Peacemakers, peacebuilders
WHEN one reaches my age (I shall soon turn 86), one begins to ask oneself questions about the kind of life that he/she has lived. Such as… What if? What if I had taken this path? What would have been the consequences? What had made me what I am? Questions that lead to further reflection about circumstances, various encounters, and the roles of significant others that had played a role in shaping our lives.
When one begins to look back, it is a sign that perhaps one has to start preparing for an exit. But I am not yet about ready to do that as I realize, and I am sure the reader does too, that there are lessons to be learned from the past that a senior like myself may be able to share.
And one trajectory that comes to mind is that of peacemaking and peace building. Our country which had been colonized for centuries had waged wars over the years with considerable loss of lives and property, and which had created intangible damage not only to our psyche but also set us back in our goals in nation-building. To this day, we still find ourselves engaged in civil and ethnic strife.
The concept of peace is quite complex. It is a social and political condition which, in its simplest definition, is the absence of war or conflict. But, as we have realized, it is an overarching concept that embraces more than this condition.
Today, most countries and governments, including ours, face the challenge of peacemaking and peace-building in various ways. We have defined it in broad terms and pre-conditions such as access to justice, establishment of laws and institutions on human rights and human security. The latter concept translates to food security, reduction of income and social inequities, promotion of racial and ethic harmony, access to information, under a rule of law. Thus, proferred solutions such as conflict resolution through win-win and nonviolent strategies were designed by peace advocates which included peace journalists to provide alternatives to war and violence.
As a communication specialist, I first recognized the primacy of dialogue, a critical element of the communication process from eminent thinkers like the early religious existentialists – Martin Buber, Reinhold Niebuhr, Carl Rogers, and Paul Tillich. The prerequisites for authentic human dialogue, they noted, are openness, empathy, self-affirmation, and acceptance in interpersonal relations. There were also the leaders on the world stage – Nelson Mandela and his fight against racial discrimination, the “apartheid,” which had divided South Africa; Mahatma Gandhi and his “satyagraha” or truth force when he led the Indian National Army in a nonviolent revolution; and on a smaller stage, my own husband Andrew F. Braid, a cooperative specialist who had spent a lifetime in China, India, Jordan, Canada, Philippines, Sri Lanka, among others while working with the Food and Agriculture Organization. He was a Quaker and a pacifist, an anti-war advocate. He was a great influence on me and his work with cooperatives had inspired my constitutional provision on cooperatives which was subsequently translated into laws that created the Cooperatives Development Authority and the Cooperative Law.
Our advocacy in peace journalism was greatly influenced by Johann Galtung. Hawaii-based political science professor Glenn Paige has influenced his worldwide circle of political scientists through his research and publications on the “nonkilling society.” During the early ’90s, he was invited here by former UP President Jose V. Abueva, fellow trustee of the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Foundation (AAQPF) to give a series of lectures that were subsequently published in a book. For over a decade, the AAQPF awarded citizens and institutions which had contributed to local peace initiatives in peace education and development, among them, former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, former Sen. Manuel P. Manahan, Fr. Nial O’Brien for his pioneering efforts in the development of the Basic Christian Communities, Gaston Ortigas, Bernabe Buscayno, Fr. James Reuter, and the personalities of Radio Bandido during the EDSA People Power Revolution and several others. Among the peace advocates in the AAQPA Board of Trustees were Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma, Teresa F. Nieva, Nini Quezon Avancena, Miriam C. Ferrer, and Evelyn Kilayko.
Other outstanding local peace advocates during those early days who had made substantial contribution in advancing the peace movement in the country were former Senator Jose W. Diokno, Fr. Jose Blanco, SJ, Karen Tanada, lawyer Hayee Yorac, former Secretary of the Peace Process Ging Deles, and former Constitutional commissioner Ed Garcia.
During the past two decades of the Moro struggle towards the goal of attaining greater autonomy and independence, several groups of advocates from Mindanao had emerged to respond to the challenge of peace in Mindanao. The vision of a Bangsamoro is now almost within a reach after several years of dedicated struggle by these dedicated peace advocates.
But the full narrative of the peace struggle in the country is yet to be written. There are to date a few films and documentaries and feature stories but these are stories of the better known revolutionary movements. It is time for some of our more perceptive youth to write stories on what is going on in their communities, and especially focusing on initiatives by citizens who are helping create a more peaceful environment for their children. Stories that capture acts of compassion and generosity, that show what peacemakers and peacebuilders are like – their visions and mindsets, their lifestyles and workstyles that give hope and encouragement in our struggle to create a more inclusive society. Our country today is at a crossroad, a period of uncertainty and disquiet. We need to see and hear more about role models, about acts that inspire and motivate us to again come together.