The campaign hopes to convince President Aquino not to sell Agus Pulangui to private interests by mobilizing the people to “buy” the Agus Pulangui Hydropower Complex themselves.

Each Mindanaon is asked to pledge P50 so that a total of one billion pesos is collected for a seed fund. Since the population of Mindanao (women, men and children) is projected as 21 million, each one should pledge at least P50 to be able to total PhP 1 billion.

Because we will accept pledges online, we can also target the Mindanaons abroad. Some people, of course, will pledge more.

There will be two tracks for getting the pledges in:  online and at pledging stations.

Online the campaign will be on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and SMS.

Offline, there will be pledging stations. At the beginning of the campaign, we will need volunteers to set up pledging stations in their offices, schools, hospitals, even houses.

A bracelet will be given to each person who gives a pledge.  This will be a visible sign of how many people are already involved in the campaign, thus providing the “pressure” needed to make it succeed and  to make the President realize how much support there is for non-privatization.

A website will be set up. Among others, it will have the designs of all resource materials – poster, buttons, tarps, t-shirts, and others – for volunteers to download. A primer on the Mindanao Power Crisis will also be posted on the site.

Dubbed as the “Pipol’s Power Campaign”, it will be launched  in Iligan City on Saturday, May 5.  The backdrop will be the Maria Cristina Falls. Women and children will lead the campaign to save the Agus-Pulangui for the people’s benefit now and in the future.

Our aim is to form a Steering Committee for the campaign in every city and province in Mindanao. Cagayan de Oro and Davao are already in the process of establishing their committees. Chambers of commerce, electric cooperatives, environment groups, and the diocesan social action centers are being invited to join.

The Mindanao Commission on Women has agreed to be the secretariat of the campaign but we will need thousands of volunteers to make the campaign a solid success!

This is about people’s outrage expressed through PIPOL’S POWER!

What is Mothers for Peace?

Mothers for Peace is the grassroots movement of the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW), a civil society organization of women leaders from all parts of Mindanao advancing a clear Mindanao Agenda from the women’s perspective.  In a sense, they have been “Occupying Mindanao” for 10 years now.

Mothers for Peace started as a campaign in 2003 in response to the bombing of Buliok, a major MILF Camp, by the AFP. The MILF broke off peace talks with the government because of that. The campaign was successful in its demand for a ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table. And a new and broader peace constituency was created.

What does Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW) do?

MCW is a vehicle for women to influence public policy and public opinion about peace and development. It mobilizes, educates, persuades, and lobbies to make women’s issues central to the decisions about peace, believing that no peace agreement can be implemented or can peace be sustained without the leadership and participation of women. To help in the building of peaceful and prosperous communities for our families, the MCW chose three inter-linked areas of work, namely: peace and multiculturalism, poverty reduction, and politics and governance.

Who are the women leading the MCW?

MCW is governed by 11 women leaders who compose the Board of Trustees.  Eight members of the board represent 21 Area Core Group (ACG) geographic clusters and three members are directors-at-large. Its current Chair is Ms. Margie Moran-Floirendo and its Chair Emerita and Chief Executive Officer is Ms. Irene Morada Santiago.

Where is MCW present?

MCW’s headquarters is in Davao City at 121 University Avenue, Juna Subdivision, Matina (in front of the RSM Event Center, Philippine Women’s College of Davao) and it works with 21 Area Core Groups (ACG) all over Mindanao.

What is the Mothers for Peace Davao Food Revolution?

It is a social enterprise program and advocacy campaign for food security and poverty reduction.  It is an innovative solution that addresses not only the practical needs of women, but also their strategic needs. It is an integrated program centered on food — from the farm to the plate. It advocates organic agriculture, sustainable food production, health and nutrition, and women’s empowerment. It is supported by the Mothers for Peace Fund.

Why Food?

Food is a basic need, everybody buys it. Filipinos love to eat. It is a very profitable business. Mindanao is the food basket of the Philippines. There are many ways to prepare it so it encourages creativity and innovation. It can be a powerful vehicle for social change.

Why a Revolution?

There is a food crisis: decline in food production, rising food prices.

There is a small farms crisis: farmers losing the battle against corporate consolidation in agribusiness and globalization.

There is a child nutrition crisis: more hungry kids who have nothing to eat and more obese kids who eat unhealthy food.

There is a health crisis: more and more people are dying prematurely from cancer, diabetes, heart disease which can be prevented and reversed by nutrition and lifestyle change.

Why is it being led by Mothers for Peace?

Because women produce more than half of the world’s food. Women, especially the mothers, plant, harvest or buy and prepare the food in the family. In armed conflict and natural disasters, women and mothers usually take care of the food — looking for it, budgeting for it, and even lining up for relief goods.  And mothers have the power to influence their children’s eating habits and public policies on food and health (the policy makers have mothers, too).

Why start in Davao City?

Because Davao City is a trailblazer in public health initiatives and it is committed to promoting organic agriculture. Because it is a major food producer with a strong women’s movement. Because there is a pending city ordinance on banning “junk” food in schools.

What are the social enterprises being supported by the Mothers for Peace Davao Food Revolution?

1. Food Production – healthy food production through organic farms; seed banks of indigenous seeds/open-pollinated seeds; “Gardens for Peace” urban gardens
2. Food Processing - healthy food in a jar/bag/box for pasalubong and local consumption
3. Food Packaging - made of recycled materials and indigenous materials abundant in Mindanao
4. Food Tours - heritage and culinary tours; organic farm visits, skill enhancement vacations
5. Food Carts - healthy and alternative fast food (slow food) for schools, offices, streets using the food cart franchise business model

The IMT serves as the Third party with the mandate to monitor the implementation of the ongoing Agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities (AGCH) of 1997 and the Agreement on the Rehabilitation and Development of the Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao forged by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. IMT’s mandate now also includes a civilian protection component.

The stories of Pinang and Marawiya are among those featured in a recent video produced by the Mindanao Commission on Women. The video also shows the various initiatives done by Mindanao women in ensuring their participation and representation during formal peace negotiations and the protection of women’s human rights during conflict. Click on the link to watch the video:

Representatives from indigenous and Muslim women’s groups, and from civil society organizations met in Davao City to dialogue with United Nations officials during the “Open Days on Women, Peace and Security” held on September 6. The UN Women and UN Development Program sponsored the two-day event with the Mindanao Commission on Women and the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Miriam College. The priorities identified by Filipino women in attaining peace and security will feed into the discussions of the UN Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 1325, a landmark resolution on women, peace and security passed in 2000. It mandates participation of women in peace processes, their protection and the promotion of gender mainstreaming in all phases of conflict prevention and resolution. The Philippines is the first country in Asia to formulate a National Action Plan to implement the resolution.

The following UN officials from Bangkok and Manila participated in discussions: UN Resident Coordinator Jacqui Badcock; Regional Director for East and Southeast Asia of UN Women Moni Pizani; UNFPA Country Representative and Chair of the UN Gender Mainstreaming Committee Ugochi Daniels; UNDP Country Representative Renaud Meyer; and Team Leader of the UNDP Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit Alma Evangelista. Aida Jean Manipon of the national office of UN Women is coordinating the event with Irene M. Santiago, Chair Emerita of the Mindanao Commission on Women.

“It is timely that we are having the UN Open Days in Mindanao,” Ms. Santiago said. “Women’s participation in the current peace process is absolutely critical in determining what kind of society will emerge when the fighting stops. Women are victims of war, yes, but they are also the linchpin of political, economic and social development in the aftermath of violent conflict. Without women, any peace agreement is nothing but a piece of paper.”

On the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the UN system held similar “Open Days on Women, Peace and Security” in 25 countries around the world.

Among significant provisions that came out from the workshop were the following: recognize in the preamble the contribution and active participation of women in peacebuilding and adopt international instruments and national laws promoting human rights and gender equality; ensure representation and participation of women in all decision-making processes regarding programming and implementation; eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and promote gender equality; train the security force in gender-sensitive handling of gender-based violence based on existing laws and guidelines such as, but not limited to, the establishment of women and children’s desks, adoption of gender-sensitive handling of victims, setting-up of shelters for victims to deal with gender-specific violence; appoint a gender adviser in the Mindanao Trust Fund and create a Special Fund for Women; and ensure that forty percent of candidates running for elective posts are women.

The indigenous women participants lobbied for their own proposals which include the recognition and respect of indigenous peoples (IPs) traditional agreements and boundaries and customary laws; legalization of their indigenous justice systems; and for both the government and the MILF to look into the historical injustices against IPs.

The meeting resulted to the formation of “Mindanao 1325” with MCW mandated as secretariat. The group agreed to include more organizations and to hold a seminar to deepen their knowledge and understanding of women, peace and security issues.

In accordance with these plans, MCW organized a seminar on “Applying 1325” on February 10-11, 2011 at Garden Oases, Obrero, Davao City. Twenty six CSOs, IP groups, and government institutions attended the seminar, including the directors from the regional offices of the Commission on Human Rights in Mindanao.

The first day of the seminar focused on gender and peace, and on how to run an advocacy campaign. On the second day, inputs were given regarding 1325 indicators. Mavic Cabrera Balleza, International Coordinator of Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, provided updates on the 10^th anniversary commemorating the UN SCR 1325. UN Women’s National Coordinator for the Philippines, Aida Jean Manipon, also gave updates and insights on how the 1325 network may coordinate with the UN.

In the planning session, participants identified Mindanao 1325 as a movement that aims to popularize and localize 1325 through the passage of an ordinance that shall hold the LGUs accountable for its responsibilities under the National Action Plan.

“Irene M. Santiago, Chair and CEO of the Mindanao Commission on Women and Convenor of Mothers for Peace, is well-known nationally and internationally as a strong advocate for the improvement of the status of women,” the citation said. “With the Mindanao Comission on Women, Ms. Santiago is in the forefront of efforts to ensure that gender issues are taken seriously in the entire peace process.”

Also named peace champions were Muslim scholar Amina Rasul-Bernardo, who is the director of the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy, dedicated to the study of Islamic and democratic political thought and the search for peace, democracy and development in Muslim communities. Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer has strongly advocated incorporating peace lens in the security sector to enable men and women in uniform to appreciate the culture of peace and hone their skills in peacebuilding work. The former secretary Jesus Dureza served as chair of the GRP panel in talks with the MILF before becoming the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process under the Arroyo administration. Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado is the secretary general of the Mindanao People’s Caucus, a network of Moro, Lumad and Christian settlers bound by the common aspiration for peace in the island region.

The news organization Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center, known as MindaNews, was cited as ”the leading provider of accurate, timely and comprehensive news and information on Mindanao and its peoples, serving economically, politically and culturally emprowered communities.”

The Bishops-Ulama Conference is a dialogue forum consisting of Catholic and Protestant bishops of Mindanao and Muslim religious leaders (Ulama) who affirm their common commitment to the peace process. These religious leaders acknowledge the importance of recognizing and respecting religious and cultural diversity. The BUC has institutionalized the celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace.