Mothers for Peace, a national movement for peace

In 2003, Mothers for Peace (M4P) started as a campaign by the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW), Sigma Delta Phi Alumnae Association, and other NGOs to demand a ceasefire between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the military bombing of Buliok, a major MILF Camp in Maguindanao. The campaign used mass media and face-to-face encounters to draw attention of the entire country to the plight of hundreds of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, caught in the armed conflict between the two protagonists. The campaign drew the participation of women from different parts of the country around an issue they believed was of national concern: peace in Mindanao.  A road show was undertaken in various cities in Luzon and the Visayas in which mothers, internally displaced by the recent bombing, related their experiences with war. The road show was featured in various national newspapers. Click to view the award-winning Mothers for Peace TV Ad by TBWA Santiago Mangada Puno below.

To reach a wider audience, the MCW convinced the Advertising Foundation of the Philippines to adopt the campaign. Consequently, several radio and TV networks, national daily newspapers, and a multinational advertising agency were mobilized to support the campaign. A 45-second TV ad was created by TBWA Santiago Mangada Puno ad agency, and played for free by national television networks. The ad was awarded best ad in the public service category at the 2003 National Ad Congress. Radio ads were likewise produced and aired for free in national and local radio stations. National newspapers also ran several campaign ads.

In three months, the government and the MILF declared a ceasefire. The campaign had drawn enthusiastic support from a broad base of people all over the country. It was then decided that Mothers for Peace would be transformed from a campaign to a movement. Its main thrust is now the creation of peace circles to strengthen and expand the movement’s mass base and to make peacebuilding to make peacebuilding part of women’s day-to-day lives.