{"id":4385,"date":"2020-03-31T13:06:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T13:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/?post_type=story&p=4385"},"modified":"2020-04-16T09:45:32","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T09:45:32","slug":"janel","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/en\/stories\/janel\/","title":{"rendered":"Janel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The story of human rights defender, Janel Pesons [Mindanao, Philippines]<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong>Written by: Patrick van Wersch<\/a>
\n<\/em>Edited by: Olivia Ayes\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Janel Ello Pesons is only thirty-five years old, but she could already easily write an autobiography or two. A human rights defender and peace advocate from Mindanao in southern Philippines, she has dedicated her life to empowering local communities. Because change is at the local level, she believes sustainable peace can be achieved that will reform the conflict-ridden island. That\u2019s not an easy approach, but Janel has no doubt it\u2019s the only one that has a chance of succeeding.<\/p>\n

Now in her third term as Secretary General for the Mindanao Peoples\u2019 Peace Movement (MPPM), Janel oversees the organisation\u2019s day-to-day management and operations. Founded in 2000 in the aftermath of the government\u2019s declaration of \u201call-out war\u201d against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front<\/u><\/a>, MPPM has grown into an alliance and coalition of over a hundred grassroots organisations advancing the participation and engagement of the tri-people<\/u><\/a>\u00a0in building peace in Mindanao.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n \n

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Map of the Philippines, including Mindanao region. Photo by OntheWorldMap.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMuslims are trouble\u201d<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a tough job, and Janel juggles it with raising her two martial arts-loving boys, ages eight and ten, together with her husband, and volunteering for the Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates<\/u><\/a>. The fire burning within keeps propelling her forward. A fire sparked almost two decades ago when she left her native Iligan to study in Marawi, right in the heart of \u201cMuslim Mindanao.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMuslims are trouble,\u2019 my parents insisted when I announced I was going to study mathematics at a Muslim-majority university. I went anyway and never felt more at home. My roommates weren\u2019t bad people. I felt safe. I could finally be myself.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Studying at Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Janel felt accepted. \u201cIn my hometown of Iligan, young people were preoccupied with their looks and their clothing. That wasn\u2019t me. I wanted for those things not to matter. I found that with the Moro<\/u><\/a>\u00a0in Marawi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyes opened<\/h3>\n

Although she liked the school and her fellow students, Janel wasn\u2019t too thrilled about her mathematics courses and the academic environment. So when an opportunity presented itself to get a taste of the \u201creal\u201d world, she took it, even though it meant terminating her studies prematurely.<\/p>\n

Her aunt, who works for a Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) in Cotabato, invited Janel to stay with her for two months. She visited several NGOs and then volunteered with Tripod Cotabato<\/u><\/a>. It was an experience that opened Janel\u2019s eyes to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Mindanao but also to those suffering in silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cTripod works in disaster-stricken communities with the tri-people of Mindanao\u2014the Lumad, or Indigenous Peoples (IPs), Bangsamoro, and Migrant Settlers. During my time at Tripod I visited several evacuation camps. All evacuees were Muslims from the Maguindanao province who had fled to escape the fighting between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Contrary to what I was told for years by my family, these were not bad people. They were just like my roommates back at university. I felt empathy for their harsh situation. I wanted to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Human rights in the barangay<\/em><\/h3>\n

After a six-month hiatus to deal with some personal issues, Janel returned to Iligan eager to help. She joined the Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center<\/u><\/a>\u00a0(RDRRAC), an organisation that supports Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). \u201cThey hired me do to finances and push papers, but I wanted to go into the communities. And that\u2019s what I managed to do, especially to work with youth groups. Looking back, my experiences then working with IDPs and young people inspired some of the projects we now do at MPPM.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years later she joined the Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA) to do human rights work at the community level. She recently re-joined the NGO as a volunteer.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAt LAHRA we tried to activate local government units (LGUs), or \u201cbarangays,\u201d to monitor and report to us any human rights violations in their areas and set up action centres to promote human rights. The results so far are mixed and some barangays simply lack the budget to make the necessary changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something that struck Janel when she was pushing barangay leaders to take action was that local governments generally do not understand the context of human rights. \u201cThe sad thing is that they get the concept of it, but being tied to local and regional political interest, they often fail to see how violations of human rights affect the daily lives of the people in their barangays. Through our interventions I think we showed some municipalities the gravity of the situation, but more work certainly needs to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Affected Area<\/h3>\n

In 2010, Janel, then twenty-eight, was elected to the MPPM council, and just a year later she was chosen to be the new Secretary General. The family moved to Cotabato, where MPPM\u2019s head office is located, and she found herself in a key position in a broad movement with more than a hundred member organisations.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

Due to security considerations and simply because of homesickness, the move to Cotabato turned out to be a one-year stint only. Performing her duties mostly from Iligan, Janel recently got more hands-on in a pilot project in her hometown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pilot is basically an intervention in the Marawi crisis<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that rocked Mindanao for the better part of 2017 and induced the declaration of martial law on the island, still in effect to this day. The project revolves around a group of IDPs, 103 families to be precise, most of them Maranao people who fled from Marawi to Iligan and are now living in privately owned residential buildings. The evacuation centres that were there have been closed by the government because they were no longer deemed necessary. The families, however, are not allowed to return to Marawi because most of them lived in the \u201cMost Affected Area\u201d which is still under military control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to connect the IDPs from Marawi to the mostly Christian migrant communities in Iligan. It\u2019s challenging because there\u2019s still a lot of bias and blatant discrimination. Even months after the Marawi siege, we\u2019ve seen IDPs in Iligan unable to rent houses. There have been cases of Maranao kids who transferred to local schools and end up being severely bullied. In our latest profiling of about seventy Maranao students, we found that almost half of them stopped going to school altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

“We try to connect the IDPs from Marawi to the mostly Christian migrant communities in Iligan. It\u2019s challenging because there\u2019s still a lot of bias and blatant discrimination.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThese families from Marawi rely on the support of other families. They don\u2019t have any alternative livelihoods. We can\u2019t give them that kind of support, but we\u2019ve been successful in linking international NGOs to agencies that do provide livelihood support on the ground. Three of these agencies are already coordinating with us, especially on education projects. The second phase of the pilot is really about introducing a culture of peace and conflict transformation. Our member organisations in Iligan have already started giving trainings to members of the communities as well as the IDPs from Marawi on these and related topics. As it remains unclear when, or if at all, the families can return to Marawi, the best thing to do is try and create harmony so that everyone in Iligan can coexist peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peace spoilers<\/h3>\n

A different hot button issue that is keeping Janel very busy is the Bangsamoro Organic Law<\/a>\u00a0(BOL) that was adopted by Congress in July. The law replaces the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with the new Bangsamoro region with greater fiscal and political autonomy. MPPM was very vocal in pushing for the right to self-determination for the Lumad\u2014one of the tri-people\u2014to be included in the law. Provisions underscoring this right were indeed included in the final version of the BOL.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously we\u2019re glad our hard work and the work of many other organisations paid off, but as always the proof of the pudding is in the eating. There\u2019s a plebiscite planned for January 2019 in which the peoples of the Bangsamoro can vote on the law, and then the implementation will really begin. Our member organisations organise information sessions and hand out brochures to explain to the people affected by the BOL what it is about so they can cast an informed vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the new law was being put together there were many who branded MPPM and others as \u201cpeace spoilers\u201d because of their advocacy concerning the rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs). Janel says that hasn\u2019t deterred them from supporting IPs to assert their rights and demand representation in the Bangsamoro region.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the BOL and how that affects IPs. It\u2019s also about charter change and federalism, issues that are now part of the national political debate and that will have a profound effect on the peoples of Mindanao. That\u2019s why we provide spaces where communities can learn about the different government proposals. So far we\u2019ve done this in ten provinces across the island where MPPM is active with network organisations. Often these people tend to believe those who are better educated, but sometimes those people have hidden agendas. We try to provide honest and impartial information to communities so that their leaders can stand up to movements that are trying to sway them to their side of the debate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greatest strength<\/h3>\n

As said, in addition to IPs, MPPM\u2019s work focuses on the Bangsamoro peoples and Migrant Settlers. This tri-people approach is reflected in its organisational set-up as well. Besides the general secretariat headed by Janel, there are three separate secretariats. Also, in the sixty-member strong council, MPPM\u2019s main decision-making body, all three groups are equally represented. Janel admits this makes it tricky sometimes to reach consensus, but she lauds the system\u2019s democratic, inclusive and dialogue-focused nature.<\/p>\n

She recalls an example of when the government declared martial law in Mindanao in May of last year. \u201cThe council used its June meeting to discuss its position. Emotions ran high for some of the members, especially those who had lived through martial law during the president Marcos years<\/u><\/a>. Although views varied we did arrive at a conclusion. We decided to oppose martial law but agreed to constantly monitor the effects on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore recently we discussed our position on mining. Short of condemning mining practices in Mindanao, the council does oppose any human rights violations that occur in relation to mining. There\u2019s no majority to outright call for a ban on mining simply because some of the members\u2019 communities are directly involved in this industry. Despite how frustrating it may be sometimes, I think this is MPPM\u2019s greatest strength. With different viewpoints at the table we take positions and support actions that all contribute to finding sustainable peace in Mindanao. A peace that\u2019s owned and advocated by the tri-people. It\u2019s the only way.\u201d<\/p>\n\"\"\n

Achmad\u2019s story<\/h3>\n

For a human rights defender and peace advocate, Janel is surprisingly modest and subdued. She describes herself as a simple person and prefers the peace and quiet of Iligan to the big city vibes of places like Cotabato and Davao, Mindanao\u2019s political and economic centre. \u201cMy husband\u2019s family is from Davao, and every time we are there I\u2019m counting the days until we can leave again. I don\u2019t like the crowds and the big malls. My mother-in-law has repeatedly asked us to move out there, but I just can\u2019t picture us living there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAchmad\u2019s story inspires me because of how he took it upon himself to help his community. It\u2019s nice to know that in a small way I was able to contribute to his transformation.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also characteristic of Janel is that, rather than seeking the spotlight, she tries to shine it on others who are making a positive change in their communities. One such person whose story made an impact on Janel is Achmad Musa<\/u><\/a>\u00a0from Iligan who in the aftermath of the 2011 typhoon Sendong<\/u><\/a>\u00a0developed into a community leader demanding support from the government towards rebuilding people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

\u201cI heard about Achmad in early 2012 through his involvement with the Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center, one of the first organisations I\u2019d worked for. We invited him and other community leaders to participate in a lobby training to equip them with strategies and techniques on how to effectively engage the government in rights-claiming. He\u2019s been very successful in his efforts and now even sits on the Iligan City Housing Board. Achmad\u2019s story inspires me because of how he took it upon himself to help his community. It\u2019s nice to know that in a small way I was able to contribute to his transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Real challenges<\/h3>\n

Seeing change on a local level, empowering others to help themselves and their communities\u2014it\u2019s what Janel enjoys most about her work. \u201cThe big picture, for instance when it comes to the human rights situation in the Philippines, can be discouraging. It\u2019s the changes you see in people, in villages, and during rallies that really constitute the bricks and mortar of the peace movement in Mindanao.\u201d<\/p>\n

The challenges are real, though, and they might get tougher. In recent years the human rights situation in the Philippines has deteriorated<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and attacks against human rights defenders have increased<\/u><\/a>. A few years ago Janel received death threats through text messages, and her office received prank calls and death threats. More recently, MPPM\u2019s advocacy regarding indigenous people\u2019s rights and the Bangsamoro has likely raised the level of scrutiny being applied to them and similar organisations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I faced these kinds of personal threats I was afraid to do my work. I was afraid for my family. What helped me deal with all of this was actually how close knit MPPM is. When we experience threats we make adjustments in how we work. We have a lot of eyes and ears on the ground that monitor the local situation. That helps to keep us safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the strife and struggle<\/h3>\n

Given the worsening human rights situation in the country Janel feels that MPPM should think carefully about positioning itself. \u201cWe should continue to express our opposition but without antagonising too much. We\u2019re not ready to face big threats, and with all the projects we\u2019re involved in we don\u2019t have the time and energy to deal with that kind of stuff. So let us do our job and at the same time find strategies to voice our criticism in a subtle way. That\u2019s a key challenge for us going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notwithstanding the difficulties and daunting circumstances, Janel is hopeful about the future. She wishes, though, that the rest of the world starts taking note of the good as much as the bad in Mindanao. \u201cWith the eyes of the world at least temporarily fixed on Mindanao at the time of the Marawi siege, I now would like for people to look beyond the strife and struggle. Mindanao is not just about conflict. The problem is that you can\u2019t sensationalise the good. Community stories of peace don\u2019t usually make the headlines. But those stories, like Achmad\u2019s and many like him, are exactly what has proven to be successful in achieving real conflict transformation. Let us all spread them loud and clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\"\"\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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