Category: PAR COMMUNITIES
These are articles on specific activities and events of the Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) communities in some of the 81 provinces in our country where we have developed partnerships.
PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. or PAR Philippines has no administrative control over these organizations, communities, religious groups, or business corporations who have embraced PAR Principles and Practices. We simply cast the vision, provide training, and serve as consultants as each of them develop their respective sustainability as a part of a national network of PAR Communities.
Last Wednesday, 05 October, our team visited the Malipayon Peace Hub construction site for an exciting update! The owner of the 3A Modular PreFab, the company entrusted with this project, joined us to provide a comprehensive technical overview of the construction’s current status. We are thrilled to report that the progress is right on target and is comfortably staying within the allocated budget. This inspiring journey of building a hub dedicated to justice-based peacebuilding and reconciliation is progressing smoothly, thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, especially our impact partners.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/10/the-malipayon-peace-hub-construction-is-on-target-and-within-budget/
Davao City, August 24, 2023 — The Kapehan Sa Davao Network (KSDN) hosted a seminar titled “Building Sustainable Peace and Gender Responsive Coffee Industry” at Sebastian’s Restaurant in Barangay Baganihan, Marilog, Davao City. The event witnessed the participation of 36 prequalified individuals hailing from the Matigsalog Indigenous People, including farming cooperative leaders, youth leaders, spiritual leaders, and tribal leaders. The central theme of the seminar was conflict transformation in the workplace, with a specific focus on coffee farms and companies.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/08/matigsalog-ancestral-domain-seminar-promotes-sustainable-coffee-industry-and-peacebuilding/
Last 06-07 July 2023, the Kapehan Sa Davao Network launched the Social Impact Business Incubation Program (SIBIP) for eight coffee enterprises in Region 11. It was held at Coffee For Peace Café in Davao City. I’m so inspired by the enthusiastic participation of Kape Ora, Kepeweñoz Specialty Coffee, Peding’s Café, Kape Maddiger, Gré Coffee, Tres Rosas Coffee Farm, Tribung Kape, and Kapeyapaan Farmers’ Association. These Incubation Sessions were facilitated by Upgrade Innolab Inc. This program is funded by Asian Development Bank’s SUNPh Program, to whom I and the whole Kapehan Sa Davao Network are grateful. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that the SIBIP will have on the coffee industry in the provinces of the Greater Davao Region.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/07/im-happy-to-see-the-launching-of-kapehan-sa-davao-networks-incubation-program/
Joseph “Ka Boyet” Ongkiko started his field work in his new capacity as PBCI Executive Vice President for Institutional & Program Development. This position involves developing and sustaining the organizational structure and expanding the stakeholder base of PBCI. He is now beginning to seek partnerships with other organizations, and keeping abreast of the latest developments in peacebuilding. Soon, his team’s tasks would include leading periodic reviews of institutional strategic plans, developing inclusive programs for the coconut industry, and institutionalizing a school of inclusive development. Ka Boyet and his staff will also be responsible in solidifying the sustainability and communication strategies at PBCI.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/06/ka-boyet-starts-with-his-field-work-as-evp-institutional-and-program-development/
The Sondawa Coffee Farmers Association (SoCoFA) held a two-day leadership training on value-based strategic planning last 26-27 May 2023, at the Mt. Apo Facilities of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC). The training was facilitated by PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) and Coffee for Peace (CFP), who are partners with the Manobo Apao Descendants Ancestral Domain of Mount Apo (MADADMA) and EDC. This value-based strategic planning was a culmination of more than 5 years of journeying together and partnership between the MADADMA, EDC, and PBCI-CFP. Through those five years, a Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) Community and a social enterprise have been established, and a set of well-qualified, equipped, and enthusiastic leaders were elected to sustain and regenerate this inclusive development program, which is partly a result of an on-going MCCanada peacebuilding ministry in the Philippines.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/05/obo-menovu-coffee-farmers-hold-value-based-strategic-planning/
Coffee for Peace (CFP) was chosen as the lead enterprise among other business enterprises in Davao Region to support skills and competitiveness training for their employees. This is part of the Asian Development Bank’s SkillsUpNet Philippines (ADB-SUNPh) program, an innovative skills-delivery scheme led by employers in select locations. Under SUNPh, grants ranging from PhP1 million to PhP4 million were awarded to five networks of enterprises in five priority sectors. CFP-led “Kapehan Sa Davao” (Coffee Gathering in Davao) is one of the five networks in the country who received such grants. The 10-month SUNPh Program will allow CFP and the other enterprises in the Kapehan Sa Davao Network to provide training to their employees on new coffee roasting and brewing techniques, as well as on customer service and marketing skills.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/04/cfp-leads-kapehan-sa-davao-agribusiness-network-in-an-entrepreneurial-skills-development-program/
A group of civil society organizations consulted me and asked me to facilitate a seminar on how to understand the current conflict they are facing as they do their peace and development work. These organizations have been in dialogue with us since April last year. So, last 20-21 February 2023, I went to Zambales province and continued our partnership talks by listening to them and by seeking to understand their context while immersing myself in the community for a couple of days. Based on the needs I saw, I introduced to them basic conflict transformation and conflict mapping skills. These organizations are walking in solidarity with certain Aeta Indigenous communities in Zambales who are experiencing land-based conflict with certain powers.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/02/we-shared-conflict-transformation-and-conflict-mapping-skills-to-our-zambales-partners/
At Mennonite Church Canada, they refer to this as Peace Learning Tour Philippines. For us at PBCI-CFP Team, we see these partners and friends as faith-siblings who did accompany us in our field work. This field trip happened last 13-22 January 2023. Norm Dyck led the group — Andrea, Anita, Brent, Dorothea, Dorothy, Edna, Lois, and Rose. They travelled with us, the Inclusive Development Team of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. and Coffee for Peace (PBCI-CFP IncluDev Team), and visited some of our field partners in Mindanao. The tour included visiting Davao Bible Community, our local church partner; the Talaandig Indigenous People’s community; the Obo Manobo IP community and our common partner, the Energy Development Corporation; the Tri-People’s Farm owned by Romy and Lulu Elusfa; and the Bagobo Tagabawa IP community. We concluded the tour with a rest and recreation day at the Paradise Beach Resort.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2023/01/canadian-peace-learning-tour-participants-accompanied-us-in-our-field-work/
How does Social Entrepreneurship look like when seen through the lenses of Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices (IKSP)? Last 09-11 November 2022, our Inclusive Development Team travelled to the Talaandig Ancestral Territory in Bukidnon. With the guidance of Datu Migketay Saway and of some Talaandig women and youth, we invested a couple of days seeking to design a Social Enterprise development model that would be sensitive to the worldviews, value systems, and customs of Indigenous Peoples. This is made possible in partnership with the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP Mindanao) and the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2022/11/budding-talaandig-social-entrepreneurs-finish-their-second-training-session/
“The Spirit of the Creator was there!” That was the constant existential feeling I had while participating at the Talaandig Day Celebration. It was held last 14 October 2022 in their ancestral territory at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad. That day of festivities was actually the final event of a whole week of rituals and celebrations. It was indeed a day when, from the perspective of our team at PBCI and CFP, we participated in activities that harmonizes us with the Creator, with our being, with others, and with the creation. Our team also accompanied the traditional leaders of the Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe to meet the traditional leaders of the Talaandig Tribe, praying and hoping that the two Indigenous communities become partners in inclusive development.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2022/10/the-spirit-of-magbabaya-was-there-during-the-talaandig-day-festivities/
Last 20-26 September 2022, Doug Klassen (Executive Director, Mennonite Church Canada), Jeanette Hanson (Director, Mennonite Church Canada Witness), and Norm Dyck (Mission Minister, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada) accompanied the Inclusive Development Team of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. and Coffee for Peace (PBCI-CFP IncluDevTeam) in our regularly scheduled field work. Our field trip included a meeting with a Philippine Army officer, with the Council of Elders of the Manobo Apao Descendants Ancestral Domain of Mount Apo (MADADMA), with the Obo Manobo coffee farmers in Kidapawan, with the founders of TriPeople Development & Services Foundation, and with the Council of Elders of the Unified Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe. They also met with our Manila-based BOT members.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2022/09/pbci-cfp-field-partners-invite-visiting-canadian-mennonite-leaders/
The Obo Manobo Coffee Farmers sent their representatives at the Philippine Coffee Expo 2022 (PCE2022) to present their initial product. Datu Romeo Andot, Bai Gemma Andot, and Alvin Baroro were sent by the Manobo Apao Descendants Ancestral Domain of Mount Apo (MADADMA). They were accompanied by Rich Paul Calceta and Don Tormis of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of Energy Development Corporation (CSR-EDC). Sihaya Ansibod, PBCI Field Operations Director assisted them. The Obo Manobo Coffee presented in this event was the product of a long-term program to develop key farmers who would be the local champions we refer to as ‘farmer entrepreneurs’ or farmerpreneurs. This is part of an on-going inclusive development initiative of MADADMA. We, at PBCI-CFP IncluDev Team, has been tasked to facilitate social preparation, community organization, and training in basic entrepreneurial skills.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2022/09/obo-manobo-farmers-present-sample-product-at-the-philippine-coffee-expo-2022/
