BMFI

Vision / Mission

Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI) is a Filipino Mindanao-based and Mindanao-focused non-stock, non-profit organization. BMFI’s work and its people articulate a sense of fierce pride for Mindanao and a passion for transforming this poorest and most conflict-torn of the country’s region into a “balay”, a true home for its peoples – Christians, Muslims and Lumads, indigenous peoples of Mindanao.

It is a non-stock, non-profit foundation primarily engaged in promoting equity-based development and sustainable peace. It was registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 8, 1996.

BMFI’s mission statement reads: Helping Build Empowered Sustainable Communities. Helping Build Peace in Mindanaw as it pursues its vision of Kaangayan, Kalambuan, Kalinaw sa Mindanaw, sa Pilipinas, sa Kalibutan (Equality, Development, Peace for Mindanao, for the Philippines and for the World).

Its peace-building and development work in the rural areas of Mindanao are pursued through principled partnerships with the people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations, local government units, government agencies and other sectors towards the building of a Mindanao which is truly a home (“balay” and “banay”) for its tripeople – the Moros, the Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) and the settlers.

For the past 15 years, BMFI’s involvement in Mindanao peace-building and development work has been at the following levels of intervention:

At the barangay level, BMFI engages in actual community organizing activities following the COCO-BREAD framework which has been adopted by the Philippine Community Organizers Society (PHILCOS). It facilitates the forging of community-based and area-focused partnership among the development players through the institutionalization of mechanisms for democratic participation in governance through participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and barangay development planning (BDP) using the sustainable integrated area development (SIAD) approach both in the lowlands and the uplands; On its ninth year, BMFI has started its Community-Based Peace-Building Program as its key intervention at the village level. Here, BMFI is committed in strengthening the community peace builders and advocates under the local peace movement called the LAWIG KALINAW.

At the municipal level, BMFI contributes meaningfully to the over-all development of the municipalities where it is engaged in barangay-level intervention by working for the incorporation and integration of the community/barangay development plans into the municipal plans and budgets, and the formation of municipal partnerships like the Municipal Peace and Order Councils (MPOCs) of the province of Misamis Oriental;

At the provincial level, BMFI helps in the strengthening of provincial partnerships, networks and movements especially in the area of peace-building and democratic participation in governance. It actively participates in the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) of Misamis Oriental, representing the civil society groups in the province. BMFI conducts peace education and research activities for community leaders, local government officials, military, police and non-government workers.

At the sub-regional (Northern Mindanao) and regional (Mindanao) levels, BMFI contributes meaningfully to the strengthening and the sustained relevance of sub-regional and regional coalition-building and advocacy efforts like the Regional Development Council (Region 10), Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE), Mindanao Congress of Development NGOs (MINCON), Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference (MPAC), Mindanao Peaceweavers, Kusog Mindanaw (Mindanao Force), and other multi-sectoral movements for Mindanao development, and partnership work with the various government agencies. In 2005, BMFI started to engaged the military and police by providing them capacity development on peacebuilding and conflict management, in partnership with the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

At the national and international levels, BMFI participates meaningfully in partnerships, networks and other national and international movements for peoples’ development. Among the key national engagements of BMFI are its active participation in the Caucus of Development NGOs (CODE-NGO), National Peace Conference (NPC), Philippine Misereor Partnership (PMP), Consortium for the Advancement of Peoples Participation for SIAD (CAPP-SIAD), among others. BMFI has also begun collaborative work in peace-building with Action Asia, Action Global, TRANSCEND, Global Initiatives for Department of Peace and the UK-based Responding to Conflict (RTC).

BMFI acts as the Mediator and Independent Secretariat of the Peace Process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa sa Mindanao (RPM-M), a Mindanao-based revolutionary group called the Revolutionary Workers’ Party in Mindanao. This peace process covers the poorest communities in the whole of Mindanao.

As widespread as BMFI’s scope of operations, so are its activities diverse. Pursuing a vision of equity, development and peace for Mindanao through peace-building and sustainable integrated area development (SIAD) approach by promoting democratic participation in local governance and agrarian reform implementation obviously entails a lot of work in community organizing, networking, partnership building, education, research, publication and advocacy

Officers & Staff

Founders of BMFI are a mix of individuals with a common concern for the development of Mindanao through agrarian reform, sustainable development and democratic participation in governance.

In 2010, the BOT has reorganized its composition – elected a new Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Board Secretary, Board Treasurer while limiting its Board members back to 7 (with the new ED).

Since BMFI was registered in May 8, 1996, Ibing was the Chairperson of the BOT of the Foundation. After 15 years, Ibing has requested to step down and the BOT elected Kaloy as new Chairperson while Ibing as the new Vice-Chairperson, replacing the late Rey Magno Teves. The BOT also elected again Azon and Ayi as the Board Secretary and Board Treasurer respectively.

Charlito “Kaloy” Z. Manlupig
Chairperson

BMFI’s founder and President, also a Mindanao development advocate and peace-builder, a former churchworker, former Mindanao Area Manager of the Presidential Management Staff of the Office of the President, former Regional Director of the Department of Agrarian Reform, former Mindanao Coordinator of PhilDHRRA, co-founder of MINCODE and presently the Secretary-General of the Mindanao Congress of Development NGOs (MINCON) and Deputy Secretary-General of Kusog Mindanaw. He is presently the mediator and Head of the Independent Secretariat in the GRP – RPM-M Peace Process. He is a graduate of the ten-week Working With Conflict Course at the RTC in Birmingham, UK. Kaloy was the first Executive Director of BMFI from 1996 to 2004. Kaloy leads the Balay Mindanaw Group as its President since its conception.

Ma. Corazon “Azon” Gaite-Llanderal
Board Secretary

A Mindanaoan developmental lawyer with solid background in international humanitarian laws, agrarian reform, governance, justice and human rights. At present, Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 40, formerly Assistant Regional State Prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Region X.

Ariel “Ayi” Hernandez
Board Treasurer

A young Mindanaoan professional who has been into development work since graduating from college, Master’s degree holder in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. At present, the Executive Director of Katilingbanong Pamahandi sa Mindanao (KPMFI) and Bangko sa Balay Foundation Inc. (BBFI). He was the former Executive Director of BMFI (2005 to 2010), former Party List Representative of the Anak Mindanaw Party List in the 14th Congress of the Philippine House of Representatives. He was chosen as the 2011 Fellow of the Eisenhower Fellowship Multi-nation Program. Ayi is the Senior Director of BMFI for Program Development.

Gerardo “Gerry” Bulatao
Board Member

A respected NGO personality with a solid background in agrarian reform having been deeply involved in the peasants’ struggle for agrarian reform through the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) in the 1970s, and a graduate of the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Governance. This former Department of Agrarian Reform Undersecretary and former Executive Director of the Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran sa Kanayunan at Repormang Pansakahan is presently the Managing Director of the Empowering Civic Participation in Governance (ECPG) and the lead convenor of LGCNet.

Teodorico “Teody” Pena
Board Member

A former DAR official and a national expert on agrarian reform, former team leader of KAISAHAN’s Negros Occidental Area-Specific Development Assistance (ASDA) Team and presently the Executive Director of QUIDAN-KAISAHAN. He is presently pursuing another graduate course in Swansea, United Kingdom.

Reginald “Reggie” Villasanta and Luzviminda “Luz” Dona-Villasanta
Board Members

Husband and Wife – Reggie and Luz – were among the friends of Kaloy who provided support in the foundation’s conceptualization stage in 1994/1995 before it was finally registered as an NGO in 1996. Before BMFI was conceived, the four of them, Kaloy, Luz, Reggie and another friend, Kotoy, set up the Balay Mindanaw Formation House for Development Workers. Luz was the General Manager.

Jose Noel “Butch” Olano
Board Member

Butch is presently the Executive Director of PARFUND or the Philippine Agrarian Reform Fund. He also Chairs the Resource Center for Empowerment and Development (RCED). He was an Undersecretary of the DAR Central during the time of President Fidel V. Ramos.

Charmaine Mae “Xx” Dagapioso-Baconga
Board Member

The first community organizer or SIADO of BMFI, now holds master’s degree in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS). She is the Executive Director of the Resource Center for Empowerment and Development (RCED). She also heads the Operation Peace Course Program of BMFI.

Franklin M. Quijano

Organization Chart