PHILIPPINES: Texting for peace in the south
JOLO, 10 September 2010 (IRIN) - Text messaging, already a favourite activity among Filipinos, has taken on a new role in promoting peace in Sulu Province, a group of islands in the southern Philippines, long marred by violence.
"The situation in Sulu can be unstable," David Gorman, country representative for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), an independent mediation group, told IRIN in the provincial capital, Jolo.
Under the programme, launched at the national elections in May, each Preventing Election Related Violence (PERV) volunteer is given a mobile phone and trained to gather information about incidents of violence, levels of community tension, potential for violence, and peace activities.
"PERVs are encouraged to report on concerns so we can act on them even before they become incidents. What we're trying to establish are trends," Gorman said.
Covering all major municipalities, there are more than two dozen PERVS on the ground, with daily reports via SMS now being sent in detailing the date, time, place and type of activity of a given incident.
"There is a 4pm cut-off every day. If there is nothing to report, the PERV still needs to send a text: NTR," said Al-Kamar Jidin, who oversees the CHD-Sulu Secretariat in Jolo.
All text messages are sent to his mobile phone, compiled in a weekly status report, verified by both the CHD local researcher and security adviser and then classified or referred for resolution.
Reports are consolidated and uploaded to the net using crowd-sourcing software Ushahidi, which was launched to map reports of violence in Kenya after the 2007 election. It was also used during the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In Sulu, the problem of election-related violence is exacerbated by the proliferation of firearms and private militias.
It is also the stronghold of Islamic separatists, the Abu Sayaff Group, which is on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations after conducting kidnappings and beheadings.
Early mitigation
Earlier this month, a volunteer in Tungkil Municipality reported rising tension between a defeated barangay (community) official and his opponent.
"The mayor took sides and rallied sympathizers to support his political ally," says a PERV codenamed Mac.
Almost 200 residents had already begun to evacuate in anticipation of the fighting.
The situation was classified as dangerous and referred to the Tumikang Sama Sama (TSS), an independent body of eminent persons that aids in conflict resolution.
Ibnohasim Undug, TSS vice-chairman said: "The mayor is my nephew. I convinced him to stand down and he agreed. Before this system of reporting, it was very hard to know what was happening in other islands in a timely manner."
Tungkil, accessible only by boat, is seven hours away from Jolo.
Dangers
Admittedly, there are dangers, but PERVs take precautions.
"I don't want to be accused of gathering intelligence," says Liza, 36, whose phone camera is on silent so she can take pictures to accompany her reports without unwanted attention.
Others think the benefits outweigh the risks.
Ibniharith, 24, says he has been unemployed since 2009 and is thankful for the US$100 monthly allowance each volunteer is paid.
"If I weren't doing this, I might have joined the Abu Sayaff. They make promises about easy money," he said.
Greater accountability
On average, one billion text messages are sent in a day in the Philippines. It is hoped the SMS initiative will catch on elsewhere in the region.
"I think it provides greater accountability and awareness of the situation in Sulu," Gorman explained, noting that in July, 18 people were killed in different incidents, none of which was reported in the press.
"This greater awareness will hopefully prompt the national government and civil society groups to work together in targeting conflict prevention and reconciliation initiatives in communities," he said.
As in neighbouring Mindanao, where thousands were driven from their homes due to conflict, violence in Sulu is a frequent, unpredictable, and often highly localized phenomenon, say specialists.
According to the International Organization for Migration, almost 83,000 people remain displaced due to conflict or clan violence in Mindanao.
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Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Early Warning
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Copyright © IRIN 2010
This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States.
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