MALUNGON, Sarangani Province (PIA) -- The Philippine Army’s 1002nd Infantry Brigade (IB) is stepping up efforts to mainstream “conflict transformation” to sustain peace in its areas of concern.

Brig. Gen. Patricio Ruben Amata, commander of the 1002nd IB, said conflict transformation aims to change the lives of former rebels and their mass supporters to become productive citizens of the community.

“We will transform the lives of former rebels na nagbalik-loob sa ating gobyerno at ang kanilang dating mass supporters, para maging produktibo sila at makatulong sa ating ambisyon na magkaroon ng matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na bansa,” said Amata during the Philippine Information Agency’s Talakayang Dose program, which airs every Friday over its regional and provincial Facebook pages.

(We will transform the lives of former rebels who returned to the government and their former mass supporters, so they can be productive and help us realize our desire to have a stable, comfortable, and secure country.)

He explained that conflict transformation initiatives include promoting personal changes in the lives of former rebels and their supporters through deradicalization. 

According to him, there are two main points involved in conflict transformation: advancing social cohesion and harmony and effecting structural change through inclusivity.

Amata also highlighted cultural change, or promoting the culture of peace, as one of the strategies for pursuing conflict transformation.

For the first quarter of 2024, according to him, the brigade has identified, located, and facilitated the surrender of around 49 personalities from dismantled guerilla fronts in its jurisdiction.

“Sa mga dismantled guerilla front, patuloy nating hinahanap ‘yung mga miyembro nito na naging inactive. Hinahanap po natin (In the dismantled guerilla fronts, we continue to look for members who have become inactive. We are looking for them) because we want to deradicalize them; we want them to have peace of mind; we want them to mainstream in our society,” Amata pointed out.

The official also emphasized that their area of responsibility (AOR) has been free of guerilla groups for almost two years. As a result, the brigade commander describes their AOR as having “negative peace.”

“Negative peace, meaning wala ng (no more) armed conflict or violence perpetrated by the NPA. Ang tinatrabaho natin ngayon ay (what we are working on now) is positive peace. We hope we can address insurgency through the implementation of development programs,” said Amata.

Amata vowed to intensify efforts to maintain their AOR's NPA-free status and urged concerned agencies to actively get involved in the endeavor.

“Para maging insurgency-free, hindi lamang whole-of-nation approach but more of a whole-of-nation undertaking, kaya kailangan na magtulong-tulong tayo para maaddress ang root causes ng insurgency at drivers of conflict, wherein mostly ito ay hindi maman mga military solution ang kailangan. Karamihan dito is development programs through peacebuilding initiatives,” he further explained.

(In order to be insurgency-free, it is not only a whole-nation approach but more of a whole-nation undertaking, so we need to work together to address the root causes of insurgency and the drivers of conflict, which are mostly not the military solution. Most of this is done through development programs and peacebuilding initiatives.)

The 1002nd Brigade’s areas of concern cover the six municipalities of Cotabato Province and the four municipalities of Sarangani, including one each in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, extending as far as Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.

Meanwhile, Gov. Emmylou Mendoza emphasized the provincial government’s efforts to deliver basic services to residents, particularly in former conflict-affected barangays in Cotabato Province.

The governor reiterated that through the provincial government’s Serbisyong Totoo Caravan, different government agencies converge and bring their programs down to the barangay level.

“The provincial government is steadfast in its promise to bring the government closer to the people in order to ensure long-term and lasting peace,” Mendoza conveyed. (SJDM - PIA Cotabato City)