Category: SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
Stories and ideas about being in harmony and at peace with the Creator.
How do we proceed towards healing — as individuals, as communities, as peoples — from the legacies of widespread violence and of massive human rights abuses in the past and in the present? We’re looking into Transitional Justice as “Dealing with the Past” — initiatives that uphold the people’s right to know, right to justice, right to reparation, and guarantee of non-recurrence towards conflict transformation and reconciliation. As a team of peace and reconciliation (PAR) missionaries, Transitional Justice is a motivation for us to contribute to the healing of our multi-ethnic country, one PAR community at a time.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/04/dealing-with-the-past-a-path-of-the-people-towards-healing-the-future-of-our-nation/
Peace and justice advocates are facing great challenges and difficulties as the government intensify their anti-insurgency campaign. In 30 March,14 farmers were killed by the police and military in Negros Oriental. Last 04 April, the president made a public threat to arrest critics and declare a ‘revolutionary war.’ A UN rapporteur testifies that there is a silent war being waged on Philippine indigenous communities. As faith-based peace-and-justice field workers committed to active nonviolence, how should we respond to these challenges?
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/04/pursuing-peace-and-reconciliation-amidst-the-political-challenges-were-facing/
Last Thursday, 28 March, the provincial government of Davao Occidental invited Joji to be the keynote speaker at their 2019 National Women’s Month Celebration. Speaking on the theme “We Make Change Work For Women,” Joji emphasized both the reproductive and productive roles of women as community leaders. She shared her journey as a mother and her Coffee For Peace story to illustrate the main points of her speech.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/03/joji-shares-coffee-for-peace-story-to-inspire-women-in-davao-occidental/
The Banao Tribal Elders from the Municipality of Balbalan, Province of Kalinga graced us with their presence from 27 February to 02 March 2019. During their visit, they affirmed our inclusive development partnership; they went through an orientation seminar on coffee farming, processing, quality enhancement, and marketing; and, they enjoyed key places in Davao City and the Mount Apo area.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/03/banao-tribal-elders-from-kalinga-visit-davao-for-par-training/
I participated in a gathering of survivors of armed conflict and human rights violations. Most of us were overcomers of Martial Law under the brutal Marcos dictatorial regime. We came out determined to integrate the emotions involved in a kind of damage to the mind that occurs as a result of overwhelming amount of stress. We are being healed from the past.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/02/remembering-the-violence-and-horror-of-the-marcos-dictatorial-rule/
Ms. Dee Dimaisip Bat-og has been mentoring a group of young farmers belonging to the Moro and Indigenous Peoples from PALMA municipalities. They dreamt of starting a social entrepreneurial initiative through coffee. They organized themselves and formed PeaceCreed Philippines. They found it best to learn social entrepreneurship and quality coffee production framed in Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) principles. They called PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. and Coffee For Peace to help them.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/02/young-farmers-from-palma-municipalities-explore-coffee-production-partnership-with-pbci-cfp/
Last 03-05 February 2019, I attended the Global Conference of Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi by the invitation of Dr. Sultan Al Rumaithi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders. A historic document, Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, was signed by both His Holiness Pope Francis (Pope of the Catholic Church) and His Eminence Dr. Ahmer El-Tayeb (Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif) during this conference.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/02/i-participated-in-the-global-conference-of-human-fraternity-in-abu-dhabi/
The inclusive development dream started with Carina Calata Pe, a business entrepreneur in the field of information technology, and her daughter, Danielle Patricia, who is a social psychologist. They both participated in one of the Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) Seminars conducted by my Ama, Lakan Sumulong, in Manila in 2017. “That PAR seminar disturbed me in my own comfort zone,” testified Carina. “And I started praying for God’s leading to apply what I’ve learned.”
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/01/our-mangyan-farming-partners-visit-davao-for-par-and-inclu-dev-training/
The Mindanao PeaceWeavers (MPW) and the All-Out Peace (AOP) Network, with the leadership of the Initiatives for International Dialogue(IID), spearheaded a solidarity gathering of Mindanao survivors, defenders and healers last 23-25 January 2019 in Davao City. Dubbed as Healing the Past: Mindanaw Survivors Solidarity Assembly, the invitation states that this is “a solidarity gathering and consensus building exercise of Mindanao survivors of the armed conflict and human rights violations — past and present.”
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/01/mindanao-peace-advocates-gather-for-holistic-healing/
Last 15 January 2019, Joji served as plenary speaker at the Learning Conference 2019 which was held at the Mary Hill Retreat Center, Taytay, Rizal. This conference was organized by the Asian School of Development and Cross-Cultural Studies (ASDECS) in partnership with Kabalikat Para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc. The conference theme was “Conspiracy of the Wise Builders” — it’s about building sustainable, regenerating, and transformational communities.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2019/01/joji-serves-as-plenary-speaker-at-the-2019-learning-conference/
A sense of hope, more than being merry, characterized our Christmas celebrations. We’ve counted our blessings and realized how much we have been blessed for the whole 2018. There were so many positive events and opportunities to serve the people that led us to be grateful to the Creator and to our partner communities.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2018/12/ending-the-year-2018-with-a-positive-note/
Executive Order 70 will surely affect our active, nonviolent field operations as Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) workers. EO 70 uses novel terminologies such as ‘whole-of-nation approach,’ ‘inclusive and sustainable peace,’ ‘end local armed conflict,’ and ‘national peace framework.’ And yet Martial Law in Mindanao continues. How do we proceed with our work in the context of an increasingly militarizing PAR mission field?
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2018/12/responding-to-eo-70-with-our-imagination-of-inclusive-and-sustainable-peace/
