Datu Pugawang (colonial name, Luis Daniel ‘Dann’ Alba Pantoja, and also known as Lakan Sumulong), whose name means MindSetter, was entrusted by the Bagobo Tagabawa tribal council with the role of mentoring the next generation of Indigenous leaders to navigate modernity and globalization without losing their roots. While the elders continue to safeguard and deepen the community’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP)—its spirituality, worldview, values, and customary laws—Pugawang helps harmonize these ancient foundations with the realities of the 21st century. He guides young leaders to see technology as a means to preserve culture, to engage in the economy for community well-being rather than profit, and to participate in politics as bearers of ancestral wisdom. For him, Indigenous values are not relics of the past but prophetic voices urgently needed in today’s pursuit of peace, justice, and ecological balance. In this shared work, the elders nurture the roots, and Pugawang shapes the branches—helping the youth grow deeply grounded yet outward-reaching toward the wider world.
Author's posts
TOBOSO, ALYSSA ALANO, AND THE UNFINISHED PEACE: A REFLECTION ON JUSTICE, HUMAN DIGNITY, AND NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
The Toboso encounter in Negros Occidental, where Alyssa Alano (“Ka Kikay”), two children, and others reportedly died during a military operation, grieves me not only as a citizen but as a person of faith. I do not see this merely as another security incident, nor simply as another chapter in the ideological war between the state and the revolutionary movement. I see it as a moral wound upon the nation. Whenever young lives are extinguished in the mountains, fields, or villages of our land, something sacred is violated. Human beings are not expendable instruments of state policy, nor are they disposable fuel for revolution. Every life bears inherent dignity. Every death in this long conflict should trouble the conscience of the Republic.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/04/29/toboso-alyssa-alano-and-the-unfinished-peace-a-peacebuilding-pastors-reflection-on-justice-human-dignity-and-national-reconciliation/
WELCOMING THE MULTIPOLAR WORLD: OUR CORPORATE APPROACH TO THE EMERGENCE OF BRICS+
The unipolar moment that followed the Cold War — anchored by Western-led political, financial, and security institutions — is rapidly receding. In its place, a multipolar global system is emerging, where multiple regional powers assert their voices, values, and visions. This is not just a geopolitical rearrangement; it is a civilizational dialogue about sovereignty, dignity, and equitable cooperation. At Datu Pugawang Corporation (DPC), we interpret this transformation as both an opportunity and a challenge. Rooted in the pre-colonial ethos of kapwa (shared humanity) and bayanihan (mutual cooperation), we aim to engage with this evolving order in ways that promote peace, justice, and mutual respect. Our corporate strategy is built around the conviction that business must be a bridge between cultures and an instrument of human dignity.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/04/06/welcoming-the-multipolar-world-our-corporate-approach-to-the-emergence-of-brics/
NO TO HOUSE BILL 621: WHY I STAND WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN DEFENDING IPRA (RA 8371)
The debate over House Bill 621 is more than a legislative discussion about government reorganization. It is a test of our nation’s commitment to justice for Indigenous Peoples. Nearly three decades after the passage of Republic Act No. 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), many Indigenous leaders, advocates, and communities are once again compelled to defend rights that were won through decades of struggle. While proponents of HB 621 present the measure as an effort to streamline ancestral land administration, many Indigenous Peoples fear that it could weaken the very protections that IPRA was designed to guarantee. I share these concerns. As someone who believes that genuine peace is inseparable from justice, I am convinced that any reform affecting ancestral domains must strengthen—not diminish—the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, cultural integrity, and stewardship of their ancestral lands. The voices of Indigenous communities must remain at the center of this national conversation.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/03/23/house-bill-621-versus-ipra-why-i-stand-with-indigenous-peoples-in-defending-ra-8371/
OUR DAUGHTER LÉLÉ IS ‘BAI MADIGAR’: A GIFT OF NEXT-GENERATION KINSHIP FROM THE BAGOBO TAGABAWA COMMUNITY
09 March 2026, 1028PHT — At the foothills of Mount Apo lies the ancestral domain of the Bagobo Tagabawa people in Barangay Binaton, Digos City. For generations, this Indigenous community has regarded the mountain—known to them as Apo Sandawa—as sacred ground, a source of life, identity, and spiritual connection with the Creator. Their relationship with the land is not merely economic; it is ecological, cultural, and deeply spiritual. It is within this living tradition that our daughter, LéLé Chan, was entrusted with a sacred honor: the name Bai Madigar, which means “Lady of Goodness.” This was not simply a ceremonial title. It was an act of kinship. The Bagobo Tagabawa Indigenous Political Structure in Binaton formally embraced her as an honorary member of the tribe, affirming a relationship that our family has nurtured with the community since 2015. In Indigenous understanding, such naming is not about prestige; it is about relational responsibility across generations.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/03/12/our-daughter-lele-is-bai-madigar-a-gift-of-next-generation-kinship-from-the-bagobo-tagabawa-community/
WHEN POWER ESCALATES AND PEACE IS CORNERED: A PEACEBUILDER’S REFLECTION ON THE U.S.-ISRAEL-IRAN CONFRONTATION
I write this reflection not as a military analyst nor as an advocate of any state’s strategic doctrine, but as a peacebuilder who has spent decades accompanying communities wounded by war, militarization, and political violence. From Mindanao to global conflict zones, I have learned that when great powers escalate, it is always ordinary people who pay the highest price. The recent escalation between the United States–Israel alliance and the Islamic Republic of Iran marks a dangerous turning point — not only for the Middle East, but for the fragile architecture of world peace itself. What has unfolded this early morning, 28 February 2026 at 0215 PHT (0945 IRST), represents a shift from containment to confrontation, from proxy warfare to direct interstate violence. This is not merely another episode in an enduring rivalry; it is a rupture with potentially irreversible consequences.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/02/28/when-power-escalates-and-peace-is-cornered-a-peacebuilders-reflection-on-the-u-s-israel-iran-confrontation/
FROM WASHINGTON TO MANILA: THE GLOBAL FALLOUT OF AMERICAN-INFLUENCED EVANGELICAL COMPLICITY
This prophetic-theological critique argues that the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, rather than serving as a space for moral accountability and humility before God, has increasingly functioned as a ritual that blesses political power—especially through white evangelical leaders’ unwavering support for Donald Trump—thereby undermining Christian credibility both in the United States and globally. Drawing on biblical prophetic traditions and contemporary data showing evangelical alignment with a leader widely perceived as unethical, the essay contends that prayer divorced from justice becomes complicity rather than witness. The participation of Filipino evangelical leaders intensifies this crisis, as their presence signals alignment with a politicized form of Christianity that risks being imported into the Philippine context. The result is a weakened Christian witness marked by moral inconsistency and public disillusionment, as faith becomes entangled with political expediency. The essay ultimately calls for repentance rather than rebranding, urging evangelical leaders—American and Filipino alike—to reclaim a prophetic faith that speaks truth to power and restores prayer as an act of justice-centered faithfulness.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/02/06/from-washington-to-manila-the-global-fallout-of-american-influenced-evangelical-complicity/
OUR CFP–PBCI TEAM HOSTED AND CONDUCTED SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AT THE MALIPAYON PEACE HUB
25–29 January 2026, Barangay Managa, Bansalan, Davao del Sur — The Malipayon Peace Hub came alive as Coffee for Peace, Inc. (CFP) and PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) conducted an Agri-Aqua Social Entrepreneurial Training under the Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme – Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production in Bangsamoro (LEAP). Twelve (12) key coffee farmers have shown commitment to the agricultural segment of this program. They are from the Island Province of Basilan and journeyed across Mindanao to take part in this intensive learning experience. Hosted by the Malipayon Peace Hub staff, the training created a safe and nurturing space for skills-building, dialogue, and shared reflection—rooted in the belief that sustainable livelihoods are essential foundations of lasting peace. Over five days, participants engaged in hands-on learning, peer exchange, and practical discussions on agri-aqua production, social entrepreneurship, and market access. The training also emphasized cooperation, trust-building, and shared leadership as vital elements of enterprise development in conflict-affected communities.
Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2026/01/30/our-cfp-pbci-team-hosted-and-conducted-social-entrepreneurial-training-at-the-malipayon-peace-hub/
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