The Cost of War in Mindanao

by Linda B. Bolido

(Manila, Philippines, August 2003) Early this year an eclectic group of Filipino women took to the front lines in the decades-long war that has divided Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines. The island has been the battleground between government troops, communists, and secessionist groups wanting to establish their own Islamic state.

The women – representing various religious groups, ethnic backgrounds, and professions – did not take up arms for their cause. Instead they came together in a mass rally to publicly call for a halt to the violence. They also launched a number of initiatives to promote support for peace and pressure the warring parties to engage in negotiations.

“Before, poverty was said to be the cause of the war in Mindanao,” said Baicon Macaraya, a law student who dropped out to volunteer in refugee centers. “But now the war is causing the poverty in Mindanao.”

Whole communities have been forced to abandon their homes and move to crowded evacuation centers or set up temporary and flimsy shelters. Hundreds of families have been displaced in North Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte, provinces with large Muslim populations. Children are growing up believing that violence is an inescapable reality of life, said Macaraya. And many women are watching their children succumb to disease and death.

Around the world wars are increasingly fought within the borders of a single country, and the fighting and destruction frequently targets civilians and noncombatants. Civilians accounted for more than 90 percent of the casualties caused by armed conflicts in the 1990s.

Mindanao is no exception to this growing trend toward targeting noncombatants. “Unarmed civilians are the casualties and they outnumber those of the armed combatants,” said former Miss Universe Margie Moran-Floirendo, one of the conveners of the peace campaign.

Many have become casualties not because they were attacked by soldiers, but because of the havoc wrought by the fighting. Together with the destruction of lives and livelihoods, war can also destroy croplands, forests, water and sanitation systems, and other key resources that support communities.

As it is, Mindanao is already an island with serious environmental problems. Gold miners poison bodies of water by using mercury to process ores. Deforestation causes serious flooding in many parts of the island during the monsoon rains. And the loss of forest cover threatens to kill off many species, including the world’s largest eagle, the endangered Philippine eagle.

Environmental damages often reinforce the hardships endured by civilians caught in the crossfire of battle, according to World Resources 2002 – 2004, a new report issued by the World Resources Institute (WRI). The report concludes that democratic, transparent, and accountable governments tend to make better decisions for the environment. And war most frequently breaks out where good governance – and good decisions for the environment – is in short supply. Joji Bian of the Mindanao Business Council, a mother of three, said the business sector has always been pro-peace. “We have seen the effects of war. [It] has never been good for business because it creates an environment of insecurity and fear.”

In addition to the immediate threats and destruction caused by war, damage to social networks and natural resources often makes it difficult for communities to regain their footing once fighting has ceased. “Amid war’s brutality, death and deprivation, the environment may seem a minor casualty,” finds the WRI report. “Yet the destruction of the environment, along with the demolition of democratic, informed decision-making, can prolong human suffering for decades, undermining the foundation for social progress and economic security.”

In Mindanao, women have responded to these threats by coming together to push for an end to the conflict. To carry on their work they have formed an advocacy group called Mothers for Peace. Their goal is to save more children from becoming victims of the war. And while they may not be aware of it, a peaceful resolution to the fighting in Mindanao would benefit the environment as well. (WRI Features, 660 words)