Tag: Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
This article, sent today by PBCI Board Chair Emil Jonathan L. Soriano to Bishop Noel Alba Pantoja, critically examines the participation of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). While the task force promotes a “whole-of-nation approach” to peace and development, its record of red-tagging and militarized posture has made it a controversial institution within the peacebuilding community. Drawing from field-based perspectives of peace practitioners, civil society critiques, and academic literature on faith-based peacebuilding, this essay analyzes the opportunities and risks inherent in PCEC’s engagement with NTF-ELCAC. The paper argues that while PCEC’s involvement presents a possibility for moral oversight and community engagement, it also carries the dangers of co-optation, erosion of prophetic distance, and complicity in harmful state practices. The analysis concludes by proposing conditions under which faith actors may engage state programs while safeguarding ethical commitments to human rights and civilian protection.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/12/18/church-state-and-counterinsurgency-a-critical-peacebuilding-analysis-of-pcecs-participation-in-ntf-elcac/
On 13 September 2025, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) convened a timely forum entitled “The Hidden War: Information as the New Battleground in the Philippines” at the Calungsod–San Vitores Jesuit–Lay Collaboration Center. In partnership with the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom), the event brought together academics, students, civil society representatives, and security sector leaders to examine the weaponization of information and the spread of disinformation. The forum underscored that false narratives are not mere online irritants but potent tools that shape political decisions, deepen social divisions, and endanger lives. Veteran journalist and AdDU Trustee, Ms. Jamela Alindogan, delivered the keynote address, offering sharp insights drawn from decades of frontline reporting. She emphasized the moral responsibility of journalists, peacebuilders, and educators to defend truth as a cornerstone of justice and peace. Her reflections also exposed the vulnerability of local communities who are deliberately targeted by disinformation to weaken their voices and distort their realities. The forum served as a vital space for critical reflection and collaborative strategizing to protect information integrity in Philippine society.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/09/15/standing-for-truth-in-the-hidden-war-of-disinformation-a-new-peacebuilding-struggle-in-our-world/
