Category Archives: Evyn

As our work with the Challenges to Peacebuilding in Mindanao comes to a formal end, I have had time to reflect on all of the things that we saw, heard, and experienced in Mindanao. It has been a week since we completed our presentation to the larger MIIS community, and we have received very positive feedback. It feels good to be able to increase awareness of this conflict, the nature of our work in Mindanao requires us to do so.

Children seeing foreigners for the first time

Mindanao is a beautiful island, with a lot of resources and potential for sustained development and peace. The timing of our trip to the region was truly incredible, with a visit from the Pope and the Bansamoro Basic Law progressing, it seemed like it was hopeful time for Mindanao. Just days after we left,, an incident occurred, where over 60 people were killed. The mamasapano incident re-opens a region’s trauma and further postpones the progression of the BBL, which undermines the optimism we saw while in Mindanao.

Dr. Iyer with Father Bert

The takeaways are multiple. I have learned a lot about myself and what I need to work on if I want to work in the field. I have reflected and will continue to reflect on this trip to Mindanao, through writing assignments, creative projects, through conversations, and other work to give purpose to this experience

We had the opportunity of visiting schools in Mindanao which had been declared “zones of peace”, where violence was not permitted. From my perspective, it seems like it should be a given that elementary schools should be void of violence of any kind, but this is the case for many schools across the world.

At the Children’s Peace Learning Center, we had the opportunity to meet with Catholic nuns and see the pre-school they are operating in Cotabato City. The head nun, Sister Joe, reminded me of nearly every nun I have interacted with; headstrong, confident, and a little bit scary. She and the other nuns were determined to work for peace in a city which has seen its share of violence. The children, who were mixed faith, were taught both Muslim and Christian values and traditions. The nuns stated that, as part of their curriculum, they acknowledge the differences between the religions and are taught to accept them.

Sister Joe

At this school, we met in smaller groups where we could talk to the nuns about what their lives were like outside of the school. One woman talked about how there are certain neighborhoods she avoids because she gets harassed. Many nuns in the Philippines cover their hair, making their religion obvious on the outside, which is something that they share with the Muslim women who wear hijab. So often in conflicts, perceptions about the “other” contribute to continued violence. After visiting schools around Mindanao, it seems that peace programs involving youth are the key to continued peace.

Religious symbols are everywhere in the Philippines. It is especially unique in Mindanao because there are multiple religious dynamics in play in this region.

We were very lucky to have met so many actors that were influencing the landscape of the conflict in Mindanao. While many actors are NGO’s, Civil Society Organizations, and nonprofit organizations, a significant amount of the actors we met in Mindanao were rooted in religion.

Most of our meetings took place in conference rooms,equipped with blowing fans, plastic chairs, and a banner with their organization’s emblem. As part of the scenery, most meeting places had religious symbolism of one type or another. We saw many Bibles and Qu’rans, placed carefully on tables and often right next to the other. We also saw many Indigenous People altars, which were found up high, either suspended from the ceiling or on a table. These were also incorporated with the Holy Books, but less apparent outside in restaurants, hotels, or other public spaces.

An Indigenous Person’s Altar in Pamaas

Driving around Mindanao, we saw many Christian and Catholic Churches, which were absolutely packed every Sunday for mass. In the Muslim regions, we saw many mosques with tall minarets that echoed the call to prayer five times a day. It is clear to see that both religion and spirituality are very much alive in Mindanao.

Many of the people we met with spoke about “shared values” which brought the Christians, Muslims,and Indigenous People together. From an outsiders perspective, it was easy to notice the cultural values which differed from my own. These values were presented to us in several ways.

 Generosity was an important value in all people that we interacted with. Each person welcomed us with a smile, a place to sit,a handshake, or even a fan or air conditioner to make us more comfortable. We were even provided snacks of fresh fruit from the nearby farms.

In the schools, values such as purity, piety, prudence and honesty were taught alongside math and science. These values were incorporated throughout the curricula as part of the larger peace process and in the hopes of sustained peace in the region.

People specifically mentioned the importance of values in the peace process, that come from sharing a community and history. Many times we heard about harmony, compassion, mercy, respect, and forgiveness, all of which are values that can contribute to a more peaceful community. I wonder if  appealed to the shared values, outside the context of religion, they could find a more effective conflict resolution method?

Since I have been back in California, and especially on campus in Monterey, people have approached me about how my trip was to the Philippines. Many people are curious about the food, culture, and the scenery. Occasionally people would ask about our work in Mindanao. Surprisingly, most people were interested in hearing about the dynamics of our group that went.

I suppose it is an interesting dynamic. We were a group of twelve participants from two different colleges, one highly experienced professor, an interpreter, and a driver. The most notable aspect of our group is that we were predominantly women, with only one male participant. This was certainly an interesting dynamic for the people we were meeting with, as I’m sure that we were not the group they were expecting. I imagine it would be intimidating for some groups that we met to watch twelve strong women pile in.

We spent over forty hours traveling in a van around Mindanao, which became an integral part of our trip. This was the place that we were able to immediately digest the day’s information . Our group used different coping mechanisms in the space of the van at different. Some played music and enjoyed quiet time. Others spent the time joking around. All of us spent the time to get to know each other and our backgrounds. All of us did our own kind of processing and healing, in our own way, in that van.

One of my most cherished memories from the trip to Mindanao was our visit with Father Bert to Barangay Nalapan. We spent a few hours and visited a Tri-People community, which is a village that Muslims, Christians, and Indigenous People share. We were told that “universal values” such as mercy, compassion, and love were the glue that binds the community, in a place which, at times saw violent conflict. We heard that biases about the “other” had to be transcended for the sake of peace.

Drawing pictures with the kids in Nalapan

We were welcomed warmly by the people in this village, as people were coming out of their homes to see us and answer our questions. They provided us a snack of boiled plantains, which were surprisingly refreshing! We also were also given a tour of the village, where we were followed by dozens of giggling children.

During this visit, some of us had the opportunity to sit down with some children and casually talk about their life in the village. The kids spoke English fairly well and were eager to practice. They write their names and a couple other phrases in my notebook (see picture below), which is something that makes me smile every time I open to that page. We laughed and used hand signals when our common language failed us, both of enjoying the short time we had together.

People throughout Mindanao repeatedly insisted that the conflict in Mindanao was not a religiously based conflict, rather one over resources. As Father Bert in Pikit stated “ it is not a religious war but it has a religious color”.

Father Bert in Barangay Nalapan

I noticed some norms that were presented throughout our meetings around Mindanao. Nearly every meeting began with a prayer. In the cases where Muslims, Christians, and Indigenous People (IP’s) were all present, each group said a prayer according to their own faith.

Some unifying activities that the three groups participated in were celebrating holidays and Eids together. We heard stories of Muslims celebrating Christmas with Christians, and Christians celebrating Kanduli and Ramadan with Muslims. We also heard about how inter-religious marriage was used to resolve conflicts in rural areas.

A Christian Bible, an IP altar, and the Qu’ran

Despite these examples of shared norms and unifying activities we noticed throughout our fieldwork that people were still categorized  or separated by their religion. The barangays (villages) were separated, typically with the IP’s furthest removed, then the Muslims, with the Christians in the forefront. When people are segregated like they appear to be in Mindanao in many cases, how does this contribute to perceptions and biases about the “other” group.

This brings me to the question that many of us are still considering; If the conflict in Mindanao is resource based, then why are all of the peace processes, active or proposed, based on religion?

The Philippines is truly a beautiful place. I was lucky enough to spend a few days in the capital city of Manila before coming to Mindanao, the two were quite a contrast from each other! Manila is an enormous, populous city which is crowded and busy with various neighborhoods, much like any other capital city. When I spoke to Filipinos in Manila about my plans to go to Mindanao, many responded with a grimace and a suggestion to just go to Cebu instead. Others warned of an eminent kidnapping.

I expected that I would be met by people in Manila with preconceived ideas of what life is like in Mindanao; they are and always have been very much removed from the conflict. I imagine that the majority of people who do not have family from Mindanao, read the news and form their biases from the negative headlines. People in “imperial Manila” might wonder why the indigenous people are still fighting for their land so long after it had been taken from them. They could ask why the Muslims in the region think they need an autonomous region, separate from the government in the rest of the country. 
Mindanao is simply beautiful. Driving around the island was truly a privilege that I enjoyed very much. There were outstanding views at every turn. The fruit was the best I’ve ever had. The people were warm and hospitable. The land was green and lush and the water was the most beautiful color blue. I wonder if people in Manila ever thought of these things when they hear of Mindanao.

Beach in Mindanao

After I had recovered from jet lag and had adjusted back to a normal routine, I began to consider the importance of the fieldwork we had done in Mindanao. The stories of family homes being burned to the ground, violence, and missed economic opportunities still surround my thoughts. I feel responsible for using the information I collected for something that will make a difference in Mindanao.

Drying rice in front of the mosque

We heard many stories of what life was like in a conflict zone, perceptions about the “other”, as well as the many injustices that different groups have experienced. Each story was unique, although it was told with the same nervous laughter that appeared to be the Mindanaoan way of discussing difficult subjects.

I have a hard time understanding why people would speak to a large group of foreign strangers about their most traumatic or painful moments in their own or their region’s history. I don’t feel like we were an especially warm group, or had any other  characteristics that would encourage someone to open up about their past in such a short time. Perhaps it was our professional demeanor that encouraged people to open up? Was it that we asked the right questions? Maybe it was that discussing past was cathartic for them in their own way?

After nearly two months away from MIIS, it was challenging to return to grad school life. I found myself “spacing out” in classes for the first couple of weeks, thinking of Mindanao and all that we had seen.I felt exhausted, unmotivated, and stressed, and it took a few weeks to feel normal again.

One thing that really helped was the first debrief that the team had after returning to California. While in Mindanao, we spent every evening discussing the day’s meetings, happenings, and findings. What I felt most helpful and interesting was having that time to analyze how I felt about the day’s work. I felt that I needed that as part of my readjustment in the first few days back in Monterey. When we finally met after a few weeks to debrief, it was nice to check in with the Mindanao team with whom I had become so close.