Women peace warriors

The Philippines is hosting the International Conference for Women, Peace and Security that will be held for the first time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325. This Resolution was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on Oct. 31, 2000 that acknowledged the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and young girls. The same Resolution urged an increase in the participation of women and to incorporate gender perspectives in all UN peace and security efforts.

In behalf of the Philippine government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) helped organize the holding of this conference here in our country from Oct. 28 to 30 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. With the DFA at the helm, more than 400 delegates composed of ministers, parliamentarians and peace advocates coming from 73 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation at the three-day conference here.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr. jointly announced this at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday. Aside from DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, Pangandaman and Galvez, Senator Loren Legarda and Pangasinan third district Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas will participate in this conference.

According to Pangandaman, the international conference next week is a chance to elevate women’s voices and foster partnerships among governments, civil societies and international organizations. “By bringing together thought leaders, practitioners and advocates from around the globe, we aim to create strategies and actionable commitments that prioritize women’s participation in the peace process,” she pointed out.

“As a country with diverse cultures and rich history of resilience, the Philippines is uniquely positioned to lead discussions on the intersection of gender security and sustainable development,” Pangandaman noted.

Meanwhile, Galvez disclosed that a group of House leaders from the BARMM, accompanied by OPAPRU assistant secretary Andres Aguinaldo, is currently attending the peace process learning program at Dublin, Ireland on the Good Friday Agreement. Also called the Belfast Agreement, it is the Irish-British agreement signed on April 10 (Good Friday),1998 that ended the long-running ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland in Great Britain since the late 1960’s. It came into force on Dec. 2,1999.

The head of delegation to Ireland is Lanao del Sur first district Rep. Zia Alonto-Adiong, who is the acting head of the House committee on peace, reconciliation and unity. He is joined by fellow Lanao del Sur Congressmen Yasser Alonto Balindong; Joselito Sacdalan of North Cotabato and Munir Arbison of the second district of Sulu. The British government, a major international supporter of the peace agreements in Mindanao, organized this event.

Herself a Maranao, Pangandaman has been actively involved with the OPAPRU’s implementation of the peace agreements in Mindanao.

The DBM secretary co-chairs with former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chieftain Mohagher Iqbal the Inter-Governmental Relations Body (IGRB) that serves as the joint mechanism for the national and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governments to push forward the peace pacts in Southern Philippines.

Galvez cited a study on the various peace processes across the world which validated “the empowerment of women” to get them involved in peace negotiations is more enduring in a “matriarchal” society that cares for their children’s future. “We saw that if we kept the women involved, it becomes more sustainable. There is a concept of family orientation because if there is a crisis, the most vulnerable are the women and children,” Galvez pointed out.

The OPAPRU acknowledged this during the observance of Peace Month last Sept. 30 in awarding women peace warriors for contributing to the government’s peace pacts entered into with various groups of rebels in the Philippines. Pangandaman was one of the recipients of OPAPRU’s Gawad Kapayapaan Award for contributions to peace, inclusive development of the BARMM. Her co-awardees included the late peace process chairperson Haydee Yorac and professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who chaired the government panel that forged the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the MILF.

As the DBM chief, Pangandaman was credited for providing the necessary funding for those displaced in the former conflict areas that need help from the national government, especially in Mindanao. “As you all know, Marawi City, where the Marawi siege happened a few years ago, luckily when we entered the administration, it was also the first time where we have provided for the Marawi rehabilitation,”she touted.

She referred to the Marawi siege after the sneak attack of the Islamist terrorist-influenced Maute bandits group in May 2017. Galvez was then the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff who led in ending the five-month Marawi siege. The DBM chief reported they released recently P500 million of the P1-billion Marawi rehab fund to pay for claims of victims for property damages.

At the forthcoming conference, Pangandaman vowed to push for priority funding to sustain the peace process not only coming from the government and the official development assistance (ODAs) being poured in by the international community. “If you notice, studies will show that most of the projects from our development partners do not count in women and security in their portfolio,” she rued.

“The pie does not show a big chunk of the budget for women and security,” she admitted. Thus, she underscored the more productive source of funding must come from the private sector in terms of investments in Mindanao, where economic growth opportunities abound.

Pangandaman cited Filipino women have emerged as “indispensable architects of peace, demonstrating that we are not just participants in the peace process but we are its heart and soul.” Further, she pointed to studies that have highlighted as a matter of fact that whenever women are involved in the peace talks, “these agreements tend to last longer and these agreements have a heart that cares and there is love.”

A “Manila Declaration,” Pangandaman announced, will be issued at the end of this conference on its theme “Forging Collaboration and Convergence for Advancing Women, Peace and Security.” Hail the women peace warriors!