WE SIGNED A MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING WITH UNIFRUTTI GROUP AND HINELEBAN FOUNDATION

In joyful response to God’s initiative and provision, PeaceBuilders Community Inc. (PBCI) and Coffee For Peace (CFP) have agreed to work together in a joint ministry with the Unifrutti Group of Companies (UGC), along with their foundations — Unifrutti Foundation Inc. and Hineleban Foundation Inc. (HFI)– to advance Peace and Reconciliation (PAR) initiatives in the Province of Bukidnon. This was documented through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the leaders of both groups last 20 September 2011 at the PeaceBuilders Community office in Davao City, Philippines.

Unifrutti is one of the Philippine’s biggest producers and exporters of Cavendish bananas and pineapples and operates in Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur and Davao del Sur.  Unifrutti is the mother company of Mount Kitanglad Agricultural Development Corp., Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Venture Corp., Wao Development Corp. and Prinetines Meadows Development Inc.

The dreams of PBCI-CFP resonates with the vision and mission of UGC and HFI.

UGC-HFI Vision states:

We are stewards of God, involved in efficiently producing quality fresh fruits & vegetables.  We share the fruits of our lands with our communities.  We provide a better quality of life. We contribute to the peace and development of our brother Muslims, Cultural Communities & Christians in Mindanao.

The mission statement of UGC-HFI excites us:

We are a God-centered organization, united as One Family.  We uphold God’s values of Love, Truthfulness, Trustworthiness, Discipline & Perseverance.  We want to be the preferred supplier of best quality fruits & vegetables farm produce to the markets that we serve, adding value to our customers at a reasonable cost.  We are committed to improve the quality of life of our brother Muslims, Cultural Communities, and Christians by pursuing agricultural activities in our lowland & highland farms.  We will expand our investment presence in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to support our country’s aspiration for lasting peace through economic development.  We will safeguard the interest of our shareholders by providing fair returns for their investments.  We will preserve and restore the environment by implementing reforestation and other enhancement measures to maintain the ideal micro-climates conducive for sustainable agricultural production.  We preserve and restore the environment.

Both PBCI-CFP and UGC-HFI believe that God is the One opening this door for our groups to do PAR ministry together. John Perrine, Chairman and CEO of Unifrutti Group of Companies, expressed this in his own words: “I believe that the goals of our respective groups are very much aligned and that our strengths are truly complimentary.”

PBCI-CFP and UGC-HFI will work together in sending a total of 12 teams of PAR community organizers to three verified armed-conflict zones between October 2011 and October 2012.  Each team will be made up of three full-time personnel —  the lead PAR community organizer, an administrative assistant, and a local guide. This partnership is planning to send three teams per quarter between October 2011 and October 2012.  Dann and John Perrine, along with their respective staff, will coordinate in this aspect of the partnership.

PBCI-CFP and UGC-HFI will also work together in developing Coffee Farming Technology in these zones in accordance with Fair Trade Principles. Joji and Renee Araneta-Perrine will coordinate in this aspect of the partnership, with the assistance of their respective staff. Renee is the Marketing Director of Hineleban Foundation. She is John’s wife.

This joint ministry of peace and reconciliation (PAR) is based on a faith-perspective that God is already at work among the people of our land even before we plan and act.

We understand peace as enjoying harmony in our basic human relationships through the transforming power of God: harmony with the Creator—spiritual transformation; harmony with our being—psycho-social transformation; harmony with others—socio-political transformation; and, harmony with the creation—economic-ecological transformation.

We understand reconciliation as building relationships between antagonists. The primary goal is to seek innovative ways to create a time and a place to address, to integrate, and to embrace the painful past and the necessary shared future as a means of dealing with the present.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2011/09/20/we-signed-a-memo-of-understanding-with-unifrutti-group-and-hineleban-foundation/

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