Maguindanao peace scholarship program produces first lawyer

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — The more than 5,000 scholars of the provincial government of Maguindanao are euphoric at the program's first lawyer.

Faizah Gladys Kadon-Tejero, 28, graduated from law school with the help of the Maguindanao Program for Education and Community Empowerment, or MagPEACE, which Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu started about seven years ago.

Mangudadatu told reporters Monday he proceeded to Davao over the weekend to personally congratulate Kadon-Tejero, who works at the office there of the Commission on Elections.

Facebook walls of thousands of MagPEACE scholars have been flooded since last week with greetings for Kadon-Tejero and their principal benefactor, Mangudadatu, whose office is funding their college education.

"Year 2018 is a record year for us because it is the year that MagPEACE produced a lawyer. It has produced so many teachers, a veterinarian and a graduate of a medicine course in recent years and, hopefully, engineers in the coming years," Mangudadatu said.

The MagPEACE was launched by Mangudadatu, now in his third and last term as governor, to complement the normalization agenda of the government’s peace processes with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The governor has even been offering college scholarship slots to children of members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as a viable solution to the poverty and underdevelopment besetting Moro communities.

Many of the MagPEACE scholars are now working in government and non-government organizations involved in peace-building programs in impoverished areas.

Mangudadatu had told President Rodrigo Duterte in public, during an April 25 presidential sortie in Buluan, capital town of Maguindanao, that none of the professionals MagPEACE has produced keep firearms in their homes and workplaces.

Peace activists said Monday they were happy too with the admission to the Philippine Bar of Kadon-Tejero, who is of ethnic Maguindanaon descent.

Bobby Benito, director of the Regional Reconciliation and Unification Commission-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said education is a good remedy to violent religious extremism now plaguing many areas in Southern Philippines.

Maguindanao is a component area of ARMM, which also covers Lanao del Sur, also in central Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“We are happy that we in the province have this MagPEACE, which can address so many community problems caused by illiteracy,” said Benito, also a Maguindanaon.

Sandra Siang, president of the Kutawato Muslim Business Chamber, said he wants MagPEACE to also focus on business and entrepreneurial courses to sustain Maguindanao’s now being ARMM’s most attractive investment hub.

Records from the Department of Trade-ARMM and the Regional Board of Investments indicates that Maguindanao got the “lion’s share,” more than half, of about P20 billion worth of investments poured into the autonomous region by domestic and foreign investors in the past eight years.

“We need more professionals in the field of commerce and trade in Maguindanao. That is so necessary. The more, the better for the province,” said Siang, whose organization is also involved in various programs supporting the Mindanao peace process.

Mangudadatu said he will consider Siang’s suggestion.

“We in MagPEACE are always open to adjustments and expansion of our thrusts,” he said.