DAVAO CITY—More than 50 known women leaders from 14 countries in the world, whose names are popular among advocates of peace, good governance and gender equality, will join a six-day “Learning and Linking Conference” here from November 22-27.

Among the local big names expected to participate in the international Conference organized by the Davao City-based Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) are Governors Vilma Santos-Recto and Maria Grace Cielo Padaca of Batangas and Isabela, respectively.

MIDSAYAP, Cotabato—The Save the Children Program in this town has awarded the Bantay Ceasefire, a grassroots-based ceasefire monitor, a Plaque of Appreciation for its “effort in helping make our communities peaceful enough to be conducive to learning.”

The Save the Children, a United States-funded non-government project implementing alternative education program in this town, awarded the Plaque of Appreciation to the Bantay Ceasefire during its third year anniversary program at the rooftop of the town hall here last Tuesday.

COTABATO CITY—The Bantay Ceasefire, a grassroots-based organization monitoring the truce between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is mobilizing its over 400 volunteers to monitor areas so-called “hotspots” come Monday’s barangay elections.

Bantay Ceasefire Coordinator Rexall Kaalim, however, explained that his group does not intend to monitor the conduct of the voting but “will focus on areas where election-related violence may erupt.”

The Deputy Head of Mission of the 64-person Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT-4) does not want to see more soldiers sent to Mindanao because “the sight of armed law enforcers is a manifestation of un-peace.”

The Southeast Asia Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC-SEA) and the Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC) is organizing an international peace mission as a quick-response initiative to the critical peace and security conditions prevailing in Basilan. The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), an international solidarity organization based in Davao City, is the secretariat of both the GPPAC-SEA and APSOC.

Scheduled for 4 days, August 10-13, the international peace mission will be conducted in collaboration with the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), the umbrella organization of nine peace networks all over Mindanao.

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) – Southeast Asia led by regional initiator Gus Miclat with RSG representatives Muhadi Sugiono, Indonesia national co-initiator and Chalida Tajaroensuk, Thailand national co-initiator and Carmen Lauzon of the secretariat held an audience with the ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong on March 27 at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila. The occasion was also the holding of the High Level Task Force (HLTF) on ASEAN Charter dialogue with civil society organizations.

ASIA’s democracy is in crisis.

This was noted by Gus Miclat, Executive Director of the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), in a plenary and workshop discussions during the recently concluded General Forum of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA) held in Bangkok, Thailand last 5-6 February 2007.

IID anchored a panel on peace and human security during the said Forum.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has committed to call for a National Consultation among business leaders, non-government organizations, and religious leaders to discuss the peace agenda for Mindanao.

This developed as the diplomatic community also committed to help find “models” that could possibly help break the impasse in the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The Mindanao lobby group that went to Malacanang today to appeal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to “exhaust all means and exercise more political will” to bring back the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace talks to its track have agreed to target in their campaign those who have misgivings on the ancestral domain issue that caused the impasse in the negotiation.

“This is our government’s worst kind of Filipino hospitality—that it should demolish the houses of the poor people just because we have foreign visitors coming by December. By doing so, the Philippines betrays the vision of the ASEAN which is to build a sharing and caring Asean community,”said Gus Miclat, executive director of the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), in reaction to the reports of demolition of houses in Cebu City in preparation for the 12th Asean Summit in December.

“Including Burma in the UNSC agenda is indeed a major victory for the International democratic community and civil society movements who have been campaigning for the return of democracy in Burma for so many years now. But let us not be complacent. What we have won is just a single battle in this tedious war against the illegal regime in Rangoon.”

AT A TIME Timor-Leste has just emerged from socio-political turmoil that threatened its fledgling democratic institutions, a Davao-based advocacy and solidarity organization will co-anchor a four-day solidarity and democracy mission to the world’s youngest nation. The mission is set on 27 – 30 August 2006.

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/22 April) — The Mindanao Peoples Caucus, a broad tri-people network of organizations and individuals advocating peace and dialogue among peoples of Mindanao, is convening its 2nd General Assembly amid expectations from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that the group can contribute much to the peace process.

Prof. Randy David, columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and a University of the Philippines sociology professor, will be main speaker in a public forum on 19 April (Wednesday) titled, “The National Crisis: What Is It For Us In Mindanao?”

A shooting war between government militia and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Sitio Mainline, Liliongan, Carmen town in North Cotabato was averted by a peace mission composed of government, rebel and civil society representatives.

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao — The International Monitoring Team (IMT) representing eight Muslim countries monitoring the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) believes that greater challenges on peace building in Mindanao lies after the signing of the peace accord that both parties are eying to forge this year.