SPECIAL FEATURE STORY: Voices of the Children in the Conflict Area of MAKIMA

Peace from the hands of a child artist
during the pre-MWOP 2009 painting

HEAR US!

Maasim, Kiamba, Maitum (MAKIMA) are the three municipalities of Sarangani Province that were hit by armed conflicts last year and flashfloods recently, that added to burden the community who was once the 2nd poorest province in the Philippines (NSCB 2003).


After the tanks and guns were silenced, emergency reliefs were given, peace talks had been initiated and many voices had been heard and consulted from the armed groups, government, and various organizations – children are often neglected.

Psychosocial needs to process their trauma were never addressed.

Stories of struggles, hopes and dreams and what they wanted to tell the community were being heard during the conduction of Child Friendly Activities (CFA) by Kapayapaan Kapatid Council and ACT for Peace Programme.

To hide the identities of these children, we will call them Khamer & Ali (both muslim), Tudal Lawa (Lumad), and Casper (Christian).

EXTREME FEAR.
Caught in the crossfire, Khamer , 13 years old was traumatized by the eight-hour-gunfire that entrapped them between the armed fights. “Bullets were all around – in air or in the rice field near our school – I thought it is a dead end for us,”Khamer said. He always wanted to vacate the place where schools were made into camps of armed groups resulting to the alarming decrease of pupils’ attendance.

Khamer is just one of the undetermined number of children who suffered extreme fear. Together with other children, they were haunted with this trauma every time they hear and see a helicopter hovering their place. A group of children recalled their plight of going down the slopes even during night time each time they hear the helicopter’s roaring sound. To them, it signaled another armed conflict.

The playgrounds of mostly all schools in the conflict affected area are immediately empty after classes. Children and teachers are always in a hurry to go home. “It is really hard living in a place where war is already part of our lives” shared by one of the teachers who had been teaching in the place.

ARMED CONFLICT AND FLASH FLOODS.
Three B’laan grade 5 pupils recalled traumatic experiences both armed and natural disasters in Barangay Gasi, Kiamba.

These pupils walked back and forth more seven kilometers from their house to the school everyday. They all saw the burning of the barangay hall and a day care center near their school during the peak of the armed conflict.

The entire barangay fled in exodus leaving their homes, belongings, farm animals, and livelihood. They crossed rivers and ravines cuddling and tugging their children in a single file. Their fathers and some of their brothers were left behind to attend to their properties. The three recalled how nervous they were hearing the gunshots in the nearby mountains.

The flashflood that struck their place recently intensified their trauma. Boulders, cut logs, and rapid waters were everywhere. The small stream near their school was dislocated. All books were washed away. The playground was full of debris – stones, uprooted trees and logs.

These pupils do not know how could they get away from fears and anxiety when there are heavy rains and armed groups visiting their place.

DISPLACED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HARASSED BY LOGGERS
Tudal Lawa, aged 13 together with more 300 internally displaced persons or IDPs children in Lomasal Maasim, is braving the new world after the conflict.

These children have been in the temporary rehabilitation area since last year when the conflict between MILF and the AFP took place. They are not able to return home in the mountains because of fear that the conflict is not yet over.

Another conflict surfaced from a mother interviewed in the community who recalled harassments from the loggers if they will not participate in their activities of cutting trees. Meantime, children were sent to school for the first time but many of them stopped schooling. Their frail bodies cannot sustain the daily walk of several kilometers to reach the school. Many children were malnourished. They only eat root crops such as “balinghoy” (cassava) and “kamote” (sweet potatoes) everyday. They do not have notebooks nor pencils for they have no money to buy them. Some children stopped for their parents cannot afford to pay more than P100 for the “miscellaneous fees.” Many of them got sick and relied only on their customary herbal medicines.

INFLUENCED DREAMS – ARMED SOLDIER.
Significant numbers of children draw and write their dreams in the manila paper of becoming a soldier in the Arm Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). From the eyes of these children, the realities that are happening in their communities influenced their dreams and ambitions. To them, being a soldier is a noble ambition to protect their families and also an opportunity for a livelihood in poverty stricken areas.

Ali, 13 years old and a Grade 6 pupil, has been absent from his classes from time to time – often a month of absence. According to him, he was sent to a military camp of MILF for training by his MILF father. His young mind is greatly influenced by his family.

Casper, sees his dreams to be in the AFP to eliminate the rebels and to have an income to support his family. Rescue and relief operations are very vivid noble memories he witnessed with them.

How many Alis and Caspers will still be dreaming to become an armed soldier to protect their families and have an income? Are we expecting another cycle of violence once these children reach maturity and become a full-pledged soldier? The cycle of violence has to end… only when we address how the child perceives peace…

WHAT IS PEACE IN THE MIND OF THE CHILDREN.

Konsult Mindanaw, a Bishop Ulama Conference (BUC) just initiated consultation in SOCSARGEN area highlighted peace as: 1) “pagkain sa hapag kainan” (food in the table), 2) respect among tri-people – Christian, Lumad and Muslim, 3) review the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA AD).

During the psychosocial interventions of more than 4,000 children near the conflict area aged 13 years old and below by the volunteers of the KKC in the MAKIMA area, almost every child say “ Peace is no more troubles. No more wars; no more fights between Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Army (Arm Forces of the Philippines –AFP).”

Significant numbers also say - Peace is food. Peace is education. Peace is when they are able to play.

WHAT THEY WANTED TO TELL THE COMMUNITY AND THE AUTHORITIES

Khamer, Tudal Lawa, Ali, Casper and many of the children in the conflict area of MAKIMA wanted to tell the community, the politicians, the government, the armed group, businessmen and professionals and to whom their voices may concern:

1.“Hindi tayo mag-away, lahat magkaisa para walang gulo… pag walang gulo, Masaya tayong namumuhay sa ating lugar kahit na mahirap basta’t walang gulo”.
2.“Gusto kung makatapos ng pag-aaral para makatulong sa pamilya at ibang tao”.
3. Pansinin ang aming pangangailangan sa pagkain. “Palagi kaming gutom. Ang iba sa amin naghinto na ng pag-aaral. Hindi na makaya ng kanilang katawan kasi “balinghoy” at “kamote” lang ang aming kinakain. Lumalakad pa kami ilang kilometro araw araw para marating ang eskwelahan”.
4. “Bigyan ng trabaho ang aming mga magulang. Para matustusan ang aming pag-aaral.”
5. “Gusto naming bumalik sa aming lugar. Napahirap dito sa (temporary) resettlement area.” – B’laan children in Lomasal, Maasim.
6.Ihinto na ang pagputol ng mga kahoy.

Note: The writer had been documenting the events during the displacements, relief operations, psychosocial interventions and recently rehabilitations activities done by Kapayapaan Kapatid Council in some areas MAKIMA. This is a special project with the PROBE Foundation and UNICEF.