| About Us | Products & Services | Updates | Recent Projects |
| Publications | Board of Trustees |

Linking the youth in Mindanao and Luzon using modern communications technology as a means towards building peace has come its way to the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, North Cotabato. With video conferencing, the youth of USM and the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City can listen to the stories of the panelists, all survivors of armed conflict, poverty, discrimination and prejudice. This cost effective and practical way of using technology can make the youth’s voices heard, and they can discuss the cause and consequences of conflict through story telling.

Dr. Nicolas K Alipui, UNICEF country director, shared in his opening speech: “It is our responsibility as youth to make a big difference in the world, that long lasting peace rests with us…. By using technology, we can bridge and reach out to people across the mountains and the seas because we are electronically connected. It brings us closer together and make new friends. We can amplify our message of peace to others.”

Conference 1, which dealt with the issue “ Moving from Conflict to Understanding,” had panelists Mila Abdullah of Cotabato City; 16-year-old Haiya, a Muslim girl from Manila; Janette Villanueva, 11, from Silay, Negros Occidental; Lt. Isidro Vicente; and Nas Talipasan, from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Mila was teary-eyed when she shared her experiences in the evacuation center in Barangay Limbalod, Datu Montawal town in Maguindanao during the war in 1998. “We’re victims of the war between the military and the MILF. We lost our house because it was burned by the military. Even our farm animals were burned, too. My father died in the evacuation center because he was not treated. It’s really difficult to rise up from the effects of the war. We’re leaving it all up to God.”

Haiya, who was discriminated against in a Christian school in Manila where she is studying, had an awful experience with one of her teachers. “My teacher removed my veil while we were in drawing class. She asked me why I was wearing a veil when I’m not attending Muslim school. She said it was an insult to them, and threatened that she will lower my grades if I insist on wearing the veil.”

Haiya broke in tears in the middle of her story because it was too painful for her.

“My mother noticed my low grades, so I was forced not to wear my veil in class. I regained confidence when I joined the peace camp, realizing that my teacher must have acted that way because she does not understand the Muslim culture. She eventually sought forgiveness. I hope that others will also get to know our culture and accept us as we are.”

Baicon Macaraya, a peacebuilder and the emcee during the event, affirmed Haiya’s story that the “belo” completes a Muslim woman’s identity. “We feel safe if we wear the veil,” she added.

Janette Villanueva, 11, who hails from Silay, Negros Occidental, narrated her story of poverty in a smiling and cheery manner. Her father suffers from tuberculosis and her 17-year-old brother, who is mentally ill, is currently studying as a Grade 1 pupil. Their bamboo hut has one kitchen.

“Our small hut’s roofing is made of nipa, the floors and the walls are bamboo. We don’t even have rooms. All we have is the kitchen. But we’re always happy. We all eat together at home. I walk my way to school. But when it rains hard and the floods come, I can’t attend school anymore because I don’t even have an umbrella. Out there in the rain, I just run as fast as I can to avoid catching fever. We catch fish in the river so we could have money to buy rice. We usually get drinking water from the manual pump, and I’m strong enough to carry two pails. My father advised me to study hard so I can get a decent job when I grow up. At school, I’m in the volleyball team.”

When asked what her dream is, “I’d like to finish my studies and get to play volleyball, too.”

Lt. Isidro Vicente had three years of combat experience in Mindanao. He describes himself as “very aggressive” in war, and likes to show off his combat skills. In 2003, his troops engaged the MILF in an armed encounter, where his dearest friend died. “His body was torn to pieces, like a butchered hog. I hope there will be no more war. But I have no choice when duty calls.”

Mila stressed they do not blame the AFP nor the MILF when their lives were ruined because of the war. For her, they were just victims of a tragic circumstance. For Haiya’s part, she acknowledged that it was her teacher’s ignorance about the Muslim culture that she was forced her to remove her veil in school.

Through the Young Advocates for Peace (YAP), Jimson Hapson and I were lucky to be chosen as one of the ambassadors who will act as facilitators during the workshop. It is a whole new experience for us to meet new friends coming from different cultural backgrounds, to hear their stories of survival amidst the war, poverty and discrimination. It is also an avenue for us to have deeper understanding about them.

This “Buklod Kalilintad,” a series of seven video conferences from July to December this year, was made possible through the efforts of UNICEF, Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and Assisi Development Foundation. Robin Pettyfer of the Assisi Foundation, said: “This will help us understand that we have so much in common rather than differences.”