26
Jun

Community-Based Mediation and Women, Peace & Security Orientation Held in Lanao del Sur, Organized by CBCS

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MSU Main Campus - Marawi City > 11-Sustainable Cities & Communities (SDG Goals) > Community-Based Mediation and Women, Peace & Security Orientation Held in Lanao del Sur, Organized by CBCS

Aliah Pacalna Cali-Pascan, DPA, JD., Sh.L

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, a significant orientation on community-based procedures for mediation through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) was successfully held at the social hall of the Provincial Capitol in Lanao del Sur. The event was a collaborative effort by Bae a Tomanor (BT”ARA), in partnership with SUBATRA (Support to Bangsamoro Transition), and was notably organized by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS).

The orientation commenced with a warm welcome address by Bae Norhata Alonto, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Bae a Tomanor. She underscored the crucial significance of the orientation in empowering local communities. Bae Noni Lao, President of Bae a Tomanor, outlined the flow of the event and discussed the organization’s future initiatives. Baelabi Shora Sabdullah extended an acknowledgement to all the participating attendees.

Dr. Baelabi Aliah Pacalna Cali Pascan introduced the first and second speakers of the day. Dr. Acram Latiph, Executive Director of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM), served as the first resource person. He provided comprehensive insights into community-based mediation procedures, highlighting the essential qualities of a mediator. Dr. Latiph reinforced the importance of mediation by citing relevant verses from the Holy Qur’an and shared his personal experiences and values concerning the prospective role of a mediator. His presentation was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.

The second speaker was Dr. Jehanne Mutin, who delivered a compelling presentation on Women, Peace, and Security. She addressed various challenges that Bae a Tomanor is poised to tackle and presented relevant policies. Dr. Mutin also discussed the potential for developing a manual in the Meranaw dialect to further support these initiatives.

IPDM expressed its strong support for such valuable activities aimed at fostering peace and resolving disputes within communities.

The active involvement of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) in organizing this event underscores their commitment to empowering local communities and strengthening civil society’s role in peacebuilding and governance within the Bangsamoro region. As a solidarity network of Bangsamoro NGOs and other civil society organizations, CBCS plays a vital role in advocating for peace, human rights, good governance, and development across Mindanao.

About the author

The institute for peace and development in Mindanao (IPDM) was created by the MSU Board of Regents during its 182nd Meeting on December 7, 2001. The institute assumed the functions of two defunct units: the Muslim Christian Center for Peace Studies and the Muslim Mindanao Development Institute. It is now the central coordinating unit for all existing peace and development programs of the campuses of the University. MSU was established on September 1, 1961 as one of the government responses to the so-called “Mindanao problem.” The problem includes a violent struggle of segments of the Filipino Muslim population to redress long-standing grievances and assert Muslim selfhood and identity in the face of real and imagined threats of cultural and spiritual assimilation by the majority Filipino Christian population. The University was mandated to accelerate the “integration” of the cultural communities in Mindanao into the mainstream body politic and to accelerate the development of its service areas through instruction, research, and extension. In the pursuit of these objectives, the University also seeks to infuse spiritual and moral values, national consciousness and solidarity, and mutual understanding among Filipinos, which are necessary for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. IPDM was therefore, created with the expectation that it would contribute to the easing of tensions and the promotion of justice and peace between Filipino Muslims and Christian by expanding knowledge, improving understanding and heightening sensitivity in relations between the peoples of Mindanao in particular, and the Philippines in general.

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