At a time when many Filipinos are yearning for trustworthy leadership, accountable governance, and genuine social transformation, PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. joins the White Ribbon Movement’s call for a national gathering under the banner, Faith for Justice, People for Transformation. We believe that the challenges confronting our nation—corruption, inequality, abuse of power, and deep social divisions—cannot be resolved through political solutions alone. They demand moral courage, spiritual integrity, and the active engagement of citizens committed to the common good. As a peacebuilding organization, we affirm the vital role of faith communities in advancing justice, nurturing ethical leadership, and fostering unity amid diversity. We stand in solidarity with people of conscience from various religious, cultural, and social backgrounds who envision a Philippines where truth, accountability, compassion, and respect for human dignity form the foundation of a just, democratic, and peaceful society.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/06/faith-for-justice-people-for-transformation-a-call-from-the-white-ribbon-movement/
As we reflect on our grassroots advocacy, we are continually reminded of a profound truth that guides our journey: when there is harmony with Creation, there is peace. True peace is a tapestry woven from right relationships—with the land, with the ecosystem, and with one another. It is the perfect moment to officially welcome our newest intern and ministry companion, Neil Kauffman, who has traveled from Leamington, Canada, to walk with us. Neil has stepped courageously out of his comfort zone to immerse himself in a vibrant cultural landscape, climate, and context vastly different from the one he is most accustomed to. He will be staying with us here in the Philippines for the next six months, serving in a vital capacity as our Field Coordinator for Sustainable Peace.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/06/welcoming-neil-kauffman-cultivating-peace-through-relationships-creation-and-community/
Rayza Lalien C. Miñoza is a new generation peacebuilder who bridges technical expertise with human rights advocacy. Trained as an electrical engineer and formerly connected with Aboitiz Power Corporation, Rayza joined PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) as a Field Operations Trainee and Executive Assistant. Her participation in a May 15, 2026 workshop in Davao City exposed her to the realities of red-tagging, militarization, digital surveillance, and threats faced by environmental defenders and Indigenous communities in Mindanao. Listening to activists, lawyers, and journalists, Rayza realized that systems meant to protect people are often weaponized against them. This essay highlights my new PBCI vision of regenerative peacebuilding, emphasizing defender protection, digital safety, ecological justice, intergenerational leadership, and partnerships for human rights. Rayza emerges as a symbol of ethical leadership, applying engineering discipline and systems thinking to the defense of vulnerable communities, where peace is rooted not in militarization but in justice, healing, and the flourishing of creation.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/05/engineering-peace-rayza-minoza-and-the-call-to-defend-defenders/
The tragic loss of Alyssa Alano (“Ka Kikay”), two children, and others in the recent Toboso encounter in Negros Occidental confronts us once again with a painful truth: armed conflict in the Philippines continues to consume lives, fracture communities, and delay the healing of our nation. At PeaceBuilders Community, Inc., we believe every human life carries sacred worth. No life should be reduced to a casualty statistic, an ideological symbol, or a propaganda tool for any side. Whether one is a soldier, a farmer, a student, a community worker, or an insurgent, each death represents a failure of systems that should have protected life and opened pathways toward justice.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/04/negros-19-alyssa-alano-and-the-urgent-call-to-build-peace-beyond-war/
As I look toward the horizon of 2031, I am deeply humbled to lead PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) into a season defined not merely by pioneering, but by Regeneration. Over the past two decades, our journey has been one of profound transformation, moving from a founder-driven model to a self-sustaining life system where the Four Harmonies are woven into the very fabric of our nation. My mandate as President and CEO has been to serve as a Bridge-Builder, ensuring that this sacred theology of Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) is translated from the pioneering visions of our founders into the language of the modern marketplace and the aspirations of a new generation.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/03/from-foundations-to-regeneration-my-bridge-building-mandate-as-the-new-ceo-at-pbci/
The debate over House Bill 621 is more than a legislative discussion about government reorganization. It is a test of our nation’s commitment to justice for Indigenous Peoples. Nearly three decades after the passage of Republic Act No. 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), many Indigenous leaders, advocates, and communities are once again compelled to defend rights that were won through decades of struggle. While proponents of HB 621 present the measure as an effort to streamline ancestral land administration, many Indigenous Peoples fear that it could weaken the very protections that IPRA was designed to guarantee. I share these concerns. As someone who believes that genuine peace is inseparable from justice, I am convinced that any reform affecting ancestral domains must strengthen—not diminish—the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, cultural integrity, and stewardship of their ancestral lands. The voices of Indigenous communities must remain at the center of this national conversation.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/03/no-to-house-bill-621-why-i-stand-with-indigenous-peoples-in-defending-ipra-ra-8371/
As President and CEO of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc., it is both a personal joy and a historic privilege for me to introduce Bennette Grace Tenecio, whom our Board of Trustees has prayerfully and unanimously appointed as the next President and CEO of PBCI, effective April 2026. This leadership transition marks a significant moment in the life of our organization. It is not merely a change in roles, but a continuation and deepening of a shared mission that has been nurtured through years of faithful service. In Bennette, we recognize a leader whose journey has been profoundly intertwined with PBCI’s own story, and whose appointment signals both continuity and fresh vision for the years ahead.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/03/a-season-of-continuity-and-new-beginnings-introducing-bennette-grace-tenecio-as-the-next-president-and-ceo-of-pbci/
I write this reflection not as a military analyst nor as an advocate of any state’s strategic doctrine, but as a peacebuilder who has spent decades accompanying communities wounded by war, militarization, and political violence. From Mindanao to global conflict zones, I have learned that when great powers escalate, it is always ordinary people who pay the highest price. The recent escalation between the United States–Israel alliance and the Islamic Republic of Iran marks a dangerous turning point — not only for the Middle East, but for the fragile architecture of world peace itself. What has unfolded this early morning, 28 February 2026 at 0215 PHT (0945 IRST), represents a shift from containment to confrontation, from proxy warfare to direct interstate violence. This is not merely another episode in an enduring rivalry; it is a rupture with potentially irreversible consequences.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/02/when-power-escalates-and-peace-is-cornered-a-peacebuilders-reflection-on-the-u-s-israel-iran-confrontation/
25–29 January 2026, Barangay Managa, Bansalan, Davao del Sur — The Malipayon Peace Hub came alive as Coffee for Peace, Inc. (CFP) and PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) conducted an Agri-Aqua Social Entrepreneurial Training under the Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme – Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production in Bangsamoro (LEAP). Twelve (12) key coffee farmers have shown commitment to the agricultural segment of this program. They are from the Island Province of Basilan and journeyed across Mindanao to take part in this intensive learning experience. Hosted by the Malipayon Peace Hub staff, the training created a safe and nurturing space for skills-building, dialogue, and shared reflection—rooted in the belief that sustainable livelihoods are essential foundations of lasting peace. Over five days, participants engaged in hands-on learning, peer exchange, and practical discussions on agri-aqua production, social entrepreneurship, and market access. The training also emphasized cooperation, trust-building, and shared leadership as vital elements of enterprise development in conflict-affected communities.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/01/our-cfp-pbci-team-hosted-and-conducted-social-entrepreneurial-training-at-the-malipayon-peace-hub/
Human transformation—personal and collective—rarely unfolds in a linear or painless way. Across Scripture, psychology, history, and political economy, transformation follows a recognizable rhythm: orientation, disorientation, and new orientation. This triadic pattern, articulated most clearly by Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann, offers a powerful interpretive lens for understanding spiritual-ethical, psychological-physical, social-political, and economic-ecological transformation in a decolonizing world. Transformation, in this sense, is not merely change. It is re-formation—the dismantling of old meanings, identities, and structures, and the emergence of new ones rooted in truth, justice, and relational wholeness.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2026/01/orientation-disorientation-new-orientation-going-through-a-process-of-transformation/
The Philippines celebrates Christmas this year amid overlapping spiritual-ethical, psychological-physical, socio-political, and economic-ecological crises that challenge families across the nation. Many experience deep moral fatigue and despair, yet bayanihan (communal sharing or koinonia) and community compassion continue to spark ethical renewal. Rising living costs, despite easing inflation, create physical and psychological strain, but shared meals and local celebrations help restore resilience. Political distrust grows due to corruption and inequality, even as more citizens demand transparency and engage in grassroots solidarity. Economic indicators show mixed progress, with declining poverty overall but persistent vulnerabilities, especially in rural and climate-impacted communities. Still, generosity through remittances, donations, and community aid becomes a grassroots safety net for struggling households. Amid hardship, Christmas emerges as a season of quiet transformation — affirming dignity, hope, and the resilient Filipino spirit.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/12/were-celebrating-christmas-in-the-context-of-current-philippine-realities/
This article, sent today by our Board Chair Emil Jonathan Soriano to Bishop Noel A. Pantoja, critically examines the participation of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). While the task force promotes a “whole-of-nation approach” to peace and development, its record of red-tagging and militarized posture has made it a controversial institution within the peacebuilding community. Drawing from field-based perspectives of peace practitioners, civil society critiques, and academic literature on faith-based peacebuilding, this essay analyzes the opportunities and risks inherent in PCEC’s engagement with NTF-ELCAC. The paper argues that while PCEC’s involvement presents a possibility for moral oversight and community engagement, it also carries the dangers of co-optation, erosion of prophetic distance, and complicity in harmful state practices. The analysis concludes by proposing conditions under which faith actors may engage state programs while safeguarding ethical commitments to human rights and civilian protection.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/12/church-state-and-counterinsurgency-a-critical-peacebuilding-analysis-of-pcecs-participation-in-ntf-elcac/
