Asia: Philippines
Current Political Situation
The Philippines continues to face considerable challenges in bringing peace and stability to Muslim Mindanao. The region's internal conflicts are rooted in sectarian strife as well as clashes with separatist groups, and to date, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have yet to uphold a firm peace agreement. Within local communities, broader peace and order concerns are founded in widespread crime and local disputes over access to natural resources. Tensions between civilians and the uniformed services remain high, and there is broad public perception of the lack of government oversight of law enforcement. These issues undermine various peace and order accords and contribute to the rise of paramilitary forces that accrue popular legitimacy from their ability to maintain a degree of order and repress crime.
NDI Programs
In October 2003, NDI initiated a program to help promote democratic governance and enhance community-police relations in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The Institute is working with ARMM municipalities on pilot projects to increase local capacity in addressing community peace and order problems. In 2003, this effort first involved the municipalities of North Upi, Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura. In 2004, the program also engaged the municipalities of Barira and Guindulungan.
NDI is also working with civilian administrators and officials to help increase public access to information on key policies related to civilian oversight of law enforcement and the administration of peace and order mechanisms. This work involves developing and strengthening links between grassroots organizations and policy-making bodies at the regional and local levels on issues of peace and order, conflict resolution and crime prevention.\
Involving Communities in Local Peace and Order Administration
Among the pilot municipalities, NDI is working with community leaders, citizens and local police to organize multi-sectoral discussions, prepare action plans and form working groups to address local peace and order problems. Capacity-building trainings are also being conducted in the pilot sites, guiding community leaders, citizens and police through the use of problem-solving tools and cross-cutting frameworks to deal with local peace and order problems. The Institute is also facilitating dialogues between communities and representatives from various government agencies, such as the Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine National Police-ARMM, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, to respond to priority issues the pilot sites have identified. These exchanges have resulted in a series of joint initiatives agreed upon by the pilot municipalities and the government agencies.
Under this program, NDI collaborates with the Municipal Peace and Order Councils, the local government bodies mandated to address public safety issues. NDI's program has supported community public safety assessments and planning workshops to assist in the formation of the 2005 Integrated Area/Community Safety Plan, a document linked to the legislative agenda of the municipal government that outlines community-coordinated responses to peace and order and public safety issues. This agenda, required by the Department of the Interior and Local Government at the start of each year, is part of the basis of national government's revenue allocation for each local government unit in the country.
Strengthening Civilian Oversight at the Regional Level
At the regional level, this program engages mayors, police chiefs and officers, municipal planners and community leaders in a series of orientations on democratic policing, the need to improve community-police relations, and approaches to community crime prevention efforts. NDI is also working in collaboration with national and regional offices of the National Police Commission, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to organize related capacity-building trainings for local chief executives, community groups and the police.
In late 2004, through the assistance of NDI and its partners, a Community Policing Advisory Committee was established in ARMM to provide high-level guidance on amending existing systems and procedures to yield ARMM-specific community policing models. This committee draws the involvement of the regional and provincial governors, as well as senior representatives of the Department of Interior and Local Government, the National Police Commission and the Philippine National Police.
Funding
NDI's programs in the Philippines have been funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Contact Information
For further information on our programs in the Philippines, please contact:
Washington DC
Raissa Tatad, Senior Program Manager
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Cotabato City
Nelia Agbon, Resident Senior Program Manager
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Updated March 2005
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