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Torn by Religious Conflict
July 31, 2007 | Editor Al Santoli
In a July 2007 report, "Lives Destroyed: Attacks on Civilians in the Philippines," the international organization, Human Rights Watch stated that Islamic extremist groups in the Philippines have killed or injured more than 1,700 people in bombings and other attacks since 2000. The attacks, mostly in Mindanao, Basilan, Jolo, and other southern islands, have also included kidnappings, executions, and shootings. "Extremist armed groups have spread terror among civilians in the Philippines," said John Sifton, senior researcher on terrorism at Human Rights Watch. The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) are implicated in or have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks.
During the week of July 24, 2007, Asia America Initiative's Philippines Program Coordinator Ms. Hani Sumndad conducted a working visit to the AAI's international model Development for Peace [DPIS] program on the island of Jolo, Sulu in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. It is located in the center of the area that Human Rights Watch depicted as a terror haven. However, for the past five years, the AAI's innovative DPIS program has worked with local communities to deter terror by building health, education and livelihood projects in the desperately impoverished region.
The purpose of Ms. Sumndad's visit was to continue AAI's work with community committees in health, education, livelihood and peace building and to provide humanitarian assistance to begin the sixth year of the DPIS program. The visit came at a time fierce of fighting on Basilan island north of Jolo between the Philippine military units and elements of the extremist Abu Sayyaf terror gang and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. One incident led to the death of 14 Philippine marines, ten of whom were beheaded.
While in the ARMM and other areas of the world such as Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq have continued to slide into hatred and chaos, the Development for Peace in Sulu program has continued to build peace and understanding. The AAI staff has learned many essential truths during the 5 years of successfully as guests in the Tausug tribal area in Sulu. Many families, clans, and the majority of the largest guerilla organization, the Moro National Liberation Front, are very willing to choose social and economic development over self-destructive violence. Working in partnership and with consistency can gradually transform the culture of violence, dysfunctional civil structure, the lack of rule of law and distrust of outsiders that has been pervasive under decades of military occupation.
Sustained peace will not happen overnight. Nor will it happen by the U.S. Embassy paying highly publicized million dollar rewards to a few Abu Sayyaf informants. The violence-caused by social-economic and land ownership issues existed long before the ASG or MILF ever existed, and must be resolved at the most fundamental levels of local grievances. And most significantly, it is not an "international jihad". Neither Indonesian extremists nor the internationalist terrorist training camps in Waziristan, Kashmir and Bangladesh have caused or control the root issues of the Mindanao instability. The tragedy is that the most basic promises of the 1996 Peace Accords involving social and economic development need to be realized. Officials -- from the central government and security forces to local ARMM bureaucrats to local government offices and powerful families-- all bear responsibility.
It is a mistake to implement development through a military structure and through armed visitors and their indigenous trainees, who by their operational culture seek to "control the environment." That, unfortunately, will not lead to effective democratic structures where communities feel empowered as free citizens to develop legitimate home-grown solutions. [This is also a fundamental premise for establishing democratic structures.] Community-based social and economic development is the most valuable means of developing deeply rooted rejection of violence and destruction as a way of life and to lay the groundwork for responsible leadership and lawful society.
Medical supplies were purchased with a generous contribution from partner-NGO Feed the Hungry, Philippines, as well as philanthropic businessmen and foundations. Thousands of school text and library books were contributed by the US-based Brother's Brother Foundation through the US Chamber of Commerce and the Franklin Fund as well as the Bato Balani Foundation in Manila. AAI's Model of Excellence Schools now reported to have the strongest library system of any group of public or private schools in the southern area of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The books are reviewed in consultation with the local religious clergy to assure that there is nothing considered offensive or disrespectful. AAI also donated Philippine national flags requested by the Department of Education to fly over public schools.
There are legitimate security issues due to lawlessness and small pockets of violent extremists, as well as family and clan feuds. But as proven in the town of Jolo, local police with proper training and resources are very capable of handling security with only modest involvement by outside armed forces. World Bank, USAID, JICA and AusAID programs have shown success and are largely appreciated by the local population. Sustainability is the challenge. A "bottom of the Pyramid" community-based approach in partnership with local service sectors is the best means to transform exploitive and irresponsible behavior by local politicians. It requires a consistent unarmed presence of developmental and humanitarian experts to build the openness, knowledge and two-way trustworthy relationship necessary to overcome decades or generations of violence and suffocating poverty.
This is a small but critical portion of what I've learned in my five years of having the honor of being a partner to dedicated and courageous Tausug religious, educational and social-economic leaders. AAI is still learning the essential realities of the local communities, their history and their culture. The Asia America Initiative's Development for Peace Program in Sulu has sadly been scaled back because we are currently operating without any form of government funds, but we are staying operational through private donors and our local-community partnerships. We now have some 25,000 children in our Model of Excellence public model schools and a handful of religious schools, with many more schools seeking to participate.
All Model of Excellence school principals mentioned that there is a substantial increase of students choosing to study and stay in school and graduate. The schools have seen a 10 to 15 percent increase in student enrollment. Due to the increase in enrollment, all the Model of Excellence schools are in need of more classrooms and chairs. Books, computers and learning technologies are also needed. Arts, music and sports equipment are also in great demand. Without any government funding at this time, AAI is also a need of finding donors or other organizations that could help us in putting more classrooms and learning tools in the schools.
In Jolo, Ms. Sumdad worked with local leaders to distribute emergency humanitarian food, clothing and medical assistance to families displaced by earlier military operations hunting elements of the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo. The AAI's Model of Excellence "peace zone" school in Kasambuhan Village has sheltered hundreds of families displaced by violence in coordination. AAI has provided asistance to the local Red Cross, the Integrated Provincial hospital, local government and private organizations. Food and clothing distributed by AAI was donated by students at Catholic colleges in Luzon, as a means of showing concern and friendship to their Muslim brothers and sisters. It is also a way of supporting the ongoing Peace Talks in Mindanao through Inter-Faith compassionate action.
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