Reflecting on Peace from the Philippines
June 10 - 14, 2002: Penang, Malaysia
By Bobby Benito
I know for sure that each and everyone of us here often dreams of peace. But how could we take a piece of peace if those in power hold and keep peace alone in their hands? It is high time that we, the minoritized groups of people, must share equality and freedom with the rest of the peoples of the world...that discrimination and conflict imposed by the powers that be must end. To the Moros, the aspiration of peace stems from its history and their innate longing for equality before God.
History tells us that before the coming of Islam on our shores, the natives lived in a peaceful community. They had practiced a communal way of living. The source of livelihood depended largely on farming, hunting, fishing and trading. Food gathered was shared together according to each person's need. Land was owned through declaration or "pusaka" (heirloom) individual and communal ownership. There was no land titling and land was not for sale then but rather for donation according to the need of the individual or groups, for example the need for a school ground.
Every community or village had its own chieftain as well as group of elders as great and honorable leaders over their respective communities. Thus, the elders or chieftains settled their conflicts through serious talks, marriage and other forms of amicable settlement. Today, even in some instances, the offending party has to kneel down and kiss the feet of the aggrieved party. The underlying perception here is to develop humility.
During the Islamic era the Moro's (Muslim) perception of peacemaking developed. During the end of the blessed month of Muslim Ramadanor fasting, otherwise known as Hariraya Puasa, two conflicting sides would hug one another, make peace and offer and/or ask for forgiveness. So, to the Moros peace is also perceived through the command from the holy Quran.
JUSTICE
What is the root cause of the conflict? Poverty, landlessness, lack of respect and recognition of culture and belief, inequality, discrimination, and the virtual disregard of the right of the Moros to determine their own political, economic and cultural destinies and not religion per se is the root cause of the conflict in Mindanao.
It is not the Moro Muslims, Christian farmers or the tribal Lumads but rather foreign and local big businesses (B.F. Goodrich, Sime Darby, Dole Pineapple, etc) who have the monopoly of Mindanao's vast natural resources. This monopoly has resulted in the marginalization of the Moro Muslims, Lumads and the Christian people. At present, there are about 485 multi-national corporations and transnational corporations in Mindanao. The income produced from Mindanao's wealth is repatriated to the mother countries abroad. The tall buildings and offices and beautiful houses in the urban centers, especially Metro-Manila, also come from the bowels of Mindanao. About 56% to 60% of the total strength of the Philippine military has been deployed to protect these foreign capitalist interests and not to protect the Mindanaons.
For as long as the peoples in Mindanao remain oppressed and exploited, peace will hardly reign. But as Muslims embracing peace, Moros perceive peace through the command from the Holy Quran:
"But if the enemy incline towards peace, Do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God, for He is the One that heareth and knoweth (All things)." (Surat'l anfal or the Spoils of War (VIII:61)
While we must always be ready for the good fight lest it be forced on us, even in the midst of the fight we must always be ready for peace if there is any inclination towards peace on the other side. There is no merit in a fight by itself. It should be a joyful duty not for itself, but to establish the reign of peace and righteousness and God's law. (The Holy Quran, a Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali, p. 430)
Now that the new millennium has come and the scourge of globalization continuous to hit us, it is high time that we strengthen our solidarity. Peace is a global issue faced with global concerns, it is right for us in the Asian region to promote and call for just peace. Let us continue to exert our effort and goodwill to contribute in the attainment of peace in the region. Let the minoritized peoples in Asia be heard and attain equality, justice and peace!
PEACE
In most of the Moro communities we visited, opinions vary as to what they believe Peace is. One group stated that for them Peace is doing your work quietly without interference from others, doing the things you like to do and moving around freely without fear. Another expressed that peace is sublime and should start from within, for how can we understand peace when inside us is topsy-turvy? By accepting things as they come and to be contented with what we have brings inner peace. This in turn would make us deal with others peacefully because we have learned to appreciate the value of being at peace with ourselves and the environment. Thus conflicts become less.
JUSTICE
The concept of justice for some people in the community can be seen in the way they deal with arrangement of sandbag carriers. If someone hires them for a day's labor, a price is set. The leader commands the group and he himself joins in carrying the heavy sandbags. He also has another task, that of taking note of those members who carry more loads than the rest. At the end of the days work, the leader may suggest a worker be paid extra if that worker has worked very hard. The leader in this case will pay more to carriers who carried more bags than others. The idea being that those who labor most will get the bigger pay. Nobody questions the system since to them it is fair and just.
CONFLICT:
The majority of the people in our community believe that conflict is a natural process of interaction amongst people. We quarrel because one wants to do this thing while others do not. There is misunderstanding yet this is part of how we operate in our environment. What is unnatural is when conflicts get out of hand and start to involve different tribes. For example in a certain barangay (community) in Isulan, a group of Christian men burned the houses of some Muslims triggering a mass evacuation. This event resulted from a land dispute between two families. This kind of "Unnatural Conflict" which they equate with personal differences always has the tendency to divide people. The tribal differences would then be played up and division occurs. This is why the people of some communities are careful not to point fingers whenever conflicts arise but try to come together to discuss the problem and find a solution that will be satisfactory to all parties concerned.
COMMUNITY:
For some residents, the concept of community is best manifested in their way of helping each other care for their children and do household chores. When a mother in the household gets sick, the women of other houses would come and make house for her. They would take care of her children, do her laundry, clean the home and care for her. In turn, when she gets well she'll do the same for other mothers. In this way the spirit of togetherness amongst the residents remains strong.
HUMAN RELATIONSHIP:
For the families, it's best understood in the way they treat one another. They try to be sensitive to the other person's feelings and needs. When they sense that the other person doesn't want to be disturb, they leave the person alone. When a mother needs someone to look after her children for a while, there is always somebody who would volunteer. According to them, the highest act you can do for another is showing your respect. By respecting that person you have to be sensitive to him or her. In this way the bond within the community is strengthened
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