Konsult Mindanao

Many readers will wonder what this is. Actually, it is the name given to a historic‎, unprecedented and unique consultation undertaken in mid 2009 by our group the Bishops-Ulama Conference(BUC). It was requested by the Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after the Supreme Court in 2008 declared unconstitutional her Administration’s peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation called the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain or MOA-AD. Lack of real consultation ‎was one of its major weaknesses.

With funds procured by the BUC from the Gov’t and The Asia Foundation the Konsult Mindanao (KM) was carried out around Mindanao by a group of academicians and researchers from Catholic, Muslim and Protestant universities‎ headed by Fr. Albert Alejo, SJ. They organized many focused group discussions (fgd) in selected areas around the region. About 5,000 Christians, Muslims and Lumads including several MNLF and MILF combatants participated. In the fgds four questions were discussed and answered:

1. What is your idea and experience of peace? 2. What can you recommend to peace talks between the GRP and MILF ‎Peace Panels? 3. What is your broader idea of peace for Mindanao? 4. What can you contribute or sacrifice for peace in Mindanao?

The responses were recorded‎, summarized, collated, categorized and analyzed professionally. The Final Result was published in the book titled VOICES, VISIONS AND VALUES: THE PEOPLE’S PLATFORM FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO. Copies were given to the Gov’t, MILF, MNLF, Bishops, educators, peace advocates and NGOs.