Eugene Martin, Director, and Astrid Tuminez, Senior Research Associate
of the U.S Institute of Peace Philippine Facilitation Project examined
the history and current status of the peace talks between the
Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The
lecture discussed the ethnic and religious roots of the conflict, as
well as the major issues in the peace process, specifically the
unfinished objective of negotiating the question of ancestral domain.
The speakers highlighted the need for transparency and communication
between the differing factions, emphasizing the cultural isolation and
biases that help perpetuate the conflict. Martin and Tuminez have three
years of experience facilitating negotiations in the Philippine peace
process, working to improve dialogue by conducting workshops and
assisting discussion between leaders of both sides of the conflict and
civil society at large.
