IIT | Quality Education for a better Mindanao

Iligan Center for Peace Education Research

Background and Rationale

Like India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other multi-ethnic Asian countries, an age-old reality in the Philippines is that culture, ethnicity, mutual prejudices and religion stemming from colonial times, acting separately or in combination, have assumed the proportions of explosive forces threatening the country’s post-independence political stability. A powerful destabilizing force in this regard is the Muslim separatist movement in Southern Philippines spearheaded by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The Philippine government approaches the problem in two ways: structural and cultural. The structural approach emphasizes the importance of institutional changes as means of resolving conflict and focuses on negotiations and search for compromise between the parties in conflict. The cultural approach stresses the need for reconciliation between communities in conflict, through mutual understanding and shared responsibility.

In line with the cultural approach to the peace process in Mindanao, and pursuant to the commitment of MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) to assist the national government in achieving sustainable peace in the region, the Iligan Center for Peace Education and Research (ICPER) was established.

The Center

The Center is an extension arm of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) of MSU-IIT established to make the Institute an effective catalyst for a just and peaceful Mindanao. It is founded on the premises that : 1) violence is not inevitable, 2) a culture of peace can be developed and 3) peace and political stability are the preconditions to economic prosperity.

Building on the strength of the faculty of the Institute in particular and the MSU System in general, the Center is envisioned to be a national center for advanced training on peace and conflict resolution, for the promotion of the culture of peace in Mindanao, and for the development of materials in support of teaching and peace advocacy.

The primary aim of the Center is to promote the culture of peace among the cultural communities in Mindanao through seminars, trainings and workshops that will enable them to come to a common understanding of the roots and nature of their conflicts and prejudices, to heal the wounds, and to appreciate their cultural differences. It also aims to develop materials that will rectify biases made against cultural communities in the region.

Most of all, the Center aims to develop a critical mass of Christians, Muslims and Lumads who are strongly committed to the promotion of sustainable peace in Mindanao.

Key Result Areas

In order to achieve its vision and mission, the Center will pursue the following activities:

1. Training
1. Summer advanced training on peace and conflict resolution for peace negotiators, political leaders, religious leaders, teachers handling courses on peace studies, and students;
2. Trainors’ training on the promotion of the culture of peace for teachers and peace workshop facilitators;
2. Workshops/Seminars
1. Workshops on the role of women on promotion of the culture of peace in Mindanao;
2. Seminars on the role of the youth in the promotion of the culture of peace in Mindanao;
3. Research and publication
1. Development and production of materials on the history of the cultural communities in Mindanao from the viewpoint of local historians;
2. Research on indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms among cultural communities in Mindanao in support of peace and conflict resolution in the region; and
3. Establishment of a central databank on peace and conflict resolution in Mindanao.
4. Linkages
1. Linkages with national and international agencies for collaboration in its various key result areas; and
2. Exchange of research materials with national and international agencies to make MSU-IIT part of the global network of Institutions concerned with the development of workable approaches to sustainable world peace.

Expected Outputs

The following are the expected annual outputs of the Center:

1. Twenty-five (25) graduates of its summer Advanced Course on Conflict Resolution;
2. Thirty (30) graduates of its Trainors Training on the Promotion of the Culture of Peace among Cultural Communities in Mindanao;
3. Thirty (30) participants who completed the Center’s seminar/workshop on the role of women in the promotion of the culture of peace in Mindanao;
4. Thirty (30) participants who completed the Center’s seminar/workshop on the role of the youth in the promotion of the culture of peace in the region;
5. Abstracts of materials on peace and conflict resolution in Mindanao; and
6. Books/monographs as materials become available.

Structure and Funding

The Center is headed by a Director who is directly responsible to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (VCRE). He holds office by designation upon the recommendation of the VCRE.

The Director holds office for a term of two years without prejudice to renewal. He is responsible for sourcing out funds as well as for establishing linkages for the Center.

The Center charges minimal registration fee for each of its programs for its maintenance and operating expenses.