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| MSU, Marawi City |
The seed of human conflict and violence sow in Adam’s time when Cain struck
and killed his younger brother Abel out of envy and jealousy as their God chose
the sacrificial offerings of the latter. Thousand years passed, “conflict and
violence” has been the inevitable hindrance preventing to win the lasting
peace. In the Philippines, the experience of conflict and violence has been
part of history for hundred years since Spain’s colonial era. But, as of this
writing, the so-called Mindanao Conflict has become a none ending struggle for
the both Muslims, Christians, Lumads and other tribes. Many intellectuals had
been attempting and persistently analyzing the problem, and scholarly framed
peace resolutions to solve the cycle of conflicts. But through the years, the
aim for peace seems vague and elusive. It was all nothing but just a black and
white strained in a gray line.
Conflict in the Presence of
Peace
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"Hostility and Violence"
(cropped) Photo credit: News Letter of Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP), 2005 |
We are all different (whether we like it or not). When people cannot
tolerate one another morally, culturally, religiously and politically - conflict
is sure to happen. In a flat world society of diverse differences, it is
an inescapable reality to deal it within the course and flows of time.
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| Mindanao Island Map |
Stipulated with the archaic disputed issue on the endless claim of
ancestral domain among Muslim descendants and other Lumad tribes, war and
violence becomes the sounding grounds of conflict escalated into real and physical
battle. To mention, the besieged city in the central district of Marawi was completely
an appalled to residues from the skirmished war between the government forces and
the extreme rebels hoisting its ISIS banner to forcibly establish a caliphate
state. The scuffling encounter all began
around 2 o’clock at the height of peaceful busy afternoon on the 23rd
of May 2017 while days near ahead approaching the observance of Ramadhan that
awaited all Muslims to discern. In a blinked of seconds, it took more than 100
days of violent warring. It was an inordinate gory power play and a bloody
power game display in between of who should remain the strongest and who should
stands the mightiest to rule the frontline conurbation. In that dumbfounding
presence of extremely violence, thousands of innocent people who lives in peace
and whom only wanted to live peacefully were in outcry exodus and forced to flee
from their homes in order to escape the trepidations. Many were trapped from their flats and
undergrounds as the weapons whacked in over a crisscross directions while grunting
in fears.
The people of Marawi felt disconsolate as they failed to protect the
peace they sow and propagate over the years. In spite of the Islamic teachings
of peace hinged to their religious belief, it failed to crackdown somebody
else’s extreme ideologies of another principle whom happened to embrace (quite)
the same belief. For me, city that is for Bangsamoro taking over by another
faction of extreme Bangsamoro revolutionaries is not ideally Islamic. Hence, it
arises grueling and exhausting conflict if with a differing principles and
concepts of implementing peace clash out of context. But it happened…
The presence of peace center institute and other various peace groups
and young organizations were certainly disheartened and feel depressed by the
abrupt eruption of war. All were burn
into ashes in the fires of human-made hell. From internal conflict to grave violence
certainly destroy the lasting peace they envision and hope for to attain of.
And, the fact remain that many were internally displaced. It further
harmed by the realities of aggravating negative judgement and rejections. Thinking
and treating each other differently came to play. It created an obscure wall of
prejudices. It lead to a sheer suspicions and distrusts. It drew an invisible partition line to
discriminate one another. It silently
gave new birth to hatred and abhorrence and thus grow steadily.
Peace in the Presence of
Conflict
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"Power play"
(cropped) Photo credit: News Letter of Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP), 2005 |
The philosophy of culture of peace has always embedded with a struggle
to impart its principles to the new generation. But its ideology remain
resilient in the face of the immerging conflicting diverse society.
I was born and raised in Islamic of City Marawi as a Non-Muslim with
parents both worked in military government. I took my formative years in the
said place but peace education was not included in the formative mainstream
curriculum to be taught at all levels in school from primary to secondary and even
in tertiary (although there’s a specific subject offered for college students
but remain an optional/elective). Though from GMRC (Good Morals and Right
Conduct) to Values Education can be the key and can play a major role in
shaping the morals of a child into fine conduct such as the value respect, the
concept of peace was not formally introduce in the school system to prepare the
perceptive learning keenness of schoolers. In my opinion, it’s ironic to think (at
that time) for a Laboratory School designed to mold a diverse people with
different cultural affinity and ethnicity to come together, and by its goal, to
understand each other and yet no mainstream form of peace education being
taught…
Christians and other non-Muslims were considered minorities in the turf
of the so-called minority groups in the Philippines. It comprise more or less
10 percent within the particular whole. Both in school and in the community, we
strive living together harmoniously and peacefully. Just like in an ordinary
normal goings in a society, we tend to follow the nature of system in sharing both
our religious beliefs and our cultural and ethnic practices in the hopes to
reconcile the common grounds of finding ourselves to live in “peace”.
Just like in a normal Filipino society, thus, we observed the norms of
behavior. To recall, as growing preschoolers and primary pupils then, we were
taught in school the basic knowledge on learning the basic foundation of
education but again, none specific mainstream design for peace education. With
this thought system, we were naturally incline to embrace competitions to one
another. A healthy-competition (they say).
Though, we study together, play games together (the usual way), and
sometimes share our snacks and foods together, yet our hesitations of asking
both our differences remain in our thoughts as well as our judgement about what
kind of people they are to us and inversely what kind of people we are to them.
Asking parents the “abouts” of them were
our last hitting grounds. But the basic concepts of “who and what they are” were
not as the same as the other one. Partly, parents were also bombarded with
mixed notions and dissimilar impressions. But mostly were negative connotations
towards them and other. These lead children to think contrarily. Such
difference build barriers of divisiveness come to form stereotyping. It creates conflicting issues both positive
and negative that potentially polarizes the thoughts of learning. In some
instances that we were involved in an irreconcilable issues, and sometimes
engaged in fist fights, we tend to sow a growing hatred in the minds and hearts
with one another even if it was resolved then.
It develop prejudices. It cultivates a perceptive discriminatory
thoughts. And this could potentially lead to misunderstanding. Worst is into
violence. Thus, in spite of the presence of peace, conflict thoughts rule the
human psyche.
The Challenge to Culture of
Peace
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"The young and once young"
(cropped) Photo credit: News Letter of Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP), 2005 |
The so-called Mindanao Conflict has been handed down from generations
to generation. And that Lasting Peace is everyone’s hope to achieve. However,
obviously, it has not been completely resolved and still far from real. Peace
maybe sound so elusive but even in its slightest possibility, it is hard to
kill. But sustaining the culture of peace is financially exhausting. And, it’s quite expensive to fill its
concordance. That’s for real. Yes, the intervention of the government is
essential by institutionalizing peace inititives and the needs of the people toward
progress and sustaining development. But the interference of these frameworks
being laid and mounted upon is just a half-part of the whole. That, the work of
the “other half” and its success depends on the people on how they will protect
and sustain it. Would that be enough? Will it really work?
The issue of political practices is undoubtedly an enormous hindrance
in implementing the plans and programs of peace towards development. The mere
fact that the leaders and people behind the traditional politics are hounded
with issues of power hunger and corruption that aggravates the problem of
unabated social injustices. It’s a receding abortive factor that could
principally precede unsuccessful endeavor towards progress. And, that even with
the great efforts of attaining its goal and purpose for lasting peace,
everything that is being work hard for in achieving it will just be futile, put
into shame and in vain (sayang lang)…
Moreover, the growing community in social media network insentiently intoxicate
the perceptive views of the "netizens". Irresponsible use and or overuse trends and
tend to be the leading factors in spreading fake news and lies, thus, takes
over the consciousness of an individual being. Disinformation and misinformation creates more
avenues to think and ruminate differently with others. It disintegrate people
to people rapport. Its relationship slopes downward as social media like Facebook
and the likes has become the annex virtual sphere where most people spent more
time often with than in the realm. Thus, creates “cybernetic culture” where the
essence of realism turn to “Animeism”.
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"Sharing stories of struggles and success..."
From left: Saidamen, Dr. Matuan, Helena, Zakiya, Me, and Chester
(cropped) Photo credit: News Letter of Young Ambassadors for Peace (YAP), 2005 |
I got awareness on the idea of peace from joining and engaging myself through
interfaith dialogue groups and movements. And it’s quite a humbling and
fulfilling experience. Yet, it was a roller coaster journey ride. To say the
least, working for peace is always confederated with great challenges. I was
once there, idealistic then. The struggle to make a difference for peace is
real. The longer we give effort, peace seems hard to grasp and easily slip away
on our hands. It was tough and tiring yet challenging enough to tolerate and endure
the hardships and disappointments while sustaining the momentum of your
commitment to peace. Even for a certain group’s internal relationship also
crosses and clouded with conflicting issues due to its gainsaying views and
differences. That’s for sure. But the value of respect prevails of both parties
involved, which is quite another challenge and relatively a test of friendship,
amity and alliance. But above all, the possibility of attaining true peace and
justice is firm, unwavering, contemporarily existing and doable or feasible. It
is real, though a continuing process.
With the looming biases and prejudices, issues on discrimination and abuse
of power from the remnants of the war in Marawi City, there’s again, a clarion
call to give peace a chance. It’s an expensive move yet very indispensable. Peace
groups and social justice movements can play a significant role in molding
people whom dealing with struggles of conflict in grassroots level. It’s not about
spending astronomical amount of money, it’s all about responding to the problem
by means of resolving conflict effectively and in a non-violent way. Talk estimation or exchanges of opinion is
important but enclose with actions, thus, vital and essential. Be it in an
innovative approach and or in creative means through sports, arts, music,
community service, street education, empowerment and social awareness, and etc.
teaching peace can make a difference in building a more peaceful and harmonious
community. Burning their biases and prejudicial outlooks, melting down their
perceptive discriminating thoughts, and giving them the right tools on dealing the
issue of power struggle can simply build a society of culture of peace. It can
shapes perception, it changes things toward positive life as it works for
everyone else’s who needs it. Intensive
yet practical approach of education is crucial in transforming the issues of
human psyche from inner conflict to inner peace. As to how, it remains a
challenge. The possibility is limitless.
But still the reality constantly linger - that peace and conflict is
inseparable. Both always come together. You and I knows that, because we
personally have our own conflicting issues and (dark) stories within. Day by day, we are dealing with it,
confronting it. And, at times difficult to bear and endure with. Thus, peace is
susceptible to conflict because of individual’s own sufferings and other’s differences
with underlying own sufferings as well. On the other hand, it is a mistake to
avoid conflict because conflict per se opens an avenue to challenge the problems
and struggles toward positive change. It gives an opportunity in learning more
about yourself as well as others too. Hence, peace and conflict intertwined in
between and come in both ends.
From the Blogger's Desk: " Please note that I am no longer connected or affiliated to any peace movements or any existing civic organizations related to peace advocacy. The intention of this blog post is for personal purposes only. Some of the photos above were grabbed from the news letter of a sponsored international organization I was once involved with. Thank you
