Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

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

IHL 101 pushed through in Mindanao
Posted 2 June 2009

Twenty-five (25) key leaders from NGOs, PO federations and networks coming from Misamis Occidental, Lanao provinces, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Bukidnon as well as Cagayan de Oro City working for the promotion of human rights-international humanitarian law in Mindanao gathered for a two-day Consultative Forum on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) on 26-27 May 2009 at the Balay Mindanaw International Center for Peace in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.

The activity primarily aimed at addressing the fact that while many human rights (HR) violations were documented and reported through fact finding missions, International Humanitarian Law (IHL) related incidence are rarely investigated and included in the over-all human rights reports. Evidently, people readily recognized HR violations but could hardly distinguish the difference between human rights law and international humanitarian law. These terms intertwined, however, even the members of the civil society are experiencing difficulties in providing a clear-cut definition of these terms.

As a result, the forum ended up with some of these significant outputs: popularizing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as a humanitarian protective framework, sharing of actual knowledge and experiences regarding IHL issues committed by either the state or non-state combatants, and identifying some possible IHL-inspired interventions that the participants can work together. Specifically, the participants signified to call themselves as now members of the Mindanao-based network of CSI-IHL.

The forum likewise facilitated the introduction of the Civil Society Initiatives- International Humanitarian Law (CSI-IHL), a newly organized network that includes the following original charter members:

• Balay Rehabilitation Center Inc. (BALAY) 
• Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL) 
• Sulong CARHRIHL 
• Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) 
• Philippine Coalition to Protect Children Involved in Armed Conflict (Protect CIAC) 
• Philippine Action Network on Small Arms (PHILANSA) 
• Philippine Society for International Humanitarian Law (PSIHL)

The resource persons/speakers of the two-day forum are representatives from the member chapters that include Atty. Rey Oliver S. Alejandrino, Atty. Soliman Santos, Ms. Becky Lozada, Ms. Liza Ugay, and Mr. Kaloy Manlupig, President of the Balay Mindanaw Group.