Tag: milf
04-06 August 2024 — Doug Klassen’s visit to Mindanao was, at its heart, a journey of companionship. As Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Canada (MCCanada), Doug came not merely to see projects or attend meetings, but to walk alongside us—listening, learning, and sharing in the life of our community. For three days, we moved together through the varied landscapes of Mindanao, carrying conversations that deepened our bond as companions in peacebuilding. On the first day, he shared breakfast with CFP staff and baristas, lunch with PBCI staff, held an afternoon meeting with Bennette Grace Tenecio-Mañulit, and concluded the day with dinner alongside the Mindanao PeaceWeavers’ leadership. The second day took us to Camp Darapanan for a meeting with senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) representatives, followed by lunch in Cotabato City with Datu Haron Al-Rasheed Baraguir. On the third day, we traveled to the Malipayon Peace Hub (MPH) where Doug had breakfast with MPH staff before returning to Davao City for a lunch meeting with the PBCI Board of Trustees. The visit concluded with a reflective meeting between Doug, Joji, and me.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2025/08/deepening-companionship-doug-klassen-visits-pbci-cfp-fields-in-mindanao/
From November 15 to 20, 2024, a joint Field Operations Team of PBCI and CFP accompanied a delegation of Canadian Mennonites on a Partnership Appreciation Tour in Mindanao, Philippines. The tour featured meaningful activities that strengthened relationships and celebrated shared commitments to peacebuilding, including the dedication of the Malipayon Peace Hub in Davao del Sur, led by Bagobo Tagabawa and Talaandig elders; a Sunday worship service at Managa Alliance Church; a reflective visit to the Bagobo Tagabawa Peace Shrine; a learning tour of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government center; a dialogue with leaders at Camp Darapanan, the headquarters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and bonding with the Baraguir Clan of the Maguindanao Sultanate. This journey deepened partnerships and underscored the critical role of collaboration in advancing peace, justice, and reconciliation.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2024/11/pbci-cfp-field-ops-team-accompany-canadian-mennonites-to-appreciate-and-strengthen-partnerships/
“Transforming MILF into a social movement: The most viable option in a democratic struggle.” This is the theme of the 2024 General Assembly and Consultation of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), held last Monday, 23 September 2024, at Camp Darapanan, Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte. Our team from PeaceBuilders Community, Inc., and Coffee For Peace was invited by the Hon. Mohagher Iqbal (Chair, MILF Peace Negotiating Panel) through MP Mary Ann Arnado (Bangsamoro Parliament). Before a crowd of 300,000+, I was invited to be one of the speakers to express support to their transformation from being an armed revolutionary group to becoming a social movement. As the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governance continue to take shape, I found myself reflecting on the MILF’s future. With the transition period nearing its conclusion, the MILF faced a critical decision: What comes next for a movement born out of armed revolution?
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2024/09/from-armed-revolution-to-social-movement-milf-embraces-path-of-peace-and-transformation/
Last 17-22 May 2024, I, Joji Pantoja, Board Chair and President of Coffee for Peace, had the privilege of traveling to the island provinces of Sulu and Basilan in the southern Philippines. Accompanying me on this journey was Joseph “Ka Boyet” Ongkiko, Executive Vice President of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. Our mission was clear and purposeful: to explore the potential for developing a sustainable coffee industry in these regions, fostering both economic growth and peace. We were invited by Maradeca Inc., a dedicated local non-governmental organization, and People in Need (PIN), a reputable international NGO. Both organizations recognized the transformative potential of coffee farming in these provinces and sought our expertise in designing a comprehensive training program for the local coffee farmers. This is part of the LEAP Project (Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production), a groundbreaking initiative by PIN designed to boost economic development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2024/05/were-glad-to-be-involved-in-a-collaborative-coffee-industry-development-in-basulta/
Last Monday morning, 22 April 2024, our team was invited to listen to the dreams and aspirations of former combatants at Camp Bilal, the headquarters of the North Western Mindanao Front of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces. BIAF is the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The discussions happened at the office of MP Abdullah “Cmdr. Bravo” G. Macapaar. The ideas we were hearing resemble that of inclusive development through social enterprise. Brother Musa Mohamad Sanguila gave me time to briefly present the story of Coffee For Peace (CFP) and PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) as advocates and practitioners of Social Enterprise. It seems Commander Bravo and those around him, especially Ma’am Naglah Lailah Amenah Sanguila, liked the idea. Commander Bravo promised to officially invite us to conduct a training on Coffee Social Entrepreneurial Initiative. In Shaa Allah, we will return to start a partnership with this community.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2024/04/commander-bravos-vision-of-transforming-milf-camp-bilal-into-a-social-entrepreneurial-community/
This afternoon, 27 March 2024, our team at PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) participated in the 10th Year Commemoration of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) at Camp Darapanan, the Administrative Offices of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF presented a Plaque of Appreciation to PBCI in recognition of our “unwavering support to the Bangsamoro Peace Process” and for our “tireless efforts to promote peace and development in Mindanao.” Our President & CEO, L. Daniel ‘Lakan’ Pantoja, received the plaque on behalf of our community. The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), aimed at ending decades of conflict in the Bangsamoro region.
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2024/03/milf-recognizes-pbci-for-our-unwavering-support-to-the-bangsamoro-peace-process/
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) invited PeaceBuilders Community Inc. (PBCI) to witness the gathering of hundreds of thousands of people during the Bangsamoro Assembly held at the Old Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao last 27 November 2017. From armed revolutionary to transformative social movement. Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chair of the MILF Central …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2017/12/milf-transition-from-a-revolutionary-mindset-into-transformative-leaders-and-managers/
In 25 October 2017, the Da’wah Committee for Non-Muslim Affairs of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the leaders of Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), along with representatives from the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Cotabato City, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), and UniHarmony Partners Manila, gathered …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2017/10/inter-faith-joint-working-group-for-peace-is-established/
02 August 2017, Camp Darapanan – The representatives of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), led by Bishop Noel Alba Pantoja, met with the members of the Central Committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim. Both the PCEC and the MILF are exploring the possibility of …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2017/08/the-new-jpar-commission-of-the-pcec-is-in-direct-dialogue-with-the-milf/
Militant. Combative. Aggressive. Violent. Confrontational. Usually for the purpose of advancing a worldview, a value system, a set of behaviors. Mostly visible in religious, social, or political advocacies or programs. We live in a militant 21st century reality. Those who want to make good business in a world at war would like us all to …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2016/06/im-an-anabaptist-i-must-not-be-militant-against-militant-people/
02 April 2016. Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao — The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), led by Bishop Noel Alba Pantoja, visited the Central Committee Office of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), led by Chairman Murad Ebrahim. The two bodies discussed how leaders of Evangelical Christian and Muslim religious groups can work together …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2016/04/pcec-top-leaders-meet-with-milf-central-committee/
Young Jun Aparece pricked up his ears when Bobby Alonto began to tune the guitar. In the Muslim dormitory, on Mindanao State University’s main campus, Alonto and his brothers were about to launch into a chorus lauding their Moro people’s age-old, ongoing struggle for self-rule. It was the early 1980s, and nearly two decades of dictator Ferdinand …
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Permanent link to this article: https://peacebuilderscommunity.org/2015/06/moro-autonomy-a-mindanaoan-christians-thirty-year-advocacy/
