Rev. L. Daniel Alba Pantoja

In-between chatting with his adult children over the Internet, watching his grandchildren over the Skype, and connecting with his global community through Facebook, Dann Pantoja (aka Lakan Sumulong) serves as a peacebuilding worker, trekking through the armed-conflict areas in the Philippines. He works closely with Joji, his lifetime sweetheart. He’s privileged to have a competent team at PeaceBuilders Community, Inc.--a community of peace and reconciliation missionaries.

Most commented posts

  1. OCCIDENTAL MINDORO PAR COMMUNITY IS OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED — 4 comments
  2. GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM IS MEANT TO BLESS ALL NATIONS — 2 comments
  3. PATRONAGE POLITICS AND RADICAL SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION: A PLEA TO CHRISTIAN LEADERS — 2 comments

Author's posts

WE STILL NEED TO EARN OUR INDEPENDENCE

Today is Philippine Independence Day. Many of my American missionary colleagues are still claiming that the United States gave us, Filipinos, our independence. They have some historical books to show me, written by American historians. Well, actually July 4 was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until August 4, 1964. But then, we were kind …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2013/06/we-still-need-to-earn-our-independence/

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO PAR COMMUNITY IS OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED

The Occidental Mindoro Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) Community is now officially organized. Twenty-three volunteers—pastors, educators, civil society leaders, community leaders—went through four days of training. They were qualified based on their track record as community leaders who are committed to the transformation of our nation. The community elected six members of the leadership core through …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2013/05/occidental-mindoro-par-community-is-officially-organized/

OUR DISASTER RESPONSE OPERATIONS SHIFT FROM ‘RELIEF’ TO ‘REHABILITATION’

In coordination with national, provincial, and local governments, as well as with various non-government organizations, PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) shifted its energies and resources from emergency relief operations to rehabilitation. Super Typhoon Pablo (international name, Bopha) left Southeastern Mindanao with more than one million families affected and more than a thousand deaths. The PBCI Rehabilitation …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2013/02/our-disaster-response-mode-shifts-from-relief-to-rehabilitation/

PBCI WELCOMES PAR INITIATIVE BY CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN OCCIDENTAL MINDORO

Twenty-eight Christian leaders in Occidental Mindoro have finished the 6-hour orientation seminar on Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) Community Organizing. They are pastors, educators, business people, and civil society leaders. It started two years ago when Dr. John Tayoto, President of the Asian Center for Leadership Education and Development (ACLEAD) invited PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2013/02/pbci-welcomes-par-initiative-by-christian-leaders-in-occidental-mindoro/

KILOS: A NATIONAL CONVERGENCE OF PEACE NETWORKS IS FORMED

PeaceBuilders Community Inc. (PBCI) is one of the representatives of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) in the formation of a national convergence of all the peace focal networks in the Philippines. It is called Kilos Kapayapaan at Katarungan (Movement for Peace and Justice). We simply refer to it as Kilos. The formation of Kilos happened last July 27-28, 2011 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2011/07/kilos-a-national-convergence-of-peace-organizations-is-formed/

AFP INSTITUTIONALIZES HR & IHL IN ITS SYSTEM

There seems to be a transformation happening in the AFP. I say this while fighting my own skepticism and as I determine to be volitionally hopeful. I have no filing system in my heart and mind about these two categories — “Human Rights” and “AFP”. My past experiences with them (many were traumatic) during the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2010/12/afp-institutionalizes-hr-ihl/

REFLECTING ON THE PEACE POLICY OF PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III

On Monday, September 13, 2010, I was invited to Celebrate Eid Fit’r 1431 in Malacanang Palace with Muslim leaders and other inter-faith peace advocates, hosted by His Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III, President of the Republic of the Philippines. Until now, I have no clue how my name got included in the list of those …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2010/09/reflecting-on-the-peace-policy-of-president-benigno-aquino-iii/

A CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GRP-MILF MOA ON ANCESTRAL DOMAIN

The Peace Panels of both the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) met on July 28-29, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  This is good news as it ends the current impasse in the peace talks since August 2008. The two panels agreed on four points: 1.  Mutual effort …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2009/08/revisiting-the-grp-milf-moa-on-ancestral-domain-a-look-through-the-gospel%e2%80%99s-lenses/

LIGAWASAN, CENTRAL MINDANAO: 16.OCTOBER.2008

October 15-18, 2008. The Peacebuilders Community travelled with their network behind the so-called “enemy lines” to help in a Mindanao-wide fact finding mission regarding the alleged human rights violations committed by both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). We distributed emergency relief goods along the way to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2008/10/ligawasan-16-oct-2008/

CENMIN FACT FINDING MISSION: 15.AUGUST.2008

Joji and I were overseeing the activities of our Peace and Reconciliation Team (PaRTeam) and Medical Team (MedTeam) who were serving hundreds of families who have been displaced by an escalated armed conflict between the Government of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Ustadz Abdulkadir Abubakar, the Executive Director of the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2008/08/fact-finding-mission-15-august-2008/

A MUSLIM LEADER’S CALL TO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES: 27.FEBRUARY.2007

A new armed conflict started in Central Mindanao. One of the approaches of our peace network to prevent its escalation is to facilitate community-based dialogue between conflicting parties. The Mindanao People’s Caucus (MPC) invited PeaceBuilders Community to help them build a few peace houses — made up of local, light materials — in various conflict …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2007/02/a-muslim-leaders-call-to-christian-communities-27-february-2007/

A MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE ON ‘FASTING’ DURING THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN: 22.SEPTEMBER.2006

The Islamic community leaders in Dungguan Village, Datu Montawal Municipality, Maguindanao Province, invited PeaceBuilders Community to share with them what Christians believe about fasting and how Christians perceive the Muslim practice of Ramadhan. It was a very inspiring, friendly, and beautiful exchange of belief systems on a specific topic. This was the beginning of our …

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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2006/09/an-islamic-christian-dialogue-on-fasting-during-the-month-of-ramadhan-22-september-2006/

OUR GLOBAL PEACE COMMUNITY

We are sent by Mennonite Church Canada Witness in partnership with our international community.