Davao City- The BARMM Peace Conference 2025: From Consultation to Action – Advancing Peace Together served as a convergence platform for peace implementing panels, policymakers, advocates, and various community sectors to present and discuss key issues related to the ongoing implementation of the peace process.

Held on December 4, 2025 at the Blue Lotus Hotel in Davao City, the conference highlighted consolidated outputs from multi-stakeholder consultations conducted across all BARMM provinces, including Sulu. The presented Community Peace Agenda captured community perceptions, experiences, and insights on the current status of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). Representatives from different sectors directly raised concerns to the Peace Implementing Panels, outlining challenges in the implementation of the agreement. Participating agencies were provided the opportunity to respond and identify possible courses of action.

Among those present were MILF-PIP Chairman Mohagher Iqbal, Chairman Cesar B. Yano of the GPH-PIP, and Presidential Assistant David Diciano of the OPAPRU. During the discussions, panel representatives addressed issues under their respective mandates, offering clarifications and insights on matters related to security mechanisms, livelihood and employment gaps, socio-economic support programs, and decommissioning procedures. Concerns related to poverty, inflation, education, and the situation of persons with disabilities affected by armed conflict were also raised.

Minister Iqbal stressed that the full implementation of the CAB remains central to resolving the region’s challenges, emphasizing that peacebuilding requires sincerity, urgency, shared responsibility, and an understanding of Bangsamoro realities. Presidential Assistant and GPH-PİP Chairman Yano acknowledged delays in some areas but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support the peace agreement’s implementation and advance long-term peace in the region.

The Community Peace Agenda also outlined recommendations aimed at strengthening peace initiatives and contributing to a shared roadmap for sustainable peace.

The conference marked the culmination of Project BORN: Bangsamoro Outlook for the Next Horizon, implemented by the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC) in partnership with The Asia Foundation with funding support from the Australian Government. With the theme “Communities at the Core: Driving Peace Agreement Implementation,” the project seeks to provide civil society organizations and community stakeholders with avenues to convey their perspectives on the peace process and articulate their vision for its future direction.

“𝙎𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

It may sound like a worn-out mantra to many, but for Anisa Dagandangan, it is a truth she lives by –  a torch that guided her through darkness and helped her rebuild a life once torn apart.

Gena grew up in the conflict-affected town of Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur – a place where the sound of gunshots and the sight of displacement were sadly normal. Her family often had to move from one place to another, seeking safety and peace. That instability left deep scars, not only on her but especially on one of her children who remains traumatized to this day.

Her husband, a humble driver, was the family’s sole breadwinner, and together they struggled to raise five children amid poverty and conflict. Life was, in her words, “mahirap na nga, delikado pa.”

But everything began to change when Gena became part of the Project WEM 2.0 (Women Empowerment in Maguindanao) initiative of the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC)– a project funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Philippine Business for Social Progress, Inc. (PBSP). The project aimed to strengthen the operational functionality of six GBV survivors’ cooperativesin Maguindanao del Sur.  

She was introduced to capacity-building activities that rekindled the fire of hope inside her. “Hindi dapat manatili sa ganitong kalagayan,” she told herself, realizing that her family deserved a better life.

Gena took part in every training she could. From being timid and fearful, she slowly began to find her voice. It was in one of these trainings that she first encountered the idea of financial literacy particularly, the concept of pagtitipid. 

“Tipid din ang susi sa tagumpay –  basta marunong kang magsakripisyo,”she said with a smile.

Empowered by this new mindset, she started small. With the support of MWDECC’s livelihood assistance, her cooperative was given 50 ducks. Eventually, they were able to raise chickens and goats as well. What began as a single step slowly turned into a sustainable livelihood.

Her sense of success is simple yet profound. For Gena, it’s in the everyday work she does – raising their livestock that helps sustain the family’s needs. Each duck and chicken she tends to symbolizes not just livelihood, but the quiet triumph of perseverance. Through patience and sacrifice, she has learned that success isn’t always about wealth, but about finding stability and dignity in honest work. 

Maguindanao del Sur — Two women’s cooperatives in Maguindanao del Sur have received socioeconomic and livelihood support packages from the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on November 5, 2025.

The recipient cooperatives are the Sampao Moro Ummahat Agri-Business Marketing Cooperative in Rajah Buayan, and the Bangsamoro Lalan sa Kalilintad Marketing Cooperative in Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur.

The received livelihood support packages includes equipment such as upright chiller, chest freezer inverter, gas range, coin-operated commercial coffee vending machine, and various kitchen essentials such as frying pans, wok pots, boilers, casseroles, tea kettles, kitchen utensils, and dinnerware sets.

Prior to receiving their livelihood packages, the cooperatives participated in a series of training sessions as part of the program. These sessions focused on empowering women to be active voices within their communities, increasing awareness of women’s rights and forms of gender-based violence, and establishing local protection mechanisms and referral pathways. Additional training also covered financial literacy, business management, and cooperative operations to equip members with the skills necessary for sustaining and expanding their enterprises.

Previously, three cooperatives from Sharif Aguak, Ampatuan, and Salibo also received livelihood support packages under the same program.

This initiative is part of the “EmpowerHer: Women Cooperatives in Action” project, which aims to enhance the quality of life for women, particularly the six cooperatives led by survivors of gender-based violence in Maguindanao del Sur by strengthening their capacities in livelihood development and cooperative management to become more active partners in social and economic development of their communities.

This Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material on the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC) is designed to provide voters with essential knowledge of the Bangsamoro parliamentary electoral system.

It outlines key provisions of the Code, tailored to local contexts, to help voters better understand the Bangsamoro parliamentary electoral process, as well as their rights and responsibilities in the parliamentary elections.

To access the file, please click the link below to download.

The Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc. (MWDECC) has successfully wrapped up its voters’ education on the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC) and responsible voting, reaching more than one hundred participants in each of the five covered municipalities across Maguindanao.

The series of community sessions ran across the municipalities of Barira and Buldon in Maguindanao del Norte, and Sultan sa Barongis, Mamasapano, and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao del Sur, culminating in the final leg held on September 14, 2025, in Datu Saudi Ampatuan.

This initiative aimed to enhance public understanding of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and the electoral process ahead of the upcoming BARMM Parliamentary elections. Discussions emphasized the importance of citizen participation in ensuring transparent and credible elections.

Participants expressed appreciation for MWDECC’s efforts in bringing these discussions into their communities, noting that the activity increased their awareness as first-time parliamentary voters.

This voters’ education campaign is part of the Project Women STREAM (Strengthening, Empowering, and Activating Women in Maguindanao), implemented in partnership with UN Women and supported by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), reflecting MWDECC’s ongoing commitment to empowering communities and promoting democratic participation in the Bangsamoro region.