Balay Mindanaw Peace Center 2nd Anniversary

"Kaangayan, Kalambuan, Kalinaw . . . . . Sa Mindanao, Sa Pilipinas, Sa Kalibutan" (Equity, Progress, Peace . . . . . In Mindanao, In the Philippines, In the World). This is the Balay Mindanaw Group of NGO's vision statement. What started out as a three-person office, has now grown to become one of the leading groups of non-profit, non-governmental, developmental NGOs here in Mindanao. From the original Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI). , four other developmental organizations were born. These are the Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc. or Balaod Mindanaw, the Kab-ot Gahum: Resource Center for Empowerment and Development (RCED), the Balay Dabaw Sur, Inc. (BDSI), and the Balay Mindanaw Peace Center. I have been privileged to have been a witness, and to some extent have been part of the growth of the Balay Mindanaw Group of NGOs from its humble beginnings up to what it is now.

18 January 2007 marked the second anniversary of the Balay Mindanaw Peace Center. Two years into its existence, the Peace Center has taken big steps towards building genuine peace not only in the island of Mindanao but also in the Philippines and even South East Asia. Activities the Peace Center has initiated includes the hosting of the First Action Asia Peace Forum, acting as the independent secretariat for the on-going peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Mindanaw (RPM-M), and providing a comprehensive peace building course for the Philippine Army's 1st Infantry "Tabak" Division.

The simple 2nd anniversary celebration was attended by the officers and staff of the Balay Mindanaw Group of NGOs and partner organizations from the international community (Ford Foundation, EU) as well as partner organizations in Mindanaw and the Philippines.