Resources of every kind are abundant in Mindanao, from various tropical fruits to precious metals to oil. This means that international corporations are also abundant, and ready and willing to reap the benefits. When we met the Mindanao Development Authority, they described the investment haven that Mindanao is, which essentially means that Mindanao is open for business and anyone and everyone is welcome. Land rights and explorations rights are given to foreign corporations as long as they meet the minimum requirements of investment, of which the national government takes the largest chunk and the locals see basically nothing. I think it is really important to point out the role that development has played in proliferating the Mindanao conflict, because the very land rights that people are fighting for on the ground is being handed out by the government without any concern for these very people.
Protests against a Swiss mining company. Source: ilps-phils.com
The conflict, although it may appear to be religious is equally about the land and whom does it belong to. It is really easy to understand why most Mindanaoans refer to Manila as Imperial Manila as the relationship between the two halves of the country is still very much based in its colonial roots. Development – infrastructure and management of natural resources – and peace building – values and principles of the community – are intertwined not just in Mindanao but also all around the world. People in Mindanao want their concerns to be heard by their government, but when foreign investment is given precedence over the concerns of people, the line between development and peace building becomes very stark. Locals are taken out of the equation and further marginalized by the companies that come in and take over local markets. I think that if Filipino the government wants to promote peace in Mindanao, it should really think twice about its priorities.