Community support (2)

By Vic M. Taylor
Mindanews

THE writer was involved some 10 years ago with a group that worked with several communities in the province of Sulu to address the dire situation of potable water supply.  At that time, national government data showed that only 27% of the population of the province had access to clean water.  However, based on actual surveys undertaken by the project team, it was discovered that of the close to 200 water sources tested for potability, 92% were contaminated with fecal coliform.[4]  The project team thus worked very closely with one community to explore with them their appreciation of the water supply situation.

The community shared how they identified and developed their existing water sources.  With the help of the project team, they learned how certain daily activities which they took for granted impacted the quality of their water and the health of their family members.  They also learned how to make certain devices which would enable them to identify potential sources of water and even how to analyze the quality of their water.

As a result of their interaction with the project team and their newfound knowledge and skills, the community became more confident, open and vocal.  Their confidence in their new-found strength spilled over beyond the project and led them to engage with their local chief executive on other matters more openly and directly.  It came to a point where the chief executive of the municipality, who had initially enthusiastically encouraged and supported the project, began to feel that his authority was being challenged.  In fact at one point he asked the project team leader, “Unu na in nahinang niyo ha raayat ko?  Maytah biyahan na sila magbissara kakoh?”  (“What have you done to my people?  Why are they speaking to me like this now?”)

To gain community support, one must be willing to work with the community on its terms and to help the community discover their strengths.  In dealing with the community with openness, one generally will find a greater responsiveness on the part of the community and a willingness to establish a relationship of mutual support, even though there may initially be some hesitation to open up, particularly if the facilitators are not well-known to or trusted by the community.  If handled properly, the interaction will eventually develop into a relationship based on mutual respect.

The responses one gets when one deals openly with a community and shows respect for their views are refreshingly frank.  In a research undertaken in 2013 as part of the security sector reform program, to determine whether the responsibility for internal security could be transferred from the AFP to the PNP, consultations were held with community leaders in Patikul, generally considered to be the nerve center of the ASG in Sulu.

When asked about the conflict in their area, one of the participants, for example, described a difficulty that they were encountering:

“Under the 9th Marine Battalion, the marines set a perimeter of one kilometer from the highway where local residents from the barangay were allowed to move.  Going beyond the boundary means that you will be apprehended or even shot at.  The problem was that the Provincial SWD (Social Welfare Department) came only once to distribute food (about three kilos of rice, half kilo sugar, canned goods, noodles, etc.).  They never came back.  As we were away from our farms, many took the risk to go to their farms to get food.  That was why many people were arrested for the violation, because of hunger.”

When asked how conflicts were settled within their community, participants described how they went about this.

“Internal and smaller conflicts are managed and settled by our elders without the intervention of higher authorities.  We have our traditional way of addressing conflicts based on our old system of governing our community affairs.  Sadly, it is no longer honored by our present set of government leaders.”

“Today, local conflicts are rare, and they are mediated by the elders immediately.  Even as we depend on our barangay officials, they would always request the presence of our elders especially on mediation between two warring groups.”

When asked how they viewed their government leaders, several of the participants expressed the following views:

“No one from among our government leaders come to visit our place to address our concerns.  If ever they did, they were not effective in resolving the local conflicts.”

“As far as we know, our local government leaders set aside our situation and do not take appropriate action or intervention to resolve the problems.”

When asked whether they felt that the PNP could take over the security concerns of their community, participants expressed the following views:

“The community is not ready for the police to replace the military because even in the town of Jolo, the PNP forces cannot perform their duty well.  They can only catch the dead body but never the suspect.”

“Our local policemen are all manipulated by the politicians.  We doubt if they can truly manage the peace and order situation.”

These types of responses were elicited because the study team leader, a Tagalog from Manila who nevertheless had many years of experience working in Sulu (and “Basulta” as a whole), wisely chose a facilitator who was respected by the community.  The facilitator was a former militant himself who however eventually decided to focus his energies to helping his community and set up a cooperative which has now become quite successful in bringing livelihood to his village-mates.  The study team leader did not even appear at the consultations so as not to inhibit the free expression of views by the participants.

This, then, should be a key approach taken by any effort to address the problem of violence and the seeming absence of law and order in the areas where the ASG operate:  interacting with the affected communities, exerting efforts to understand the situation from their perspective, and working jointly with them to address the situation.  If one demonstrates an openness to the community and a willingness to listen to and act on their views and recommendations, showing true respect for their perspectives, the greater are the chances that they will take the lead to manage their own situation, enhancing the chances that a condition of sustainable peace can be attained. (to be continued)