For any nation to exercise a healthy democracy, access to relevant, authentic, and vital information is absolutely crucial. Think about ignorant citizens—not knowing who are contesting elections in their constituencies, or what their track records or election promises are—going to vote and decide the destiny of their nation; imagine a state in the garb of disseminating public information, running a well-oiled propaganda machine; reflect on the last set of hate-spewing viral social media posts, that, after whipping up a sensation and doing some irreparable damage to the peaceful co-existence of different communities, is later found by fact-checkers to have been a bundle of lies. Many of our polities exist in such an environment dominated by deception, “alternative facts,” and post-truth, questioning the endurance of democracy.  

While people, structures, and platforms that surreptitiously fudge public data, peddle half-truths, promote misleading content, and manipulate public perceptions are indeed a big problem, our inability as a socio-political collective to critically process and consume media content is a bigger challenge. While a few of us desperately search for information that is trustworthy and useful, apply critical filters, and resist the temptation to settle for an easy conclusion, most of the public is not aware that vast swathes of the information ecosystem are alarmingly polluted. So, the need for strategic media and information literacy is acute and urgent. 

Daghang salamat (Thank you so much) to the MPI alumni from different parts of Davao Region who joined our alumni reunion on 28 April 2022, Thursday. It was an intimate yet energizing experience to be with our fellow peacebuilders in person for the first time since the pandemic started. Aside from the sharing of personal and professional updates, the participants discussed ways to strengthen the peacebuilding network in the Davao Region and how MPI can further support its alumni and other peacebuilders.

We are looking forward to having more in-person "kumustahan" with our alumni in the future.

In this article, I would like to discuss the role of peacebuilders in holding peaceful elections in Afghanistan, especially since my country is once again under the control of the Taliban. One of the reasons for this current crisis in Afghanistan is that over the last 20 years, especially in the last two rounds of presidential elections, the country has not been able to hold fully transparent and peaceful elections.

On March 21, 2001, the Government of the Philippines declared an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as the MILF was considered an enemy of the state. For years, the security sectors, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), were engaged in armed conflict with the MILF, displacing and traumatizing many communities and individuals. This resulted in slow-paced development and escalated violence, biases, and prejudice in the affected areas, especially in the province of Lanao del Norte in the northern part of the island of Mindanao.

But today, after all the efforts made to sustain the gains for peace in Lanao del Norte for several years, we are beginning to realize our dream of having a wave of lasting peace in our province and for the Island of Mindanao. This involved observing dialogues and peace process mechanisms and the exchange of messages of peace and solidarity by different stakeholders and peace actors.