Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

Kaangayan, Kalambuan, Kalinaw ... sa Mindanaw, sa Pilipinas, sa Kalibutan

Meet a soldier who builds peace
William Kiptoo, Catholic Relief Service
Posted 2 March 2007

	MGen. Ferrer advocating peacebuilding among his soldiers. Photo: Bobby Timonera

A soldier into peacebuilding? Perhaps this may sound ironical because traditionally, people have feared the military and associated them with war and violence. Even with a relatively “trusted” military like the United Nations peacekeeping force, these negative perceptions still exist. However, in Western Mindanao, Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, currently commander of the First “Tabak” Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, is trying hard to challenge these perceptions.

But he made his mark as a peace builder as commanding general of the 103rd Infantry Brigade in the island province of Basilan from 2004 to 2006. He was also battalion commander in the area a decade earlier.

He is a soldier with a difference. When dressed in his full military uniform, Gen. Ferrer fits the profile of an ordinary soldier. Yet, he is extraordinary in his commitment to peacemaking.

Gen. Ferrer now oversees the Army’s operations in Western Mindanao, particularly the Zamboanga and Lanao provinces, Misamis Occidental, and until lately Basilan and parts of Sulu. These areas have suffered aftermath of armed conflict that has raged the area for decades.

Witnessing the shattering of lives caught in the web of violence, Gen. Ferrer was greatly troubled, and began to contemplate ways to be involved directly in peacebuilding work, particularly in his former area of operations, Basilan. His dream eventually came true when a group of local NGOs and religious organizations invited him to be part of a grassroots initiatives for peacebuilding in the area. Coincidentally, these organizations were also exploring ways of involving the military to improve their relationship with the communities, which had deteriorated at the time.

At the beginning of his new vocation as a peacebuilder, Gen. Ferrer fought many battles, both internal and external, especially with his colleagues in the military who regarded him as a “strange fellow” when he first started to “sell” the idea of peace to them. The hardest challenge of all, he says, was dealing with the attitude of the military who, according to him, believe strongly in the ideology of war. “I kept asking them, why should we fight to attain peace? Violence cannot bring us peace!”

However, Gen. Ferrer acknowledges that there are hurdles in trying to change a system like the military to embrace non-violence as an option. He says he tries to be a role model, never desiring to impose his authority or ideas but treating each one as a colleague.

Gen. Ferrer’s exemplary work in Basilan and a sense of commitment in peace became a source of inspiration to others, who eventually recognized his efforts for peace. In 2005, he applied at the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) in Davao City, where he took two courses: Fundamentals of Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Skills.

For the MPI organizers, this came as a big surprise — to receive a high ranking Army official interested in peacebuilding work. Commenting on the particular experience, Myla Leguro, the CRS Program Manager for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Program and a key organizer of MPI, noted: “There was hesitation at first, but we welcomed his participation as a way to include more high ranking military personnel in the dialogue for peace in Mindanao.”

As a highranking official, Gen. Ferrer works with the military under his command with the hope that the skills they gain will help deal with and transform numerous communal and inter-personal conflicts which are rampant. He also hopes that his program will help improve relationship between the military and the communities around them and inculcate values of non-violence, encouraging reconciliation and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders.

During his stint in Basilan, with the help of local NGOs, Gen. Ferrer conducted trainings and was able to reach out to 2,400 paramilitary men in the island. He is currently reviewing his training program which he calls “conflict management.” This approach is culture-sensitive and includes important elements of conflict resolution, gender and human rights issues.

In designing the modules, Gen. Ferrer ensures that the content and the process meet the needs of his audience who are diverse in religion, culture and educational backgrounds. He explains: “Because some of them have not finished elementary school, we try to lower the level of training to their level. Some of the low-level type of training is about art. They draw pictures for instance, of a Muslim and Christian standing together holding hands and of a Mosque and a Church with symbols of a tower and a cross — meaning to say everybody possesses some understanding of the value and importance of peace.”

The change is remarkable. General Ferrer observes that the wives of the paramilitaries have confessed to him that their husbands have changed and have become good husbands. Cases of domestic violence in homes have also reduced greatly, although there are still isolated cases. He says the relationship between paramilitary and the communities has also improved drastically. “Our detachments used to look so desperate and isolated because nobody wanted to get near them. But now, we see more people building their houses around our detachments because they trust us now, and they feel much safer,” he says, adding that the role of soldiers and the paramilitaries is to protect the people and not to oppress them.

Gen. Ferrer considers that it is important for the military to be involved in peacebuilding work. “There is no fighting 24 hours a day or seven days a week, and much of the time our soldiers are idle. That gives us reason to engage them constructively in peacebuilding activities instead of just wasting time.”

This has not been an easy persuasion, though. He has faced a lot of opposition and criticism from his military colleagues and from skeptics who feel peacebuilding is not a domain of the military. His colleagues, especially, were apprehensive and feared that teaching peacebuilding to the military would jeopardize the spirit of war or fighting and may cause them to “unlearn” the skills and refuse to shoot when ordered to do so. But they later softened when he stood his ground and told them that as soldiers, they have been trained how to wage war since they joined the military. “Once we understand that peace is the desire of everyone, then there will be no reason why we can’t live in peace with each other,” he added.

While acknowledging that working for peace in the military is not easy, Gen. Ferrer observes: “We welcome everybody to dialogue with us. We are not saying that the peacebuilding we are promoting will totally eradicate the problem of insurgency, but it will certainly help in de-escalating the conflict— perhaps a way to counter the ideology of armed struggle and this, in my view, is education by empowerment.”

Gen. Ferrer feels that it is crucial that both the military and the communities forge cooperation and prepare for a post-conflict Mindanao, especially after the signing of the peace agreement between the Government of the Republic of Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is expected soon. “Soldiers and paramilitary men at some point will be demobilized and, if this happens, proper support to integrate ex-combatants to the mainstream of society will be required. If this is not done properly, there will be likelihood of them engaging in lawless activities such as crime. And if this happens, it will be disastrous since most of them have military training already.”

Gen. Ferrer likes to think that the military has a role to play, especially in the reconciliation process. “There is no conflict that ends up with one side being annihilated. The military will still be there and the rebels as well. So how do you reconcile them? That is why we have to train the military and equip them with relevant skills so that they can be of help in the post-conflict reconstruction.”

He says the duty of a trained soldier is to be ready to defend the citizens of his country and that includes securing their rights, especially those of the marginalized and those affected by conflicts.

Gen. Ferrer believes that peace is a personal commitment that should flow out from within a person. As human beings, he says, it is easier to work and relate with people with whom we share ideas, dreams and aspirations. But it’s more challenging when you have to work with those who have different views: That, requires a higher calling!

^{*William Kiptoo is a volunteer of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) assigned to the Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Program of CRS in Davao City. He is incharge of peace research and advocacy processes. CRS has been a constant companion of Balay Mindanaw in its peace education activities, especially in the Operation Peace Courses since 2004 when Balay Mindanaw started to join the Mindanaw Peacebuilding Institute. CRS' Peace and Reconciliation program promotes tolerance and understanding among Christians, Muslims, and Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) in the Mindanao region. Program activities include support to inter-religious dialogues between Christian and Muslim religious leaders and peace education workshops. For eight years now, CRS manages the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) that provides peace related courses and exposure activities every summer for local and international peace workers.}