National and international response
The attitude of the Philippine government towards the problem of internal displacement is two-sided. On the one hand, it is by far the main agent of forced displacement, mainly resulting from military and security operations against various rebel groups and their suspected sympathisers, but also from economically-motivated forced evictions. On the other hand, the national authorities do generally acknowledge that, as a consequence of their military activities at least, people are forced from their homes and in need of protection and assistance. The acceptance of this responsibility has, however, mainly translated into the provision of immediate humanitarian assistance to the displaced with generally insufficient attention paid to the long-term reintegration needs. Also, no concrete steps have been taken to set up a national body to deal with the issue of internal displacement or establish appropriate institutional structures at all levels of the government, including the designation of clear IDP focal points (PCHR, 2006, p. 16). Further, the government has so far not developed specific IDP policies and laws.
Local non-governmental organisations, volunteers and other representatives from civil society, including IDP themselves, have traditionally played a critical role in assisting the internally displaced and in advocating for their rights in Mindanao, and elsewhere in the country. In 2005, the Commission on Human Rights Philippines (CHRP) and the non-governmental organisation Balay organised a series of regional consultations among local stakeholders and IDP communities, which culminated in a First National Multi-Stakeholders Forum on IDPs held in December 2005. In addition to creating public awareness on the issue of internal displacement, one of the concrete outcomes of the conference was to gather support for a bill on internal displacement. Indeed, one year later, in December 2006, a draft bill known as the Internal Displacement Act of 2006 and which comprehensively addresses the needs and rights of IDPs in the different phases of displacement, was presented to the Philippines Congress.
The response of the international community is largely focused on the development and rehabilitation needs of the displaced as a vulnerable group within a larger population with needs living in Mindanaos conflict-affected areas. Far less attention is paid to their protection needs. Working closely with the government, UN agencies and donors, but also most international NGOs, agree that the development approach should be prioritised and prefer not to engage the government on sensitive human rights issues (JHA, February 2007, pp.22-24). The war on terror waged by the Philippine government with the active support of the United States and the political backing of some of the main donors, including Japan and Australia, also contributes to shaping the agenda of some of the main international aid actors. Protection of civilians tends to be seen more as a peace and development issue rather than as a human rights one.
In the wake of the 1996 government-MLNF Peace Agreement, the international community established a Multi-Donor Programme (MDP) to assist with the realisation of agreement. Associating the Philippine government with the UN and donor countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, the MDP consisted mainly of development-oriented programmes and peace-building activities. Throughout its successive phases, the MDP also included a humanitarian relief component to address the immediate needs of the civilian population affected by the conflict between the government and the MILF and in particular of the hundreds of thousands of people regularly forced to leave their homes to seek refuge in evacuation centres. As part of the fourth phase (2005-2009) of the MDP, a UNDP-EU funded IDP programme aimed at addressing the relief and rehabilitation needs of the displaced was implemented between October 2004 and January 2006 in Mindanao and provided assistance to more than 25,000 families (UNDP, 13 February 2006).
In March 2006, the first phase of the World Bank-administered Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) was launched (WB, 27 March 2006). The MTF is a development and reconstruction programme aimed at assisting with the social and economic recovery of the conflict-affected regions of Mindanao. Its design is based on inputs provided by a comprehensive Joint Needs Assessment conducted during 2004 in Mindanao and which estimated the cost of the reconstruction and development needs at more than $400 million (Government of the Philippines, International Funding Agencies, Mindanao Stakeholders, December 2005, p. xiv). This initial phase is aimed at establishing the organisational set-up and piloting a few test programmes. Phase 2 should see the full implementation of the MTF, but it will not start before a formal peace agreement is reached between the government and the MILF.
While the signing of the peace agreement has been repeatedly postponed since 2003 due to regular ceasefire breaches and disagreements over the territorial coverage of the future Moro homeland, the conflict-affected people of Mindanao and in particular the displaced are now in need of immediate and concrete assistance measures to help them return and re-establish their livelihoods. Already living on the edge of subsistence, most returnees in Moro areas face the accumulated effects of conflict and displacement, which have resulted in a state of perpetually arrested development. In addition to humanitarian interventions needed to prevent a further deterioration of their living conditions, it is important to ensure that genuine efforts are made to tackle the underdevelopment and widespread poverty, affecting primarily the Muslim-populated areas of Mindanao.
Clearly, more attention should also be paid to the protection needs of displaced people and civilians living in Moro areas, but also elsewhere in the country where civilians are often considered by the military as legitimate targets because they are suspected to provide support to terrorist groups (UNICEF, October 2006, p. 35). The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, who visited the country in February 2007, attributed most of the upsurge in political killings to the military, which he described as remaining in a state of denial on the issue (UN, 21 February 2007).
Poverty and economic marginalisation of the Moro and indigenous population, which have been a root cause as well as a consequence of the conflict, must be addressed urgently, but this cannot be achieved without also tackling issues related to claims for territorial and political autonomy. In addition, the human rights of all Philippine civilians need to be safeguarded and the government held accountable for past and present abuses against civilians. The current war on terror should not be used as an excuse for curtailing fundamental civil and personal liberties, nor should it serve as a repressive tool against ethnic or religious minorities.
