All it takes for a Somali, a Kazak, a Nepali, a Burmese and two Bangladeshi peacebuilders is to appreciate all what had been done as far as development and peacebuilding in Barangay Umagos, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental is concerned.

As part of the learning adventures of the first Action Asia Peacebuilders Forum, this group of peace advocates heard and saw firsthand last October 28 the efforts made by all stakeholders of the peace zone initiative in the Misamis Oriental Eastern Towns (MISORET) cluster.

Lada from Kazakhstan was impressed saying that the “four actors” -- the communities, local government units, non-governmental organizations, and the funding agencies -- are doing their respective parts in the implementation of community development and peace plans.

They are very much interested with the coming together of six independent municipal entities bringing about coalition efforts for the development of these towns with low income.

“It’s interesting that six municipalities are having a common understanding about peace and development, and having equal spirit for moving forward,” commented Asad of Bangladesh. He said that in his own country, areas usually do their separate thing, especially areas with very little support on coalition endeavors.

Asad pointed out that Balay Mindanaw’s technical support has really helped the communities. He added that with BM’s mission of empowering the communities, Umagos can now move forward even without the aid of NGOs.

“We can sense that the community has the ownership of the process they are undergoing,” seconded Habiba, another peacebuilder from Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi said it is encouraging that the people’s feeling of ownership of the project and their development plan are importantly observed. Asad even acknowledged that local elected representations are keen about people’s opinions and integrating them into development efforts.

Though they rely mainly on translators, the language barrier did not seem to hinder them in understanding and feeling what the community was sharing. They saw it through movements and facial expressions of the community leaders who passionately shared their thoughts and experiences.

“I am quite impressed with the integration process,” said Mumu from Myanmar. They believe that having representatives from the Philippine Army sit together with the barangay development council needs to be replicated. The three unarmed gentlemen reasoned out that they are part of the Army’s strategy to win back the hearts of the community and healing some past wounds.

Since the peacebuilders forum participants came to Mindanao to gather and share various peacebuilding approaches, they also experienced painting session with the kids while an arts workshop for peace was ongoing at the Tabok Community Center.

As peacebuilders themselves, the delegates also posed some challenges to all stakeholders and especially to Balay Mindanaw. They think that the clustering process is a challenging approach.

They likewise pointed out that the institutional and financial sustainability factors need to be looked upon seriously since politicians come and go, as well as foreign funds which mainly support the initiatives as of now.

They also recommended that the “arts for peace” concept to be integrated into the formal school system to institutionalize the whole process.