TRAINERS’ TRAINING ON FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONemindanao.com/wp-content/.../2015/03/ProceedingsFGDTawi-Tawi2014.pdf · TRAINERS’ TRAINING ON FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION . Mindanao State

PROCEEDINGS: USIP PEACE EDUCATION PROJECT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY

Teaching Enriched History and Bridging Culture: In Search of Peace in Mindanao, Philippines

TRAINERS’ TRAINING ON FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION Mindanao State University--Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography

Sanga-Sanga, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi Sabdani J. Bulante Hall, November 5, 2014

Prepared by Mucha-Shim L. Quiling With the assistance of Rasul M. Sabal

Note: The workshop conducted in MSU Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography is funded with assistance from the United States Institute of Peace. This report is the sole responsibility of the writer and has no bearing on the views of, nor endorsement by, the USIP.

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Introduction

A Trainors’ Training was conducted among project participants from the Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography [MSU-TCTO] on November 5, 2014. A total of fifteen participants attended the one-day workshop which was held at the Sabdani J. Bulante conference hall of the University. The main objective of the activity was to equip the project participants of Tawi-Tawi with basic know-how in conducting FGD and in processing the result of the FGD that they recently conducted.

Opening and welcome

The event started with an invocation led by Mr. Rasul M. Sabal, one of the members of the Secretariat. It was followed by an opening and welcome message by the MSU-TCTO Dean of Islamic Studies, Professor Magsaysay Werble, who is also one of the active participants and contributors to this project.

After giving his ‘salam’ and greetings to participants, Prof. Werble proceeded to thank the Project Director, Dr. Federico Magdalena and welcomed him to the MSU-TCTO and to Tawi-Tawi. He expressed his pleasure that the project and the activity are to serve as a valuable input to the current peace process. As result, the module is ready and can now be used as learning resource in actual teaching practice, he enthused, while the findings of the study itself provide significant insight and can be a timely input to peace education and advocacy.

Prof Werble commended the Chancellor of MSU-TCTO, Attorney Lorenzo R. Reyes, from whose wide networks and connection made it possible for the USIP Peace Education project to identify and partner with MSU-TCTO in this very important endeavor which is of interest to the University not only for academic but for its utility in the University’s mandate to contribute in social transformation. With that, he concluded by lauding the efforts of the Chancellor and enjoining the active participation of the academic community in this project that has made MSU-TCTO a “real institution of learning” that is actively linked to other MSU units and to the outside world of the society at large.

Prof. Werble then briefly traced the history of the Project, recalling how it started in the summer of school year 2013-14. He pointed out that the participation of MSU-TCTO is

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important in its implementation and realization.

Main Inputs

The first resource person was Atty. Lorenzo R. Reyes, Chancellor of MSU-TCTO. The resource person was introduced by FGD facilitator for Tawi-Tawi, Professor Al-Shadat B. Sabal. As per his brief curriculum vitae, the resource person who is the current Chancellor of the MSU-TCTO is an AB Political Science degree holder from the MSU-TCTO and took up his Bachelors of Law from the University of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, he has been an active academician as a faculty of the MSU-TCTO for many years. Atty. Lorenzo Reyes also holds a Master degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, USA. This is his fourth year as the Chancellor of the MSU-TCTO.

Chancellor Lorenzo Reyes gave a lecture on the utility of FGD and the significance of the result of this study to the present context especially as it impacts on the mandate of the MSU system. He started by tracing the roots of conflict in Mindanao and Sulu to the then lingering distrust and prevalent discrimination especially against Muslim minorities. He related the story of the rebellion of famous Tausug hero, Hadji Kamlon. He was an elusive “rebel” who felt disgruntled with the Philippine government, then under President Carlos Garcia, was left-out and neglected. The congressional investigation why Kamlon did so resulted in the committee’s proposal to educate the Muslims so as to make feel part of this nation. That was when the need for a higher educational institution for Muslims came up. Thus the Mindanao State University was conceived as part of the government’s project for pacification of the restive South. At first, MSU was supposed to have been built in the heart of the land of Tausug in the town of Jolo, province of Sulu. But Sulu government could not provide the land big enough as required for building a sprawling MSU campus, such that the project was moved to Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.

During the first years of MSU, Chancellor Reyes recalled that only eight faculty members who were mostly foreigners and volunteers taught basic courses in the social sciences, including history.

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The idea of teaching the history of Muslims in the Philippines came through in the course of the Board of Regent’s meetings in 1970s, when among issues discussed were ways to eliminate discrimination and racism that was currently at its height in the Philippine north. Mindanaoans from the eyes of those in Luzon and the Visayas were seen as second class citizens. It was during the presidency of a Christian [Dr. Isidro] that the mandate of the MSU was spelled as an institution for integration of the Muslims in the south. He said that it was in

pursuit of this mandate that we are now engaged in this project. Hence, we may list down as two important objectives as to why effective teaching of Muslims in the Philippines is being sought: One, to inculcate understanding and, two, to optimally harness empathy to the struggle in the south.

Chancellor Reyes also emphasized on the significance of teaching History 3 at this juncture in our political context and developments. There have been gaps in national narratives where local history is neglected and therefore silenced in curriculum. Racism and stereotyping of the Muslims in the south as perceived “enemies” caused Philippine north to harbor discriminatory attitudes, and “Moros” becoming a derogatory referent, connoting ‘pirates’ and kidnappers.

In the light of recent developments in the peace process, where the Bangsamoro Basic Law is in the verge of being put into law, it is also important to ‘right historical wrongs’ by recanting history from the perspective of the people of Mindanao and Sulu. The challenging question now is, how to integrate the Bangsamoro Basic Law into the curriculum as soon as it becomes operative.

Attendance of Participants:

Before the next resource person was introduced, the participants were given the chance to briefly introduce themselves. Fourteen participants were present during the FGD workshop.

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Table 1. List of Participants

Training Workshop Overview

The next resource person was Dr. Federico Magdalena. He presented an Overview of the Project by way of orienting the participants on the objectives of the FGD Trainers’ Training, and reviewed the project goals and objectives. He also gave an updated on the current stage in project implementation.

Here was how Dr. Magdalena was introduced by the head of Secretariat, Ms. Mucha-Shim L. Quiling:

Dr. Fred Magdalena is the Associate Director of Center for Philippine Studies and affiliate Faculty at the Asian Studies Program in University of Hawai’i at Manoa. He is the Project Director of this initiative, Teaching Enriched History and Bridging Culture: In Search of Peace in Mindanao, Philippines.

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Second Input:

In his paper which is a preliminary assessment report of the history project, Dr. Magadalena has this to say:

“The institutional partners began this project in June 2013 in time for the opening of classes during the first semester. Due to some unavoidable delays, some of the intended activities were not fully accomplished. However, we have conducted two

workshops for faculty of history 3 (History of Muslims and Lumads in Mindanao) in June 2013 and April 2014, with two smaller fora in between as part of teacher’s training.

“This project is about teaching local history for peace. It seeks to accomplish two interrelated goals: (1.) enhance teacher capacity to implement an enriched curriculum at Mindanao State University (MSU), and (2.) early prevention of conflict and promoting culture of peace among students who belong to Muslim, Christian and Lumad (generic term for various indigenous groups) ethnicities.”

He also updated the participants on the current stage of research, reporting that: “The data are still being collected (as of September 2014) and have been partially analyzed…[A]t best, some indications may be gleaned from the student surveys in the first and second semesters for three campuses of Mindanao State University (Marawi, Iligan and Tawi-Tawi). We are still in the process of providing the wherewithal to capacitate the teachers to train students as bridges of cross-cultural understanding… ”

Dr. Magdalena impressed in the participants’ recollection that the project has been primarily to inculcate Culture of Peace as MSU is mandated to teach and develop solidarity among Muslims, Lumads and Christians. Echoing the account of the first speaker, he also emphasized how MSU has been seen as a forum and venue for integration among peoples of Mindanao and Sulu especially, the three groups of people. He said that integration must be mutual and not a one-way traffic.

Using the learning variables of Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral, indicators were developed for measurement and testing purposes. The research is keyed to the development of a Culture of Peace by focusing on six building blocks and operative indicators, namely:

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Social Distance, Integration and Intergroup Contact, Trust, Harmony, Knowledge, and Action.

Result and Findings:

Dr. Magdalena distributed a copy of his report to participants, and summarized it through a powerpoint presentation. He then presented the following preliminary result and findings of the study in tabular form:

A full report is also found in the Proceedings for MSU IIT workshop (see Proceedings for FGD Iligan, Oct. 29, 2014).

Discussion of Results and Findings:

During the Open Forum, participants were interested to know how the enriched History 3 was re-introduced into the curriculum. Among the first timers who attended the project activities were chief academic officials of the MSU-TCTO. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Annabel Wellms wanted to know if there were salient differences across ethnic groups where the new curriculum was tested. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Benny Maratas, on the other hand wanted to know if the “quasi-experiment” was able to give a disaggregated data on the ethnic composition and if it was possible to give empirical observations on ethnicity respond to changes in behaviors and attitudes.

Dr. Magdalena answered that the data need to be re-analyzed to see how ethnicity would factor in the results to show how the introduction of a revised history curriculum had affected students. He then flashed the history manual used in teaching as the main resource material and the entry point for the introduction of a curricular initiative ingested with peace education concepts. The manual was developed by a group of teachers led by Prof. Juvanni Caballero of MSU Iligan, with participation of teachers from the different campuses.

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Dr. Ibba Asakil,of MSU-TCTO Secondary Education Division, who was also new in the project, suggested that the results might probably been affected by pedagogical or teacher-method factors considering that in the process, the teacher might have used strategies or teaching approaches that might have been unfit or unsuitable to students’ level that could have significantly affected the result. On the other hand, student factors could have also spelled the difference in that level of knowledge and their capacity to absorb knowledge may have also affected the learning process. He further suggested that building up of attitude and changes in behavior might also be traced back to the foundation of the students. “Did the students attend pre-education, or was history taught/introduced to them just now?” he ended by asking.

Prof. Aliaza, a history teacher who has been with the project from the start, inferred that the overwhelmingly “No Change” result for MSU Tawi-Tawi might be explained by the fact that Tawi-Tawi has been relatively peaceful compared to the two other campuses participating in the study. There is also an observed unique practice to Tawi-Tawi of intermarriage and mixed families, such that mestizos of various ethnicities are very common. Alleged “Muslim-Christian conflict” is very negligible or non-existent. If there is any inter-ethnic conflict, this is not usually religious or ethnic in nature.

He then proposed that the “No Change” result be noted as a positive observation for Culture of Peace.

Prof. Abduljim Hassan, a history and political science professor and director of the Sama Studies Center [Cultural Studies center] acknowledged that indeed the experience of integration and harmony has become natural and sustained among Tawi-Tawians. While internal factors may have largely been determinant, he believes, that external condition may also be a significant driver in such experience. In transmitting knowledge, it occurs in the context of world developments especially the political developments and social awakenings in the Arab countries. This might have impact on the way students are also molded and politicized about their present realities.

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How the knowledge of the past is made use to understand the present was equally important. So while local situation in Tawi-Tawi might indeed been ideal, and so was the workings in the world order that created impact on the learning environment of the students.

He recommended that the shift in students’ attitude from being inimical to friendly should be properly bridged. He however lamented that while there is significant change in knowledge, there should have been marked changes in activism or harmony.

Prof. Benny Maratas, University Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, was interested to look at the inter-ethnic dynamics. He likened the MSU Iligan to an ocean whereas MSU Marawi and MSU Tawi-Tawi are like fish-bowls. The impact of knowledge given the two distinctly varied situations must be closely scrutinized.

Dr. Magdalena responded by affirming that external political developments were indeed contributory to the changes in students behavior. The possibility of impact made by

the September 2013 crisis in Zamboanga on the post-test, for instance, cannot be discounted. It might have been contributory to the negativity in results.

Chancellor Reyes commented by citing the basic foundation of students as factor affecting the students’ level of capability to assimilate information and acquire knowledge. He shared the same observation as the rest on the source of conflict and enmity in Tawi-Tawi is not significant as found in Iligan and Marawi. He says that Tawi-Tawi has been traditionally a tolerant and open society where intermarriages among faith communities is a common practice. It is usual for Tawi-Tawians to be products of mixed marriages and to possess hybrid or multi-ethnic family backgrounds.

Dr. Magdalena agreed on those observations, and also proposed to look into the teachers’ methodology to compliment the analysis that student factor is a variable to look into. He proposed that a “true experiment” would have been ideal to test these changes instead of the “quasi experiment” used to make the results credible and valid. However, human experimentation is difficult and variables are hard to isolate, not to mention the many ethical considerations that come into play.

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Third Input: FGD Method and Procedures:

The afternoon session started at 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon. Dr. Magdalena opened his session with an apology on behalf of the speaker, Dr. Luz Vidal-Castro Vidal, who could not make it to Tawi-Tawi for valid reason. He would be presenting Dr. Castro’s powerpoint instead. He also motioned the participants to peruse through the kit distributed where there were at least three different learning resources on FGD and the methods and procedures. The CD-ROM he distributed also contained relevant materials, he reminded.

[Please refer to Castro-Vidal’s Powerpoint on FGD, Proceedings for FGD Iligan]

Focus Group Discussion is a typology of interview technique that utilizes “emic” or insider perspective rather than “etic” or that of the outsider, with which the survey is commonly the case, where the framework is largely conceptualized by the one doing research.

Figurations are constellation of ideas and opinions of the subjects. These are familiar to participants allowing them to figure or configure in their own way how the world is constructed. Through this network of ideas, the researcher gets to understand what theories are being entertained by the participants.

Voices reflect the way how people see their reality. Different voices are situated in different contexts or dispositions.

The FGD may be conducted from one to two hours, beyond that is not good. It is free-flowing and follows a natural process. A minimum of four members may participate while 12 may be set as the maximum.

The participants are purposively chosen so as to elicit heterogenous patterns allowing researcher to interact with many.

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FGD may be supplemental to other research methods [usually triangulated with survey and key informant interview where FGD is a confirmatory or validation tool. Its result is useful in complementing quantitative data and used to validate issues that cannot be resolved through survey or random interviews.

Fourth Input: Result and Findings of FGD Conducted in MSU-TCTO

Facilitator for Tawi-Tawi, Prof. Alshadat B. Sabal, discussed the result and findings of the FGD for students in MSU Tawi-Tawi. Prof Sadat is Associate Professor in the University and former chair of the Department of Social Sciences. A graduate of Western Mindanao State University, he has conducted researches on the Tausug and Sama people of Sulu and an advocate for peace education in the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelago.

With assistance of fellow faculty member of the Department of Social Sciences, Dr. Muktar S. Muhammad Tahil, Prof. Sabal conducted an FGD among MSU Tawi-Tawi students on September 18, 2014. Twelve (4 males, 8 females) college students coming from various courses who were either chosen by their teachers or personally volunteered, participated (see Appendix for details).

In his summary and conclusion, Prof. Sadat reported that the session was generally successful and productive. The students, who were not given copy of the Module, had access to it and considered it an ‘eye-opener’ in the learning process.

Students learned general ideas on the struggle of the Moro and Lumad minorities as part of responses of tri-people to “onslaught of colonial powers”.

He concluded that students learned and believed in the importance of peace and mutual understanding.. “Peace can be attained through tolerance, openness, and acceptance of differences, and understanding.” While integration of minorities is considered as key in finding lasting peace for Mindanao and Sulu. “Integration of the cultural communities into the mainstream of the country’s body politic can only be achieved through genuine understanding and equity among the Mindanaoans”. He also prescribed inclusive economic prosperity.

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“There are still vestiges of centuries-old mutual animosities, fears, suspicions and bad faith among the present generation of the tri-people. But History 3 introduced them to new concepts for better relations with other ethnic groups”.

An open forum followed his report. Here, animated discussions were not sufficiently captured, but suffice to note that the comments bordered mostly on the same issues raised earlier during discussions on the Iligan and Marawi results. One particular point raised by Prof. Ibba Asakil was the query on how much the teachers’ [or researcher’s] opinion and ‘guided facilitation’ influenced the students’ responses, to which Prof. Sadat replied that there was hardly interference from teachers and researchers since they used a pro-formatted FGD guide provided by the Project Team and did not alter the questions except to clarify them.

Prof. Benny Maratas, a statistician, broached the idea of actually conducting experimental study by subjecting the data in really grueling and serious statistical analysis to come up with accurate and credible result, reiterating that the varied ethnic backgrounds be made a defining variable.

Prof. Aliaza seconded the inference that the ethnic background and social environment of subject students may actually bear great influence on their predisposition to a culture of peace. He shared an interesting anecdote comparing the Sama and Tausug ethnics, saying that any Tausug brave or cavalier on arriving or migrating to Tawi-Tawi appear to lose their bravery and courage and turn meek and gentle, just like the Sama people.

This was affirmed by Dean Magsaysay Werble, Prof. Jeffrey Noor and Prof. Ibba Asakil who shared an anecdote about Tausug courage and boldness being a known fact, that in instances of conflict, a wronged Tausug would avenge himself to the last standing coconut tree or pet. He stressed how warring Tausug would use a chainsaw to cut down coconut trunks, burn houses to ashes and kill the smallest kitten and mice of a hated enemy.

Closing ceremonies:

The Director of Sama Studies Center, Prof. Abduljim Hassan, gave the closing remarks and congratulated Dr. Magdalena for a successful event and a very relevant project for Tawi-Tawi.

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Certificates of attendance and participation were then distributed and logistics settled.

Among those in photo at the bottom are (Left to right): Danny, Chancellor Lorenzo R. Reyes, Mucha-Shim Quiling, Fred Magdalena, Rasul Sabal, and an official of MSU TCTO.

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Documentation prepared by:

Mucha-Shim L. Quiling and Rasul M. Sabal

14 November 2014 MSU Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography Sanga-Sanga, Bongao Province of Tawi-Tawi

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Appendix Focus Group Discussion (FGD) for MSU-TCTO Students The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) session for the MSU-TCTO Bongao Campus, facilitated by Prof. Alshadat B. Sabal, was conducted last September 18, 2014 at 10:34 A.M. at the Sabdani Bulante Hall Conference Room with 12 participating students from different sections of History 3. The participants were 4 males and 8 females, taking up different courses and belonging to different ethnic groups (see Table below). Table Showing Composition of FGD Student Participants

Name

Sex

Course Ethnic Affiliation

Abdulhalim, Alshein A. M BSEED Sama

Bendanillo, Junriel L. M BSED-GS Cebuano

Mohammad, Tahil, Yashier B.

M

A.B. POL. SCI Sama/Tausug

Sala, Alvarez S. M A.B. English

Sama/Tausug

Atiola, Chrisly Maie D. F

BSED English Cebuano

Bulkia, Sheena M. F

BEED Sama

Harain, Fatima Nadra A.

F BSED English Tausug

Jamdani, Sitti Sara B.

F

BEED

Tausug

Juhan, Johanna C. F Asso Secretarial

Tausug

Pangilan, Fitra Ainie A.

F Gen.Education Sama/Tausug

Sangkula, Stephanie C.

F BSED-GS Tausug

Vicera, Beryl Mae J.

F BSED English Cebuano

Selection Criteria The participants were chosen either on voluntary basis or selected by the faculty members from among the top 3 students in each class. The teachers concerned submitted the list of the students to the facilitator about a week before the FGD was to be administered. The facilitator then identified the student-participants and personally met them. This is one way to get their trust as well as to get their consent to participate. He explained to the students the need to conduct the FGD as an important component of the USIP Project in History 3 (Teaching Enriched History and Bridging Cultures: In Search of

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Peace in Mindanao, Philippines). He also explained to the students the project rationale. This was reiterated to the participants during FGD proper after expressing his gratitude to them for their involvement. The facilitator also assured the students that their answers to the FGD questions guide will be treated with confidentiality. The FGD session was facilitated by Prof. Sabal with the assistance of Dr. Muktar S. Mohammad Tahil, both faculty members of the Social Sciences Department of MSU-TCTO. The proceedings were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. For the purposes of this report, only the summary of the major points discussed is presented. On questions relevant to project objectives All of the participants answered that they learned something from taking History 3 this semester. This included their new knowledge of the tri people, how they lived in Mindanao, the coming of Islam, the islamization of the Philippines, and the Sulu Sultanate. One participant spoke of the political and historical development of the Bangsamoro as the dominant group prior to the coming of the Spaniards. One shared of the bitter struggle of the Moros against colonial powers and how they reacted to foreign domination. One suggested that the Moros were able to preserve their cultural heritage and contributed to the development and enrichment of Philippine Culture. Peace to them means respect and tolerance by embracing and celebrating each other’s differences. Culture of peace is an integral approach to prevent violence and conflict. One said Islam is a culture of peace. Peace is understanding other people’s culture. To attain peace, one must have goals which must be realized. Majority of the participants have not been provided with copies of the History Manual by Prof. Juvanni Caballero but have actual access to the modules. They perceived the modules to be a useful reference in History 3 and their content to be very informative. The participants have a common understanding of the MSU goal of integration. To them ‘Integration” is to live as one, to treat everyone fairly, good relations among the tri people, genuine understanding and equality among the Mindanaoans. They got this information from the module in History 3 as well as from the faculty members concerned handling the subject. On questions relevant to Project Impact and changed behaviors/attitudes The student participants have mixed reactions. They have negative as well as positive responses. Feelings of enmity, suspicions, hostilities and misunderstanding are still present among Christians, Muslims and Lumads. Reciprocity of behaviors and attitudes are quite open. They learned these impressions from the media like television and newspapers. On the whole, their views changed from bad to good after taking History 3. To the participants, History 3 serves as an avenue for understanding and harmony among of Muslims, Christians and Lumads. In fact, the participants were curious and eager to know more about the tri-people and their relationship towards each other. Majority of the participants sympathized with the struggle of the Moros and Lumads towards self-determination. They believed that it is the collective right of the Moros and

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Lumads to determine their own future and destiny. Others argued that the struggle is valid and sensible so that the elusive peace on Mindanao would be achieved. One answered that if it is for the sake of unity, she would be very sympathetic to the plight of the Moros and Lumads so that genuine understanding and peace could be attained. With regard to the Comprehensive Agreement for the Bangsamoro and the Proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, all of the participants were aware of them as the political solution to end the violent conflict in Mindanao but only a few of them knew their content and purposes. On the whole, the participants favored the initiative to address the so-called Mindanao Problem. On questions related to Violent Conflicts The participants’ responses were almost the same. They would do something or take the necessary action like calling the police, extending a helping hand, investigating the causes of the conflict, and prevent the conflict from happening. One participant said that she would be on the side of her relatives or friends provided she believed that they were right. Other participants did not comment. One replied that she had nothing to do with it. When asked how to resolve violent conflicts, the participants had common answers: “peace talks,” bonding with each other, understanding each other, not the letting conflict grow big, peace education, having one goal and aim, setting aside negative thoughts and fairness in dealing with each other. They had no comments on participation in rallies and demonstrations because they had no experience in these activities. Summary and Conclusion Although some participants to the FGD were quite shy, the session was generally successful and productive. Their exposure to the History modules, enriched with the peace component, was an eye-opener. They may have had experiences with the tri-people before but now they see their contacts from a different perspective, in a different light. The participants have learned of how the tri-people responded to the onslaught of colonial powers, how the Moro people had tried to fend off all attempts to subjugate them, how they had managed to preserve their cultural identity with their self-respect and dignity intact. People must always work for peace as this has been elusive. Peace can be attained through tolerance, openness, and acceptance of differences, and understanding. Integration of the cultural communities into the mainstream of the country’s body politic can only be achieved through genuine understanding and equity among the Mindanaoans, and inclusive economic growth. There are still vestiges of centuries-old mutual animosities, fears, suspicions and bad faith among the present generation of the tri-people. But History 3 introduced them to new concepts for better relations with other ethnic groups. To resolve and avoid violent conflicts, there should be conviction and willingness to dismantle age-old prejudices and biases. The tri-people must work hand in hand towards the promotion of understanding and brotherhood.

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The FGD is a laudable program by which the participants can ventilate their perceptions and opinions regarding the conflict situation in Mindanao. We cannot turn back the hands of time. We cannot go back to pre-colonial times. So we must confront the present and try to improve relations among the tri-people. The present conflict in Mindanao is partly caused by our colonial baggage which we still carry around whether we like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not. We must try to establish a modus vivendi, a peaceful co-existence, a live and let live policy under a climate of genuine concern and trust among the different ethnic groups. In the vision of the new Bangsamoro people, Muslims, Christians, and Lumads are co-equal with nobody superior to or dominant over the other, always observing a sense of mutual respect and tolerance to promote unity amidst cultural diversity. It is quite a tall order. But it is the only way for the elusive peace to be attained at last. We keep our fingers crossed that the Bangsamoro Basic Law will be passed and implemented soon to address the Mindanao Problem.