From the Philippine Star (Oct 4): EU suspends funding aid to Mindanao peace NGO
The European Union (EU) has temporarily suspended its funding assistance to the Mindanao People’s Caucus (MPC), a non-government organization involved in peace efforts in Mindanao, pending investigation into “potential ineligible costs” in the group’s projects. In a letter dated Sept. 25, Willem Verpoest, contracts and finance head of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, informed MPC head Mary Ann Arnado that EU auditors have found “a number of potential ineligible costs” during a recent financial audit on a number of the NGO’s projects....
http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=67&articleId=855637
Mary Ann Arnado has been an influential peace advocate active in the southern Philippines. She serves as the Deputy Director for the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), a regional peace advocacy organization. The Philippine-based IID was establsihed in 1998 and was the driving force behind the formation of the Mindanao People's Caucus (MPC) in 2000 at the time of the all-out war between the AFP and MILF in Central Mindanao. The MPC in turn fostered the formation in early 2003 of Bantay Ceasefire, a group that has helped monitor the ceasefire agreements between MILF and military forces in the region. Arnado and the IID were also a major force behind the formation of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW). These groups have done some good work in helping to foster a climate of peace in the region. It will be interesting to see if the MPW "temporary" loss of funding has any "ripple effect" on the activities of these peace advocacy organizations.
ReplyDeleteProbably a lesser known aspect of these groups was their strident opposition to the presence of U.S. troops in Central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. Respresentatives of these groups issued statements opposing the conduct of Balikatan and Balance Piston exercise in 2005-2006. They even established "Bantay Melikan" (American Watch) to keep an eye on the conduct of U.S. soldiers in Jolo.
For examples of this anti-U.S. military rhetoric see the statements below posted to the IID Website:
April 11, 2005: Mindanao as the “next Afghanistan”? Not if we resist!
http://www.iidnet.org/mindanao-as-the-next-afghanistan-not-if-we-resist/
November 30, 2005: Is the Philippines at War with the US?
http://www.iidnet.org/is-the-philippines-at-war-with-the-us/
January 17, 2006: Bantay Ceasefire asks: Where is the Balikatan TOR?
http://www.iidnet.org/bantay-ceasefire-asks-where-is-the-balikatan-tor/
March 1, 2006: US troops in Mindanao are contributing to the un-peace
http://www.iidnet.org/us-troops-in-mindanao-are-contributing-to-the-un-peace/