our engagement with the security sector. made to become the boxing sensation he These are tales we have gathered from is today. Despite how easy the world’s face with soldiers the field, of real events encountered by best pound-for-pound boxer makes it soldiers, and stories from the people and look, the road to his success couldn’t who are willing to peace advocates with whom the military have been easy. “At first, he probably have dealt with. thought all he needed was his powerful change, willing to The first part are stories from all left hook. But then, as he faced more over Mindanao, mainly of soldiers foes, he found out he needed to develop help improve our who have undertaken the OP Kors! his right hook, too. And then, his training. We picked a few interesting footwork. And then, he finds that there people’s lot.” narratives to highlight the peacebuilding are many more aspects to the science of transformation. We also followed the boxing,” Kaloy opines. As we continue with our journey, soldiers in the field as they continued For Kaloy, there are other we are delighted to register every now to draw on what they learned to expand approaches to achieve Balay and then the impact of our efforts in their repertoire of responses to the Mindanaw’s mission of “Helping build terms of the changes we see in all levels demands of their current assignments. peace in Mindanaw.” in the military: foot soldiers now being The second part, starting on Page “We shouldn’t stop improving, more respectful in their dealings with 46, are stories from Basilan, when the evolving, discovering new things in the people; officers helping mediate big first attempts by the military to conduct our journey for peace,” he says. This and small conflicts in the communities; peace building on a wide scale basis includes expanding partnerships with and highranking officials now convinced took place. other sectors and other organizations. that the military solution could not be These are modest victories, and In hoping to transform communities the only solution to the peace problem in we don’t harbor the illusion that these for peace, in particular, Balay Mindanaw Mindanao.