Ateneo de Davao University’s (AdDU) University Community Engagement and Advocacy Council (UCEAC) is renewing its efforts to ensure the progress of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) after decades of struggle, alongside crafting a roadmap centered on Mindanao’s peaceful development. In a listening session dedicated to the launch of the AdDU Mindanao Roadmap, Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Director Gimaidee Ann Moya shared her thoughts on the continued postponements of the BARMM elections, affirming the people’s preparedness to participate in such a democratic process. The BARMM elections were previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM necessitating a redistricting of the region, and a Supreme Court decision that had reversed the initial redistricting proposals by the current parliament. The postponements have also been underpinned by a March 2025 reshuffle of the national government’s appointees in the transitional parliament by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., which left many dissatisfied. Peacebuilder and activist Augusto “Gus” Miclat commented on the parliamentary election’s fortunes in light of the political issues that face the current presidential administration, saying “Yung presidente ngayon…mas marami siyang ibang problemang hinaharap, at siguro the Bangsamoro [elections] is under the radar.” Social sciences practitioner Amelita Balisalisa-Atillo recalled her peacebuilding work with BARMM residents and lamented the stalled transition process. Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) representative Dr. Adrian Tamayo presented a five-year plan, intended to lay the groundwork for AdDU’s roadmap as a precedent for future environmental interventions and to assist displaced rural populations with permanent homes, enabling stable community-building. Atillo cited an economic and sociological perspective, highlighting the new social contracts emerging across Mindanao, particularly in BARMM, and identified five critical emerging risks in Mindanao, including “misinformation and digital manipulation, climate insecurity, persistent and displacement, command votes and vote buying, and weak accountability mechanisms.” Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) Representative Janelle Jones Estocapio underscored how the youth are often valued for their impact on the future, yet rarely recognized for how they can help improve the world today, and noted that today’s youth continue to generate innovative ideas and solutions amid limited opportunities. The AdDU Mindanao Road Map represents a shift from a theoretical study to sustained, informed action, positioning the university as an active player in Mindanao’s journey towards a more just, peaceful, and equitable future. AdDU committed to integrating the insights from the session into a comprehensive road map grounded in research, strengthened by genuine engagement with communities, focused on turning peace studies into active peace practice, and dedicated to protecting civic spaces to amplify voices from the ground. Phase 1 of the AdDU Mindanao Roadmap on Peace, Development, Social Cohesion, Democracy, Human Rights, and Sustainability was launched on December 2 at 11F Calungsod-San Vitores Hall, Community Center of the First Companions (CCFC) Building.
