Unpacking Stories of Con! ict as Pathways to Peacebuilding byy Fr. Charlie M. Inzon, OMI & Lino J. UlU anghutan 56 Meaning Making in Mindanao What is the story of con! ict in Central Mindanao and Sulu? Muslim and Christian leaders shared their stories of the history of con! ict in Mindanao. Unpacking their stories reveal that there is no one story to the con! ict. % e narratives of con! ict in Central Mindanao revolve on issues surrounding land, politics, and the armed struggle. % e accounts of con! ict in Sulu tell the stories of Christianization and colonization, Martial Law and militarization, poverty and lawlessness, and politics and dynasties. Recognizing these multiple stories of con! ict can open up diverse pathways to peacebuilding in the Mindanao region. “! e Mindanao Con" ict” In the region of Mindanao in Southern perspectives by asking key informants from Philippines is one of “the longest and most the various social groups to narrate the story intense political con! icts” (Montiel, Rodil, & of con! ict in Mindanao. de Guzman, 2012). Known as ‘the Mindanao Con! ict’, it is understood and explained through various perspectives – religious, Research Process ethnic, economic, and political. From an Story-telling or “Kuwentuhan” ethno-religious perspective, the con! ict may be viewed as arising from di" erences among Members of Christian and Muslim social the various religious and ethnic groups in groups were asked to narrate the story of Mindanao, particularly between Muslims and con! ict in their particular locations. In Central Christians (Dictaan-Bang-oa, 2004). However, Mindanao, three leaders of the Moro Islamic a deeper analysis of the con! ict in Mindanao Liberation Front (MILF) comprised the Muslim necessitates adopting both economic and group whereas & ve members of the Mindanao political perspectives. Economic factors, such Christian Highlanders Association (MICHA) as poverty, deprivation, loss of land, and represented the Christian group. In Sulu, three loss of access to production technologies, religious leaders and three barangay o$ cials may be understood as both causes and from the municipalities of Jolo and Indanan consequences of the Mindanao con! ict participated in the study. (Human Development Network, 2005; Separate kuwentuhan or story-telling sessions Schiavo-Campo & Judd, 2005). Aside from with Christian and Muslim participants were economic factors, the Mindanao con! ict can conducted. During the kuwentuhan sessions, also be a# ributed to political factors such as participants were asked the following poor governance, corruption, and politicking question: “What is the story of con! ict in (Coronel-Ferrer, 2005a). Furthermore, the Mindanao?” % e kuwentuhan sessions were con! ict in Mindanao may also be linked recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to to criminal activities such as massacres, uncover pa# erns in the stories of the history bombings, kidnappings, extortions, and illegal of con! ict in Mindanao. drug tra$ cking (Coronel-Ferrer, 2005b). % is research sought to examine these various 57 Stories of Con" ict in Central Mindanao Muslims from Central Mindanao shared their own stories about Muslims as the “First of all, land con! ict, although original inhabitants of the land in Mindanao. According to them, Muslim leaders originally the political system is really the owned the land in Mindanao. As one Muslim root... a system that is unfair. And participant shared, “If we will look back second, political leaders. And third, on the deepest reason of the con! ict, we the system where the Bangsamoro will see that our Christian brothers do not really own anything here in Mindanao. But people are low and deprived of now, they own almost all of the land. We do opportunities.” (MILF commander) not know the reason why and how the land has gone to them.” Muslims questioned “It is still land, although land only the legal processes and the government serves as a reason. Next is the support that were involved in the acquisition of land by the Christians se# lers. % ey also level of politics... And for as long lamented their consequent displacement and as the Muslims hold arms, this area marginalization, as a result of government can never be peaceful.” (MICHA policies on land ownership in Mindanao. Central to the Muslim story of land ownership member) is losing the land that is righ' ully theirs. For Muslims, they are the righ' ul owners of the Legal owners or original owners? Land land because the Muslim people were the was a central theme in the story of con! ict original inhabitants and the historical owners in Mindanao. % e question of who are of the land in Mindanao. the righ' ul owners of the land in Central Mindanao was o( en highlighted in the Political oppression or politicized story-telling sessions. For Christians, the con! ict? % e political story of con! ict in meaning of land ownership was tied to Central Mindanao was a story of political several processes and evidences as to how oppression for Muslims and a story of a they eventually owned the land. % ey talked con! ict politicized for Christians. Muslims about how Muslim leaders gave land to made sense of the con! ict in Mindanao Christian se# lers who helped develop the as a result of political oppression carried land. Some Christian se# lers were also able out by the Christian-dominated Philippine to acquire land by developing open lands. government against the Muslim people. As one Christian participant shared, “It is an As one Muslim participant shared, “% ese open area. You cultivate it. You buy it. And se# lers and their leaders appear to oppress then you clear it.” In the process, the area the people who have been here for a long of land that they cultivated was awarded to time. % ey were oppressed economically them by the government. Christian se# lers and politically.” One of the events most o( en also engaged in the purchase or exchange of narrated by Muslims as evidence of political goods for land, with participants highlighting oppression was the Jabidah massacre. As how several payments of goods were made described by one Muslim leader, “Former to Muslim owners in exchange for the land. President Marcos planned to exterminate all % e process of land registration and titling Muslims. % e Jabidah massacre (was) where lay at the core of the Christian story of land all Muslim military trainees were killed by ownership. For Christians, they are the the government military forces, and other righ' ul owners of the land as evidenced by atrocities by the military (were commi# ed) the legal documents they hold. against the Muslim people.” Muslims tell 58 Meaning Making in Mindanao the story of the Muslim people as victims of created were the Baraccudas, the Blackshirts, oppression, violence, and marginalization, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), brought about by the Christian-dominated and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Philippine government. Such political (MILF). Muslims justi& ed the creation of oppression led to the rise of Muslim Muslim armed groups as a means to secure ideological and armed groups which sought the advancement of the Bangsamoro to & ght for the rights and aspirations of the (Muslim nation) cause as well as a way to Muslim people in Mindanao. protect Muslims from Philippine military forces. However, from the point of view of Christians countered the Muslims’ grievances Christians, these Muslim armed groups did against the Philippine government by not arise from an ideological background emphasizing how Muslim leaders also hold but rather from the vested interest of Muslim key government positions in Mindanao. As political leaders. one Christian explained, “% ey tell us that they were oppressed. But who holds the On the side of Christians, the Ilaga group highest position in region 12, in Mindanao? and the Mindanao Christian Highlanders Who are the directors? Aren’t they Muslims Association (MICHA) were established. and their brothers?” Among Christians, the Christians justi& ed the formation of these con! ict in Mindanao was aggravated by the Christian armed groups as a means of support of other Islamic countries for Muslims protecting the rights and interests of in Mindanao, deepening the religious divide Christians from the threats brought about between Christians and Muslims. While by Muslim armed groups. But from the Muslims positioned themselves as politically perspective of Muslims, these Christian oppressed and marginalized, Christians armed groups facilitated the systematic positioned Muslims as politically powerful land grabbing activities of Christians against and violent. Muslims in Mindanao. Freedom " ghters or rebels? % e formation % e stories of con! ict in Central Mindanao of armed groups on both sides of the con! ict revolved around three main themes: (1) was another dominant theme in the story- land, (2) politics, and, (3) the armed struggle. telling of Christians and Muslims. On the While both Christians and Muslims narrated side of Muslims, among the armed groups the same issues as central to the con! ict, they positioned themselves and each other di" erently. Both Muslims and Christians saw their own group as the victim and the other as the aggressor. Each saw its own group as right and the other as wrong. A summary is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Stories of Con! ict in Central Mindanao • ! emes • Christians as • Muslims as Storytellers Storytellers • Land • Legal ownership • Historical ownership • Politics • Politicization of con! ict • Political oppression • Armed • Muslim groups as • Muslim groups as Struggle rebels, Christian groups freedom & ghters, as defenders Christian groups as aggressors 59 “Martial law and militarization were also key themes in the Muslims’ stories of con! ict in Sulu.” Stories of Con" ict in Sulu % e narratives of con! ict in Sulu revealedd “people became uncontrolled, civilians were a unique set of stories from that of the dislocated, livelihoods were badly a" ected, narratives of con! ict in Central Mindanao.