We have been navigating
the highway out of Marawi City passing by fertile fields for almost a couple of
hours when we turned to a narrow road leading to a small town. Eerie silence
reigned over our group, as our van rolled in front of a Mosque riddled with
bullets. “We’re almost here” I heard someone
exclaimed. I looked out the window and I immediately saw a group of teachers amiably
welcoming us.
They quickly let us inside
the grounds of the public school where I instantly noticed an unnerving
juxtaposing reality. Near the gates situates a block of newly built classrooms while
on the other end, stands a couple of roofless classrooms pierced heavily by
rifle bullets.
A hundred meters away, an
open field led my sight to a gymnasium where dozens of schoolkids participating
in a poster making competition centering in the theme of “Peace”, seemed unmindful of the remnants of war right inside their
school.
After suffering the
effects of the 5-month long Marawi Siege – which resulted in mass human
displacement, loss of lives and properties, the word “peace” now centers on
everyone’s desires. Despite being situated more than 50 kilometers away from
the main battleground, the town of Butig in Lanao Del Sur wasn’t shielded from
the fighting.
It was here where the
Armed Forces of the Philippines hunted down the remaining members of dreaded
Maute Group. The ensuing pockets of battles left a wound in the town, so deeply
punctured, it will take the whole community to cure it.
The
Old Narrative of Butig
The town of Butig, Lanao Del
Sur was infamously feared because it was once the stronghold of the Maute-ISIS
group. It was also here where the local terror group indoctrinated and
recruited youths into extremism.
During the all-out war
against the MILF in 2001, Butig was also the site of one of the fiercely fought
battles between the government and the MILF. A few kilometers from the school
was where a former camp of the MILF was located. It was the most heavily bombed
target next to Camp Abubakar.
“From our houses atop the surrounding hill, we could see the battle
ranging between the army and the MILF” one of the current school teachers
narrated to us. “It was at that former
camp where the Maute trained and brainwashed youths into extremism” she
adds.
Enter
#ForMindanao’s S.P.E.L.L Peace Program
The S.P.E.L.L Peace program
which stands for “Strengthen, Promote and
Encourage Love and Loyalty for Peace in Butig” is a program of #ForMindanao
and funded by the US Embassy and Naawan HELPS Communities.
“SPELL
Peace Project addresses this decade-long issue with the hope to strengthen
peace education in a war-torn community. The project consists series of
activities that encourages community participation to become active agents of
peace. A total of 220 PTA representatives from 22 schools in Butig shall be
trained in seminar-workshop on peace education. Local government units,
education and public security sectors are partnered to ensure a swift-moving
activity” John Badawi, Grants Manager of For Mindanao explains.
Promoting
and Teaching Peace in Butig Today
Today, Butig is an active
community partner of For Mindanao.
The first batch comprising of more than 20 PTA members successfully completed
the modules of becoming peace educators. They now plays a vital role in
ensuring that the corruption of the youth into extremism shall NEVER happen
again.
Envisioning to shed the
town's notoriety, these educators hope to mold students into making Butig as
hometown of future innovators, physicians, social entrepreneurs and so on. Because
in peacetime development and community empowerment, anything is possible.
“Challenges
do not stop us from carrying out the project and in bringing hope to the place.
I believe that by promoting love and loyalty for peace among parents and
students in Butig, by capacitating them, and uniting them to work for peace, we
will contribute to developing a better Mindanao” said Johailah Balt,
Project Head of SPELL Peace in Butig.
In the past the town of
Butig was described in a myriad manner of grim: “hometown of the Maute brothers”, “birthplace of modern day extremism”, and “a very dangerous place”. Fortunately,
these storylines are now in the rearview mirror.
Today, the whole community
looks into the future with visions of a lasting peace. By guiding the younger
generation towards the rightful path, the wounds of the past will be soon be
forgotten and shall be replaced with achieved dreams of a harmonious existence.
