Convergence and the Culture of Peace: The Boondock Experience

Adelia R. Roadilla

Long time ago, Bondoc Peninsula was a place alien to many. This was a place highlighted red in the map. Remote as it was, transportation and communication was quite hard. Only very few from highly urbanized cities would have the interest of paying visit to the place. “Can we go back home after visiting your place?” This most often than not would be a question one or group of tourists would ask. As a native of the place, it indeed pained me inside. I was not even sure if they were suspicious of me whenever I introduced myself. I cannot put the blame on them as the place was marked by human insecurities.

It was until after the roads were developed and means of communication were established that life began easy to live. The boondock shadowed with bloody engagements has been shifted into a haven where the culture of peace is being won and sustained through convergence.

A Piece for Peace

The Chinese proverb “give man a fish and he will live for a day; teach him to fish and he will live for a lifetime” clearly analogize acculturating peace in the minds of the people. Winning the peace in the area did not take place overnight. Kill one and in seconds violence will multiply. Good thing, the military has designed a paradigm shift from the traditional way of chasing and ceasing the enemies to finding and reconciling with them thereby cutting the cycle of violence and enjoying peace if not for a lifetime at least not for a day. It only takes one converging group to let everyone learns that peace needs pieces of divergent ideas into a piece of advocacy coming from one ideology, the ideology anchored on the goodness of the One up there.

From Bloody Revolution to Reconciliation

A former military friend (now retired) has a bright idea of promoting peace through the culture of winning the minds, touching the heart and changing habits is indeed effective. Collaboration among different agencies we call Convergence for Peace and Development (CPD), brought reconciliation over violence. Our joint efforts (academe, LGU, religious sector, youth, media and others) resulted to winning the hearts of the stakeholders and touching the hearts of the enemies to come down and be with us in the pursuit of peace and development. We were also able to change the habits of different individuals from being a passive spectator to an engaged personae involved in winning and sustaining the peace. “Balik-Pamayanan” as the flagship project of then 74th Infantry Battalion in convergence with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Mulanay, Quezon Branch, Rotary Club of Cosmopolitan Lucena, LGUs, PNP, Business and Religious Sectors and other concerned agencies is worthy of replication. This program did not only touch the hearts of the families of slain and rebel returnees but also improved their lives as well.

As an advocate of peace and development, I myself can attest that Bayanihan which was reintroduced in Bondoc Peninsula came to be a living testimony of an awakening from a long restful sleep in violence. Why reintroduced? Bayanihan is not new. Since time immemorial, it has been being practiced by the Filipinos for their survival. Way back then, moving houses from one place to another became possible when mighty arms moved together as one lift. Helping planting rice and other stuff in the farm, celebrating feasts, holding wedding and other barangay activities became lighter thru Bayanihan.

Acculturating Peace in Practice

The traditional culture of shedding blood in winning the peace has been shifted to non-traditional practices of convergence. It is not enough to win the peace. Sustaining it would be another venture to invest upon. In the experience of Bondoc Peninsula, we won the peace by acculturating in the minds and hearts of the people that peace is not achieved by being alone but by being one in spirit. The paradigm shift has been achieved in a process.

Therefore, when everybody gets involved, when everything is transparent, winning the peace becomes at hand. Every Juan and Juana should be aware that winning the peace is heavily dependent on his/her full participation and support. Embracing peace should be a culture to practice and that peace to be won for the people should also be through the people, people who are cultured to be human.

About the Author

ADELIA R. ROADILLA, PhD is the Campus Director of Polytechnic University of the Philippines Mulanay, Quezon Branch.

adelroadilla@yahoo.com