MPC has been successful in positioning itself as a key player in the talks, having been officially recognized as an observer in the GRP-MILF peace talks, which is unprecedented in the series of talks conducted since 1976.
Bantay Ceasefire is a monitoring mechanism developed by MPC in 2003. Its volunteers do monitoring and field work to help deescalate violence and prevent conflict on the ground. in cooperation with the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) of the GRP and the MILF and with the International Monitoring Team.
Since its creation, part of MPC's mission has been to provide support and advice to indigenous people living in areas affected by conflict stemming from contested ownership of ancestral domain. In helping to resolve conflict within the community, MPC members are not merely involved in public advocacy on question of relief and rehabilitation; rather, they have also been developing local peace agreements bringing military, church, local governments and communities themselves at the negotiating table.
Mindalinaw is an independent, non-partisan and inclusive radio programme on peace initiatives. It serves as an ordinary person's forum. It is a combination of live and canned broadcasting that runs weekly for an hour in Cotabato, Maguindanao, Lanao and Sulu areas. Life Springs from a small cassette tape wherein the talks, commentaries, music, advertisements are pre-recorded.
In light of the raging crisis in Mindanao that has put the ongoing peace process in danger of caving in, it is imperative upon the youth to come together and collectively take action. The youth component of MPC takes an initiative to collaborate with other youth network that has also with the same inspiration towards peace and development in Mindanao.
Following the setbacks on the aborted signing of the agreement, efforts have been made to save and preserve the gains of the GRP-MILF peace process. On one side the government insists that the peace process shall continue so long as communities are part of the consultation process. On the other hand, the MILF adheres to the MOA-AD as an achievement in the peace talks. Several sectors, more particularly peace groups, have provided formal public discussion on the MOA-AD while reiterating their call for an end to the war in Mindanao . After August 5, 2008 activities were undertaken by many organizations, including the Office of the Presidential adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), to shed light on the MOA-AD.
Following the Supreme Court decision which struck the MOA-AD as unconstitutional, there is a lot of ground work that needs to be done to satisfy the requirement of community consultations. This task has been delegated to the Bishops-Ulama Conference and is expected to take off soon as a way to move forward with the peace talks. The BUC however, will need to muster the necessary support from the peace movement and civil society to ensure that it will succeed in this critical task. This project intends to initiate a parallel process of consultations, independent but complementary with the BUC.
To serve as a broad, multi-agency coordinating body, a Task Force Konsultasyon (TFK) shall be created composed of non-government organizations engaged in Mindanao peacebuilding work. TFK shall aim to provide a formal a venue for all peoples in Mindanao to participate in the renewed track of the peace process through community consultations.
B. OBJECTIVES
Together with its partners, Task Force Konsultasyon shall initiate a series of consultations among the local residents in the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and Lanao Provinces . The consultations shall be anchored on the need to broaden consensus on the much needed peace formula for Mindanao .
TFK shall serve as an umbrella organization that will spearhead the key activities listed below. Its members are geographically situated all over Mindanao , multi-ethnic and diverse since it will primarily be an interfaith loose formation. Women, youth, private sector (business), academe, and local government units are also part of the TFK.
• To generate new information and ideas on how to proceed and successfully conclude the GRP-MILF peace talks;
• To broaden the participation and support of the media, church, business, academe and local government officials and solicit their inputs and recommendations;
• To promote understanding on the Ancestral Domain agenda in the talks;
• To evolve an IEC plan that will accompany the process of community consultations.
TFK will also tap the expertise and resources of state colleges and universities and academic institutions in the preparations and conduct of the community consultations. TFK will also utilize the services of Peace Centers and Community Extension Offices of said universities to ensure broader participation of the stakeholders.
It is envisioned that this whole process will later on be institutionalized as part of the formal mechanism in the Peace Talks not just with MILF but also with NDF, MNLF etc.
C. EXPECTED OUTPUTS
Local consultations in the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and the two Lanao Provinces .
The five provinces identified above are areas where the recent skirmishes occurred. It is but necessary to provide a formal venue for the communities to express their grievances and to allow people to contextualize their situation in the light of the aborted signing of the MOA. It is also in these areas where there is a mixture of tripeople thus it is important that the healing and reconciliation process be promoted among them. The consultations in these provinces are aimed to provide an alternative image to the Philippine public that peace is taking place despite the images of conflict and war being projected by the national media Shared knowledge and understanding of the MOA-AD and the GRP-MILF peace process.
Debates on the MOA-AD have triggered polarization even among the local populace. Moreover, only a few among the communities are updated on the GRP-MILF peace process. Thus, it is important that the consultations shall present an impartial appreciation of the MOA-AD, based on historical precedence, and its role in advancing the pace of the Mindanao peace process. In August 2008 MPC has launched a massive distribution of the MOA-AD copies among the communities for them to understand what politicians and the media are talking about.
