May 2010 Philippines Report

The month of May saw significant strides in agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in relation to the peace process in Mindanao. Both the MILF and GRP Peace Panels signed the official Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).  The elections on May 10th resulted in an outstanding victory of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as President. The Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation was also signed by both panels, signifying an end to the negotiations under President Arroyo and the commitment to restart after newly-elected President Aquino takes office.

As most of the areas where Nonviolent Peaceforce Philippines (NPP) teams are deployed were considered election-related hotspots, the situation in May was characterized by numerous election-related incidents as electioneering campaigns intensified leading to the May 10 elections. There were reported attacks against some candidates and their supporters during the first week of the month. Apart from the long-standing problem of rido or clan feuds, the pre- and post-election situation exacerbated the anxiety of civilians in the field sites of NPP. In spite of these incidents, the elections were generally peaceful in all NPP field site provinces, when compared to previous election periods, except in Lanao where ‘failure of elections’ was declared in some Municipalities.

For NPP, the new batch of International Civilian Peacekeepers arrived in May and the in-country training for them and the National Civilian Peacekeepers was held. Preparations also intensified in May for NPP’s vital role in the CPC of the IMT. Management undertook further preparations for the screening of the International Civilian Protection Monitors for the CPC of the IMT.

NP’s Work in the Provinces

In the Lanao provinces, the NPP teams there continued with their work through regular meetings with partners and stakeholders in the provinces, which was basically to monitor the situation of the municipalities covered by the team in the provinces. The Lanao teams, aside from the existing partnership with the Commission on Human Rights, started a partnership with the Balaod Mindanaw, an Iligan-based paralegal organisation that provides legal assistance to the marginalized sectors in Mindanao. The teams also supported the creation of the Ranao Election Watch (REW), which is composed of different local partners operating on the ground.

The North Cotabato Field Team (NCFT), after the team planned a peace assembly to generate views in drafting a mid-term to long-term vision in conducting interfaith activities within NCFT's areas, has been working with the Interfaith Team in the area. Following the formalisation of its partnership with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate-Inter Religious Dialogue (OMI-IRD), the NCFT supported peace building related activities of two other partner organisations, the OMI-IRD and Bantay Ceasefire.

NCFT also facilitated a series of cross-religious activities; the starter was the May 06, 2010 interfaith teams' needs assessment of Interfaith Team members from five barangays of Fort Pikit, Nalapaan, Ginatilan, Panicupaan and Kalakacan. This was done in conjunction with OMI-IRD and resulted in the respective barangays drafting interim action plans for revamping their interfaith team activities and, in some cases, leadership.

In Maguindanao, the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) was the major intervention of the team in May. The Maguindanao Field Team (MFT) was invited by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to a meeting on May 22 with IDPs to clear issues of concern raised earlier by the IDPs with the NP team. Despite the return of the IDPs to their homes, there are still issues of protection coming from the IDPs, such as their means of livelihood to enable them start their living, shelters for those whose houses were damaged or burnt down due to fighting in 2008, the presence of unexploded ordnance and the over-all security condition in the return sites.

The Sulu and Basilan NPP personnel still have some limitations to movement around the provinces and full engagement with the local partners due to ongoing security considerations, but continue their mainly proactive presence and monitoring work as the context permits. 

Other Human Rights and Protection Work

The incidents of clan- and election-related violence in the areas covered by NPP field teams have increased over the month of May. The field teams have been maintaining their presence in their areas of responsibility through meetings, dialogues, visits in the IDP camps, coordination and collaboration with local partners including the local government units, religious leaders, civil society organisations and the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities.

In Manguindanao, the team started the documentation of their monitored human rights cases in the province, as well as submitted fact sheets of violations, with plans to revamp its documentation system to further improve the documentation in termsdata collection. The team is also visible in the IDP camps to provide proactive presence and listen to the issues and concerns of the IDPs and have set an appointment with the key stakeholders and decision makers regarding IDPs’ issues.

The team has also been taking strides in providing presence in crucial and seldom reached areas in Datu Piang. At the end of the month, the team for the very first time since 2007 visited Barangay Balong, the last barangay of Datu Piang. NPP’s presence in the interior areas evoked a strong appreciation among the people.

In North Cotabato, the team joined a significant gathering, called the ‘peace power’ forum, organised by Mindanao People’s Caucus. The forum is intended to enable the actors involved in the peace process to directly interact and to provide updates to residents in the province on the status of the GRP-MILF peace process. It was a significant gathering that attracted many of attendees and dignitaries alike.

In the Lanao provinces, the teams engaged local partners and stakeholders to ensure they are always informed or present in activities initiated by the partners.

In Sulu and Basilan, the local staff in these provinces are providing proactive presence and monitoring as the security situation permits. 

Civilian Protection Component of the International Monitoring Team

Terms of Reference (TOR) for the CPC of the IMT were finalized this month for the GRP-MILF Peace Panels approval in Kuala Lumpur.

NPP’s CPC Manager, with guidance of the Country Director, contributed several inputs into the first draft of TORs and represented NPP’s views to develop the final draft of TOR for GRP-MILF Panels. TORs of the CPC draft were approved and signed in the presence of the Malaysian Government Facilitator at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 5th day of May 2010 by both peace panel chairmen and became an official TORs for the ceasefire process.  

A meeting was arranged by the IMT on 28 May 2010 at the IMT Headquarters in Cotabato City. The presentation was made by Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) officials regarding the return of IDPs and the plan of action for the preparation to facilitate their return. The ARMM plan was discussed and CPC members, including the NPP CPC Manager, presented the ground reality and shared the concerns and expectations from the IDP community before they return to their areas of origin.

Since the Suspension of Military Operations/Actions (SOMO/SOMA) agreements in July 2009, activation of peace talks by both panels, and the deployment of the IMT and formation of CPC–IMT, after Jan 2010, it is noteworthy that only three clashes between the GRP and MILF were recorded. Only three complaints to both panels for further investigations are down compared to last year’s record, which was 53 ceasefire violations alleged by both sides. This represents a significant improvement, leading to a more stable situation since peace talks started. It is also noted that the IDP population went down to 16,000 families, from 89,000 recorded in December 2009.