From Margins to Center: Women’s Role in Peace Building

Mula sa Gilid Patungong Sentro: Ang Papel ng Kababaihan sa Pagbubuo ng Kapayapaan

From precolonial times to the present, Indigenous Peoples and the Moro have faced varying degrees of land dispossession and systemic violence. Indigenous women have been at the forefront, fighting for their rights to self-determination and ancestral domains. Filipino Muslim women, central to peacebuilding and development efforts, have played a crucial role in addressing the civil conflict in the Bangsamoro region.

Petra Macli-ing

Petra Macli-ing, founding member Cordillera People's Alliance

Photo from: Cordillera Women’s Education, Action Research Center, Inc. (CWEARC)

Petra Macli-ing (died 25 May 2018), fondly called "Mother Petra" from Bontoc, rallied the women in her community in the 1980s to fight against mining in their mountains. The women climbed to the mining site, collectively undressed, and exposed their breasts, and with arms linked together, they chanted. They dared the men to "harm the womb where they came from." Their courageous act successfully drove the engineers away. She was recognized and awarded for her bravery and contribution to the indigenous people’s movement.

Bai Hadja Fatima Matabay Plang

Photo Source: Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST)

Bai Hadja Fatima Matabay Plang (21 January 1912 – 13 April 1984) dedicated her life to public service. She began her career as a teacher but served with the Mlang Women’s Auxiliary Service of the Guerilla Organization during World War II. After the war, Plang studied in the US and returned as an educator and social worker, who lobbied to establish the Mindanao Institute of Technology, now the University of Southern Mindanao (USM). 

Princess Tarhata Alonto Lucman

Princess Tarhata Alonto Lucman in 2004, in an event organized by the Mindanao State University. (Photo Credit: Elin Anisha Guro)

Princess Tarhata Alonto Lucman (26 June 1926 – 26 February 2021) became the first female Governor of Lanao del Sur. Known for her unwavering commitment to peacebuilding and collective action, she would end rido (clan wars or conflict) by literally standing between gunfire exchanges. It was also under Princess Tarhata’s leadership that peace flourished in Muslim-Christian relations.

References

• Batnag, C. (2019, March 8). Where her voice echoed. The Pine-Scented Chronicles. https://thetorogichronicles.com/2019/03/08/where-her-voice-echoed/

• Cordillera Peoples Alliance. (2020, May 10). Mother Petra Macliing: A shining light in the rural landscape of Northern Philippines. Cordillera Peoples Alliance. https://www.cpaphils.org/mother-petra-macliing-a-shining-light-in-the-rural-landscape-of-northern-philippines.html

• Quitasol, K. (2018, June 1). Remembering Mother Petra, Bontoc warrior. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/996382/remembering-mother-petra-bontoc-warrior

• Arguelles, J. M. (n.d.). Hadja Bai Fatima Matabay Plang. Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. https://pvao.gov.ph/pvao-gad-updates/hadja-bai-fatima-matabay-plang/

• De la Cruz, T. C. (n.d.). Biographical sketch of Bai Hadja Fatima Matabay Plang. University of Southern Mindanao. https://www.usm.edu.ph/about-usm/the-founder/

• De la Rosa, N. P. C. (2021, February 27). Tarhata’s grit. Inquirer.net. https://opinion.inquirer.net/138052/tarhatas-grit

• Guro, E. A. (2021, February 26). Princess Tarhata Alonto-Lucman: Babo a Tatah. MindaNews. https://mindanews.com/feature/2021/02/princess-tarhata-alonto-lucman-babo-a-tatah2/#gsc.tab=0

• Senate of the Philippines. (2021, March 2). Senate commends late Princess Tarhata Kiram [Press release]. https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2021/0302_prib3.asp