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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/
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/
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/
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/
Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, struck the Philippines in early November 2025, leaving a trail of destruction across the Visayas islands and affecting communities nationwide. Its sustained winds of up to 165 km/h and prolonged rainfall caused flooding, road disruptions, and displacement for hundreds of thousands of residents. While Mindanao experienced only minor flooding, the Cordillera highlands and the National Capital Region faced localized landslides and urban congestion. Our PBCI–CFP network, spanning Mindanao, Visayas, Cordillera, and NCR, monitored impacts on both our partner communities and the general population. In the Visayas, farmer-partners and cooperatives suffered crop damage, flooded homes, and operational disruptions. The typhoon exposed systemic governance weaknesses, including unfinished flood-control projects, highlighting the deadly consequences of corruption. Despite these challenges, our teams successfully coordinated relief, maintained communications, and supported affected partners. The experience reinforced our commitment to disaster-resilient, climate-conscious, and integrity-driven peacebuilding across the Philippines.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/11/reflective-notes-on-typhoon-kalmaegi-tino-lessons-on-strength-vulnerability-and-integrity/
The Bangsamoro peace process stands again at a crossroad. The first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), envisioned as a key milestone in the democratic transition from armed struggle to self-governance, have been postponed—again. What was once scheduled for May 2022, later moved to October 13, 2025, is now uncertain after the Supreme Court’s latest rulings on the constitutional validity of Bangsamoro districting laws and the exclusion of Sulu province from BARMM. As peacebuilders, we must not only analyze these legal and political developments; we must also discern their ethical and social implications. The question before us is this: What does it mean for justice and peace when democracy itself is delayed?
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/10/when-democratic-transition-waits-barmm-election-postponement-and-justice-based-peacebuilding/
On 13 September 2025, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) convened a timely forum entitled “The Hidden War: Information as the New Battleground in the Philippines” at the Calungsod–San Vitores Jesuit–Lay Collaboration Center. In partnership with the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom), the event brought together academics, students, civil society representatives, and security sector leaders to examine the weaponization of information and the spread of disinformation. The forum underscored that false narratives are not mere online irritants but potent tools that shape political decisions, deepen social divisions, and endanger lives. Veteran journalist and AdDU Trustee, Ms. Jamela Alindogan, delivered the keynote address, offering sharp insights drawn from decades of frontline reporting. She emphasized the moral responsibility of journalists, peacebuilders, and educators to defend truth as a cornerstone of justice and peace. Her reflections also exposed the vulnerability of local communities who are deliberately targeted by disinformation to weaken their voices and distort their realities. The forum served as a vital space for critical reflection and collaborative strategizing to protect information integrity in Philippine society.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/10/standing-for-truth-in-the-hidden-war-of-disinformation-a-new-peacebuilding-struggle-in-our-world/
The Philippines and the United States carried out their 7th joint maritime sail on Wednesday, 04 June 2025, in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), with the announcement released on Thursday, 05 June 2025 (Reuters, 2025). This development places the Philippines at a volatile crossroads as maritime disputes with China escalate. The recent drills — the seventh such exercise in 2025 — highlight Manila’s deepening alignment with Washington amid Beijing’s growing assertiveness (Reuters, 2025). These operations go beyond naval maneuvers; they signal a broader geopolitical recalibration, reflecting Manila’s determination to defend its sovereignty while heightening reliance on foreign partners. The intensifying standoff raises pressing questions about the Philippines’ foreign policy trajectory, its economic resilience, and the prospects for peace across the Indo-Pacific.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/06/philippine-china-relations-and-the-quest-for-stability-amid-a-widening-rift/
Upi, Maguindanao Del Norte – As a long-term advocate for justice and reconciliation in Mindanao, PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) joins the Indigenous Peoples (IP) of Bangsamoro in celebrating the historic passage of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Act of 2024 by the Bangsamoro Parliament on 10 December 2024. This landmark legislation strengthens the rights, recognition, and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), marking a major step forward for peace and inclusivity in the region. For decades, PBCI has walked alongside Indigenous communities in Mindanao, advocating for their land rights, self-determination, and cultural preservation. The Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Act of 2024 provides a long-overdue legal framework that formalizes these rights, ensuring mechanisms for ancestral domain recognition, cultural preservation, access to government resources, and active participation in governance.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/02/pbci-celebrates-passage-of-bangsamoro-indigenous-peoples-act-reaffirms-commitment-to-inclusive-peacebuilding/
A pioneering agroforestry initiative is set to take root in the ancestral lands of the Bagobo-Tagabawa community in Barangay Binaton, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. Spearheaded by PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI), Coffee for Peace (CFP), and the Indigenous Ancestral Domain Association (IADA), this project seeks to rehabilitate deforested lands in the foothills of Mt. Apo while fostering sustainable livelihoods for indigenous farmers. The initiative will commence with a 2-hectare demonstration farm, serving as a model for best practices in agroforestry. This initial phase will allow farmers to refine cultivation techniques, integrate traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific approaches, and assess the economic viability of the project before scaling up operations. The long-term goal of this initiative is to expand up to 32 hectares, contingent on funding availability. This ambitious expansion plan underscores the project’s commitment to widespread environmental restoration and economic empowerment.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/01/bagobo-tagabawa-farmers-and-pbci-cfp-team-launch-agro-forestry-project-in-mt-apo-together/
