Duyog Mindanao 2011: An Epic Run for Peace

DUYOG MINDANAO 2011 – PROMOTING CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION
IN SUSTAINED PEACEBUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN MINDANAO


Mindanao PeaceWeavers

BACKGROUND

Sustained peacebuilding is vital in order to achieve sustainable peace. This campaign has the main aim of DEVELOPING POPULAR AND POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE PEACE PROCESS IN MINDANAO.

Achieving a negotiated political settlement of the armed conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is crucial to move forward genuine development not only in Mindanao but also in the whole country.

The 2011 World Development Report describes how armed conflicts, already rooted in maldevelopment and violations of basic human rights, further disrupt efforts towards development and address mass poverty.

“New poverty data reveal that poverty is declining for much of the world, but countries affected by violence are lagging behind. For every three years a country is affected by major violence (battle deaths or excess deaths from homicides equivalent to a major war), poverty reduction lags behind by 2.7 percentage points... No low-income fragile or conflict-affected country has yet achieved a single MDG. People in fragile and conflict-affected states are more than twice as likely to be undernourished as those in other developing countries, more than three times as likely to be unable to send their children to school, twice as likely to see their children die before age five, and more than twice as likely to lack clean water. On average, a country that experienced major violence over the period from 1981 to 2005 has a poverty rate 21 percentage points higher than a country that saw no violence.”


RATIONALE

The resumption of the peace negotiation between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has infused added vigour to the momentum for conflict prevention and peace building in Mindanao. There is palpable goodwill displayed by the conflict actors to deliver the peace dividends expected out of a potential peace agreement. Civil society must continue to add the weight of its collective voice in the crucial processes of identifying the structural underpinnings and determining acceptable solutions to the conflict in Mindanao. This requires civil society’s endeavour to prevent, resolve and transform the violent conflict through collective and coordinated efforts.
In 2010, the Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Agenda (MPPA) - centered on the 15-point agenda for peace - was successfully adopted and introduced to the major stakeholders in Mindanao and to the general public. In the same year, the MPPA was further socialized in the Visayas and Mindanao via the Duyog Mindanao campaign which was endorsed by the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW).

Conflict prevention in Mindanao necessitates not only averting the occurrence and escalation of armed conflict. More importantly, it is a process of identifying the underlying sources of conflicts, promoting dialogue as the more sustainable alternative, and reaching a consensus on a negotiated political settlement. The MPPA is an excellent platform for consensus building on the causes and solutions of the violent conflict in Mindanao.

Peacebuilding in Mindanao also requires building a peace constituency outside Mindanao. The Duyog Mindanao campaign contributed to changing the public “mood” in favour of dialogue as a viable process in resolving the causes of conflict in Mindanao. It was able to highlight the important role of ordinary citizens as actors in peacebuilding. It further emphasized the value of solidarity of citizens outside Mindanao in building a national accord in support of the peace process and provided a critical indicator for the conflict actors to consider.

Socializing the MPPA among the peace constituency generated by the Duyog Mindanao campaign, as well as consolidating and expanding the emerging constituency, is a critical way forward. It will contribute to the creation of a sustainable peace constituency that will add its weight to the peace process as well as give the GPH and MILF a critical indicator of public support as well as input to the peace negotiation – necessary factors that will embolden the conflict actors to do their best to overcome stumbling blocks to a negotiated political settlement.


OBJECTIVES

This campaign aims to address the PERCEIVED lack of citizen involvement in the GPH-MILF peace negotiation by creating a political and social environment that will ensure a broad popular and political support to the current peace process.

Previous and current civil society organization (CSO) initiatives in support of the peace process must be sustained, broadened and consolidated to include non-traditional groups of the larger polity and key stakeholders. Previous Duyog Mindanao campaigns (2008 and 2010) have laid the basis for a broad-based CSO participation in the peace process. This needs to be sustained in two ways: first, a tangible socio-political momentum must be created to ensure an inclusive process and the accountability of the panels and other key players to all stakeholders; second, relevant policies and actions identified by stakeholders and clearly communicated to key players must be made to fill gaps crucial to the success of the negotiation.

Concrete outcomes include: a) demonstrable social and political support to the peace process, including its possible outcomes; b) rallying support from members of the legislature and local government units; and c) indicators of a broad and popular support to the peace process clearly shown to key players such as members of the GPH and MILF peace panels, the International Contact Group (ICG), International Monitoring Team (IMT), local government units (LGUs), and official and non-governmental development agencies.


ACTIVITIES

Conversations for Peace

Tagbilaran, Bohol
1.    Organize BISDAK: Bisayang Dako Alang sa Kalinaw – Citizens’ Forum for Peace in Mindanao
2.    Hold one (1) peace forum/workshop
3.    Hold one (1) Run for Peace, benefit race for displaced communities in Mindanao

Dumaguete, Negros Oriental
1.    Organize BISDAK: Bisayang Dako Alang sa Kalinaw – Citizens’ Forum for Peace in Mindanao
2.    Hold one (1) Peae Forum/Workshop
3.    Hold one (1) Run for Peace, benefit race for displaced communities in Mindanao


Epic Run for Peace

Route: Zamboanga City-Ipil-Pagadian City-Cotabato City
Total distance: 451.9 kms.
Number of core runners: 20 from Bohol/BISDAK
Number of days: 10
Date: August 21-30, 2011

Zamboanga City
1.    Runners’ workshop on peace
2.    Citizens’ Forum on Peace
3.    Send-off Fun Run

Curuan-Tungawan-Roseller Lim-Ipil-Naga-Kabasalan-Siay-Imelda-Diplahan-Buug-Kumalarang-Tigbao-Dumalinao
1.    Interactions with communities and schools

Pagadian City
1.    Citizens’ Forum on Peace
2.    Send-off Fun Run

Labangan-Tukuran-Sultan Naga Dimaporo-Karomatan-Picong-Malabang-Kapatagan-Matanog-Parang
1.    Interactions with communities and schools
2.    Solidarity run (Parang to Cotabato)

Cotabato City
1.    Solidarity Run (Cotabato to Parang)
2.    Salubungan para sa Kapayapaan (runners from Cotabato City and Parang meeting halfway and then proceeding to Cotabato City)
3.    Culminating Program


Prepared by:

Judito A. Cabusao
Program Manager
Initiative for International Dialogue - Lead Secretariat, MPW