Amina Rasul-Bernardo, the President of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy and one of the MSU Regents, emphasized the role of MSU-Maguindanao is central to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) given its proximity to the regional government. She mentioned that the offering of the Diploma Program on WPS was a result of joint aspirations with Chancellor Bai Hejira Nefertiti M. Limbona. Vice Chancellor Marissa Parcon, representing the Chancellor, expressed full support for Chancellor Limbona’s initiatives, bringing in faculty members from different fields of expertise to be capacitated with WPS concepts and frameworks and assist in crafting the course syllabi. Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, the Executive Director of the International Civil Society Action Network, a partner of the PCID, expressed appreciation for PCID’s work and stressed the pivotal role of women in peace processes.

The activity commenced with a presentation from the Social Healing and Peacebuilding Program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity that handles the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP-WPS). Ms. Karen Marcelino highlighted policy references, CSO support, and increased recognition of women’s roles, revealing the ongoing journey towards a refined NAP-WPS for 2023-2033. Localizing the NAP-WPS into the context of the Bangsamoro Region, Ms. Chiclet Tanghal of the Bangsamoro Women Commission walked through the Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, emphasizing the specific counterparts of the academe in realizing the RAP-WPS. She expressed happiness that the development of the Diploma on WPS in the university is a concrete milestone for WPS in the region.

IPDM Dir. Grant Warren D. Lu and Prof. Princess Sheryn Mamucao, Chair of the Committee on WPS of MSU-Maguindanao, jointly presented the Diploma on WPS, highlighting the university’s push factors for offering such programs in response to the pressing needs of nearby communities.

The 3-day writeshop and consultation were graced by two experts from Indonesia and Thailand, Dr. Arifah Ramahwati and Dr. Amporn Marddent. Aside from sharing their work on women, peace, and security in their countries, they guided the committee in enriching content and learning strategies. They expressed commitment to continually assist in the program offering and create learning and faculty exchanges within their universities.

The writeshop was facilitated by Dr. Dianne Ulanday, Directress of the Center for Women Studies of MSU General Santos, Ms. Linar Orbista of the PCID, and IPDM Director Grant Warren D. Lu. Dr. Ulanday contributed her expertise in curriculum development to enrich the Diploma program.

During the last day of the activity, Chair Bainon Karon of the Bangsamoro Women Commission and Deputy Minister Nur – Ainee Tan – Lim of the Ministry of Social Services and Development, two women from the Moro National Liberation Front, joined the learning exchange. DM Tan – Lim highlighted the significant role of women during conflict periods and their inherent tendencies to protect what comes naturally to them. She mentioned that conflicts in the past were rooted in the principles of the need for freedom and justice. Presently, conflicts happen with no limits, basis, and are only violent in nature, making her believe that the Diploma on WPS is an effective instrumentality to address these societal issues. Chair Karon expressed joy for this initiative and announced BWC’s support to not only open the program but to sustain it as a milestone in the BARMM. Her office also presented videos, offered as references, showing the roles and struggles of women during armed conflict. As one of the identified ways forward, BWC will be joining PCID and MSU-Maguindanao as a major partner for the development of Diploma on WPS.

Dr. Judith de Guzman of UNDP gave a closing message, highlighting that their support for the Diploma on WPS program is one of their commitments to help sustain the gains of peace in the region. She encouraged the need to continue working on meaningful initiatives for the Bangsamoro.

The Offering of the Diploma Program on Women, Peace and Security is a first phase of this endeavor. The second phase will be focusing on the creation of modules and other instructional materials for short-term training programs for local communities.

MSU – Maguindanao expresses gratitude to its peacebuilding partners and extends appreciation to MSU Regent Amina Rasul-Bernardo for enhancing the faculty’s competencies in WPS. Rasul-Bernardo’s collaboration with partners from PCID has further enriched MSU-Maguindanao’s role as part of the National Peace University.

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𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘋. 𝘓𝘶, 𝘈𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘰