Philippines

International Alert recently launched a new book called Out of the shadows: Violent conflict and the real economy of Mindanao.

The book presents the results of research into the linkages between violent conflict and the informal or ‘shadow’ economy in Mindanao, the conflict-affected region in the southern Philippines.

On Tuesday 4th December the southern Philippines was hit by Typhoon Bopha (known locally as Pablo), with the island of Mindanao worst affected.

International Alert has been supporting more inclusive and conflict-sensitive economic governance in the Compostela Valley province of Mindanao, which bore the brunt of the devastation.

A study visit of analysts and journalists from across the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict divide to South East Asia took place in July and August 2011.

The group visited South East Asia to look at the peacebuilding experiences of the Philippines, where they focused on both separatist and ideological conflicts, and Indonesia, where they looked at the conflicts in East Timor and Aceh.

Local business Local Peace: the Peacebuilding Potential of the Domestic Private Sector

Case study: Philippines

library: 

lblp_Philippines.pdf

Waging Peace Conference in the Philippines. Sumilao farmers march.

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International Alert’s programme in the Philippines is based both in Manila and Davao City, Mindanao. Locally led, in both locations we seek to work with our partners to advocate for peace-positive progress to be made by the new NoyNoy Aquino administration in Manila and with a wide range of other parties on the island of Mindanao, where there have been decades of conflicts involving the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and the Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front.

Location

The Advocates for a Peace Covenant (APC), a group of Filipino peace practitioners convened by International Alert’s former Board Member and Senator Bobby Tanada and Alert’s Senior Policy Adviser Ed Garcia, recently initiated a consultation on a Peace Covenant based on the respect for human rights and the pursuit of social justice in the Philippines.

Waging Peace Philippines (WPP), a civil society network convened by International Alert, warmly welcomed the recent political developments in the Philippines which could significantly advance the peace process in the country. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently announced the suspension of offensive military operations, therefore giving respite to more than 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in precarious conditions in makeshift camps.

As part of our programme in the Philippines, Alert recently took part in the Philippines’ Month of Peace with many activities.

Day of Peace and World March for Peace and Non-Violence

International Alert recently met representatives of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Led by its chair, Foreign Affairs Under-secretary Rafael Sguis, the panel and the former UK Ambassador to the Philippines, Peter Beckingham, visited Alert offices in London before embarking on a tour to Belfast, upon the invitation of the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to learn from the Northern Ireland’s peacebuilding experience.