February 8, 2010 – The Barangay Justice or Peace Project of the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) in partnership with the Institute for Bangsamoro Studies (IBS) was recently launched in the province of Maguindanao.
The launching ceremony was held during the signing of the Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) between the GRF represented by its Executive Director Agnes Villaruz, Prof. Abhoud Syed Mansur Lingga, Executive Director of IBS, and Honorable Bai Nariman Ambolodto, Acting Governor of the Province of Maguindanao last February 1, 2010 at the Office of the Provincial Governor.
Governor Ambolodto issued an Executive Order expressing the full support and commitment of the provincial government to the Barangay Justice for Peace Project.
“We are fully committed and supportive to the quest for peace and stability in the province and in the entire country,” the first lady governor said in her message.
Prof. Lingga cited that the project will utilize traditional justice system and local mechanisms in addressing dispute through arbitration as well as reconciliation, and not adjudication.
Lingga also said the imperative of employing faith-based approaches to complement the mechanisms in addressing local disputes from its inception in order to prevent them from blowing out of proportion.
Gerry Roxas Foundation explained that the overarching goal of the project is to promote community peace and integrating community-based alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in local level planning and implementation.
The project also aims to reduce number of violent conflict in target areas, improve capacities of local government units in integrating alternative dispute mechanisms, develop capacities of barangay justice advocates, and develop a constituency of peace in conflict affected areas.
Currently, it is being implemented in 600 barangays in 60 municipalities covering 2 provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and 7 non-ARMM provinces in 4 regions.
A total of 3,000 peace advocates are expected to be trained and mobilized by the end project.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is strongly supporting the project said the GRF.
