AMBASSADOR ENGAGES COMMUNITIES ON PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN

UNCLAS MANILA 000562 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KPAO RP USAID SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ENGAGES COMMUNITIES ON PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL MINDANAO ¶1. SUMMARY: The Ambassador completed a March 2-3 trip across Central Mindanao to listen first-hand to communities dealing with security and development issues on a day-to-day basis. The trip began in General Santos City, with stops throughout South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Maguindanao provinces, and finished in Cotabato City. Mindanao has long been characterized by repeated episodes of conflict, threats to security, and some of the lowest health and social indicators in the country, and accordingly receives the majority of the U.S. Government development assistance to the Philippines. The visit drew attention to the interagency, intergovernmental, and community-level efforts that have had a positive impact on peace, security, business development, health, the environment, and youth. The trip received extensive regional media coverage and some national print media coverage. The Ambassador took the opportunity to highlight the good work with local public and private sector partners, as well as to emphasize the need for continued development in Mindanao while working to achieve peace. END SUMMARY. -------------- INTERAGENCY SUPPORT FOR PHILIPPINE COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORTS -------------- ¶2. Accompanied by the USAID Mission Director, the Ambassador began at Camp Tambler in General Santos City, where she formally turned over a Counternarcotics Consolidated Training Center to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office 12. The Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF-W) provided support for the renovation of the facilities that are being used for counterdrug/counternarcotics (CD/CN) enforcement training. During her address to the many PNP officers in attendance, the Ambassador applauded U.S.-Philippine cooperation and noted the important role of police in ensuring a safe, prosperous society and in defending women and children from trafficking. -------------- A CLEANER, GREENER GENERAL SANTOS CITY -------------- ¶3. The Ambassador then traveled to Notre Dame of Dadiangas High School in General Santos City, where she joined some 1,000 jubilant students, officials from the environment department and the local chamber of commerce, the congressional representative, and the Mayor of General Santos to launch the city's solid waste management campaign. The campaign is an important component of the USAID-supported 10-year integrated solid waste and wastewater management plan for the city, known as the tuna capital of the Philippines, and whose economy depends on the health and productivity of Sarangani Bay. The Ambassador commended the enthusiastic commitment by the government, the private sector, and schools to maintain a clean, healthy, and beautiful General Santos City. -------------- PROMOTING HEALTHY WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES -------------- ¶4. Upon arrival in Polomolok municipality, the Ambassador had lunch at the Dole Philippines plantation with key partners working on health improvement in South Cotabato Province. Participants included the congressional representative, local government officials, private business sector representatives, NGOs, and the regional directors of Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, and PhilHealth, the national health insurance corporation. The Ambassador facilitated a spirited discussion on social health insurance and the contribution of private sector employers to provide basic health care for their employees and families. The collegial relationship among various Mindanao government and private-sector leaders at the lunch meeting highlighted the strong cooperation at the local level. ¶5. To view this public-private partnership in action, the Ambassador visited a Family Health Fair of the Unified Engineering and Manpower Services Multi-purpose Cooperative. Unified Engineering is an almost 2,000-member-strong cooperative of engineers, architects, and skilled workers that provides manpower and engineering services to Dole Philippines. With assistance from USAID's private sector health project, the cooperative was able to set up an exemplary family health services program for their workers. The Ambassador and party interacted with a festive crowd at various booths providing information and counseling on maternal and child health care, nutrition and fortified foods and infectious diseases. Community members also had the opportunity to learn about the benefits and entitlements of social health insurance. -------------- STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES THROUGH NEW SKILLS AND IMPROVED MOBILITY -------------- ¶6. After the health fair, the Ambassador traveled to Barangay Sumbakil in Polomolok municipality, in a picture-perfect setting of green rice fields and distant mountains. In the barangay, the Ambassador was able to witness the results of a USAID project which helps farmers' groups to produce higher value crops. The beneficiaries of the project in this community were the members of the Sumbakil Multi Purpose Cooperative (MPC) whose fifty members are former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Through this project, the ex-combatants have been able to diversify from corn to also produce eggplant, bitter gourd, and other more lucrative vegetables. A typical farmer-member of this Co-op increased income from about PHP 50,000 per year to about PHP 80,000 per year as a result of the diversification. ¶7. Due to their increase in income, the beneficiaries reported being able to send their children to high school, and to make purchases such as motorbikes that have greatly increased their mobility and the overall quality of life of their families. During the event, the Ambassador was presented a scarf as she was proclaimed an adopted sister of the barangay women. The party then proceeded to a ribbon-cutting to mark the turnover of the Sumbakil Barangay bridge, financed by USAID. Before this bridge was built, there was no safe crossing for pedestrians and vehicles, and trade was impeded. The Ambassador and her party crossed the newly inaugurated bridge to harvest eggplant from a field on the other side of the bridge which was owned by one of the members of the beneficiary cooperative. ¶8. The visit to Sumbakil reinforced the notion that a small amount of resources can have a large impact in terms of peace, prosperity, and social development. This sentiment was movingly expressed by the chairman of the Sumbakil Multi-purpose Cooperative and ex-commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) when he stated, "With these USAID projects, we are now able to send our children to school and enjoy the basic comforts of life. The trust given to us by the U.S. Government has inspired our people to work hard and renewed our sense of pride as members of society." -------------- NEW BOOKS, NEW BUILDINGS, BRIGHTER FUTURE -------------- ¶9. The Ambassador began the next day with two events promoting both traditional and adult education. First, the Ambassador turned over the Kakal Elementary school building to the community of Paglat. Paglat is one of the 39 target municipalities and cities assisted by USAID's education project. The school was built through an alliance with the Petron Foundation and a grant to Habitat for Humanity. The partnership was developed through support from USAID's education project. The new Kakal Elementary School was also the site of the graduation of 25 out-of-school-youth who have received vocational training in small-engine servicing through the workplace development component of the USAID project. Along with the Mayor of Paglat, the Department of Education Superintendent and school officials, the Ambassador handed the proud graduates a set of tools as each began their new careers. ¶10. With the brand new school standing in stark contrast to the old open-air structure in the background, the Ambassador conveyed to the students "This is your school; this is your future" as she called on the students and graduates alike to take advantage of their education for a more peaceful and prosperous future. ¶11. The next stop was the municipality of Esperanza where the Ambassador was met by the roaring cheers of almost 1500 students and staff. The Esperanza Central School is a shining example of interagency cooperation and U.S. civil military engagements. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Joint Special Operations Task Force- Philippines (JSOTF-P) provide logistical support to deliver hundreds of books donated by the USAID education project. The Ambassador read one of the books to a group of elementary students in their library. -------------- PEACE AND SECURITY AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL -------------- ¶12. During the next leg of the drive from General Santos City into Cotabato City, the Ambassador heard from the communities impacted by floods, armed conflict and lack of security. In the town of Talayan, Maguindanao Province, the Ambassador was briefed by local government leaders, municipal health and social welfare workers, representatives from Save the Children and the International Organization for Migration. The meeting provided an opportunity to hear about the situation of displaced communities, the movement of populations, health and social services provided and measures taken for resettlement /relocation. Of the 10,545 displaced persons reported in Talayan in December 2008, fewer than 2,000 have returned home (about 325 families). The Ambassador stated the need to resolve the conflict so that people can feel safe to return to their homes, and benefit from long-term development efforts in health, education and economic growth. ¶13. In Cotabato City, the Ambassador led a discussion about another vital component of peace and security in the region. A discussion was held at the American Resource Center in Notre Dame University on the issue of rido (clan conflicts). This security issue does not receive as much attention as the conflict between MNLF or MILF and the Philippine government but is an important cause of the lack of security in the region. The participants (community leaders, NGOs, advocacy groups, and clan members themselves) described the characteristics of rido and what each is doing to help resolve and prevent conflict. The U.S. Government, through USAID, supports The Asia Foundation and the Gerry Roxas Foundation to conduct research to better understand the dynamics and management of rido and to build the capacities of local mediators to peacefully resolve existing conflicts between and among clans. -------------- AN AMERICAN FAVORITE IN COTABATO CITY -------------- ¶14. The Ambassador had the opportunity to have lunch at the first McDonald's restaurant in Cotabato City, which enjoyed one of the largest opening days ever for a McDonald's in the Philippines. She was joined by the Mayor of Cotabato City, the McDonald's franchise owner, and representatives from McDonald's Philippines. The lunch was an opportunity to learn about the company's contribution to economic growth in the city and the business environment overall. The Ambassador's lunch companions related how, shortly after the McDonald's opening in December, the wife of Cotabato City Mayor Sema, UNESCO Commissioner Bai Sandra Sema, brought 400 McDonald's Happy Meals to the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) Camp Abubakar. Mayor Sema said the resulting festive picnic was an enormous success, and suggested that, notwithstanding an August flare-up of violence between government troops and the MILF, all sides are eager for peace and a return to normalcy. -------------- GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT -------------- ¶15. The Ambassador met several members of the Cotabato regional media for an informal conversation at a local coffee shop in Cotabato City. The topics ranged from the peace process, U.S. government activities in Mindanao, the upcoming Philippine elections to the recent U.S. presidential elections. The conversation provided an excellent opportunity to clarify the U.S. military role in Mindanao, a role that is often misconstrued in the media. It was also a fitting capstone to a 2-day trip in which the Ambassador was able to hear from communities about the efforts they were making towards peace and development in the region and the partnerships with the U.S. Government that were supporting these efforts. -------------- PARTNERS FOR PEACE -------------- ¶16. The Ambassador ended her trip through central Mindanao by meeting with the AFP's 6th Infantry Division Deputy Commander, COL Joselito Bernardo, and JSOTF-P Task Force Mindanao on the collaboration between the two organizations in the region by increasing development through peace and security. COL Bernardo thanked the Ambassador for the U.S. military's support in training his civil affairs teams on population outreach and partnership on multiple civil-military projects. The Ambassador also took this underscore the vital importance of respect for human rights. -------------- PROBLEM SOLVERS FROM POWERFUL CLANS -------------- ¶17. The Ambassador's encounters with city mayors and other elected officials during the visits from General Santos to Cotabato City revealed the extent to which local politicians are using their authority to seek solutions to challenges that have heretofore been inadequately addressed by the national government. Many mayoral and congressional slots across the region will be decided in May 2010 national elections, including mayors of Cotabato City and General Santos, governor of South Cotabato, and South Cotabato's two congressional seats. Family clans that have held some of these positions for several terms could stay in power by fielding candidates for any of the other available slots. ¶18. General Santos Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio, whose family has held that seat since 1987 and who will have served the maximum of three consecutive three-year terms, described to the Ambassador over the course of an afternoon how she has used her personal political capital and savvy to try to resolve a long-running international fishing dispute with Indonesia over access to international fishing waters and that country's detention of Philippine fishermen accused of encroaching on Indonesia's sovereign territory. Her ability to finally solve the dispute - with little help from the Manila political establishment - will be important for General Santos's continued success as the country's premier tuna processor, and for Antonino-Custodio's own efforts to make a lateral move into another elected position. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶19. The Ambassador's trip through Central Mindanao highlighted the hope and commitment expressed by local communities for their future, in the face of periodic armed conflict and unrest, and of persistent economic and social challenges. It was evident that people sought peace and wanted an opportunity to be heard. They were appreciative of U.S. Government resources and, notably, for the U.S. "taking a chance" on their communities. Signs of long-term development were visible everywhere, including new schools, healthier families, new sources of livelihood, and new highways. In addition, business investments, whether the McDonald's in Cotabato City, the expansion of Dole Philippines, Inc., or the large department store under construction in General Santos, offered a preview of the region's possibilities. The Ambassador's trip underscored the fact that relatively modest resources, paired with a commitment to peace and a cooperative spirit, can have a sizeable impact on the region's future. KENNEY