Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

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

Recalling the concepts, facing the challenges
Posted 8 March 2010

Some 30 junior military officers and a handful of police personnel came to the recall session for graduates of the Operation Peace Course (Op Kors), a peace building program of the Eastern Mindanao Command and Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc., at the 6th Infantry Division camp in Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. But in what seemed to be a macabre twist of fate, the venue inside the camp carries the name Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan Peace Center.

Two months before the recall session, some 60 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, were massacred in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, the bloodiest case of political violence in the country’s history. The alleged masterminds are Datu Zaldy himself, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his father and brother. For the military the incident, which was then still fresh and vivid in the public psyche, was a big blow to their image as protectors of the people and could have caused a big dip in troop morale. In fact, in their sharing of experiences some of the participants cited the carnage as one of the saddest things that happened after attending the Op Kors training.

Yet whatever psychological burden the participants may have brought with them, the resource persons and their senior officers tried to ease with bright prospects for the Philippine military’s emerging role in the peace building front. They echoed the growing clamor for a “paradigm shift” in handling armed conflicts given the failure of purely militaristic means the huge amount of resources for which was better spent on basic services and development programs.

Col. Ariel Bernardo, assistant division commander, set the complexion of the gathering by narrating an anecdote about a military official who complained to his general that some soldiers would not want to fight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for religious reasons. The general, so the story goes, told his subordinate he would be happy if he could find soldiers who would not fight the rest of the days so that the war may end.

Bernardo, citing well researched data, stressed the need to know the nature of each conflict and examine approaches. Incidentally, this piece of wisdom is among the basic lessons the officers have learned in Op Kors.

Soldiers can engage in conflict prevention even if they are meant for combat operations and it will not make them look like cowards, he said, adding they may choose to become part of civil society as individuals.

Anak Mindanaw Party-list Rep. Ariel Hernandez further underscored the urgency of undertaking non-military approaches in resolving conflicts with the proposal to include a soldier’s community peace and development initiatives as a basis for his/her promotion. Moreover, he announced the launching this year of the Soldier for Peace Award (Gawad Kapayapaan) which carries cash incentives for two awardees.

Hernandez, however, noted that peace education is yet to be institutionalized in the military. He said this will cover International Humanitarian Law, human rights and peace building courses.

But the bigger inspiration came from the participants themselves who in their sharing of experiences reflected on the personal changes that have unfolded after attending Op Kors. They enthused how [the training] has improved personal traits, relationship with fellow soldiers and family, and skills in communication. Some said they appreciated having learned things not usually thought within the armed, e.g. Mindanao history.

Nonetheless, there were also stories on the downside aside from the Ampatuan Massacre. Some lamented that other soldiers did not understand the peace work being done by Op Kors graduates and that not all communities were supportive of peace initiatives. A company commander rued that some sectors were wary of his unit’s real motives in peace building work. “We have a reputation of being a ‘warrior’ unit,” he explained. Others said some local officials were uncooperative, that is, they approved requests [from the military] but did not actually implement them.

In reality, the questions and challenges have come not only from fellow soldiers and other sectors but also from the participants’ own discernment on the real place of peace building in their career as military people. “How do we apply peace building concepts without compromising the mission of the division or battalion?” one of them asked. It was however more of a point of reflection than a question. The same officer lamented that some soldiers are in fact skeptical about peace building and would argue that conflicts are neither their fault nor responsibility to settle. It was a thinly veiled assertion that the soldier’s only job is to fight. Another one said they would always face dilemma in coordinating with local governments since they might be construed as being partisan.

Fortunately, the presence of senior officers – aside from Col. Bernardo, in attendance were Col. Julieto Ando (U7 of the Eastern Mindanao Command) and Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao (G7 of the 6ID) – somehow bolstered hopes that despite internal and external obstacles peace building has a future in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, an institution that has only known the business of war. The three colonels did not simply sat and listened but also shared insights and helped in polishing the peace building plans of each brigade. More importantly, they reminded the participants that peace building is a long, continuous process and that one should not expect the outright conversion of fellow soldiers as happened to Paul on the way to Damascus.