Baht Latumbo on Analyzing Structural and Proximate causes of Conflicts

CONFLICT CAUSES-can be defined as those factors which contribute to people’s grievances. These are either structural or proximate.

Structural causes – pervasive factors that have become built into the policies, structures and fabric of a society and may create the pre-conditions for violent conflict. Examples of these causes are illegitimate government, lack of political participation, lack of equal economic and social opportunities, inequitable access to natural resources, poor governance.

He cited Mindanao as a food basket and yet its resources are used by other regions of the country.

Proximate causes are factors contributing to a climate conducive to violent conflict or its further escalation, sometimes apparently symptomatic of a deeper problem
Examples of this are uncontrolled security sector, light weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, destabilizing role of neighboring countries.

To deepen the matters, Baht cited proliferation of loose firearms that resulted to escalation of violence and increase of death tool; increase of human rights violation cases.

Triggers – single key acts, events, or their anticipation that will set of or escalate violent conflict
Example of triggers are elections, arrest/assassination of key leader or political figure, drought, sudden collapse of local currency, military coup, rapid change in unemployment, flood, increased price/scarcity of basic commodities.

Baht cited vote-buying as cause of conflict. But we need to discuss too the causes why there is vote-buying. Electoral conflicts are also caused by incompatible goals. This drove lively exchange of ideas because of differing lenses in understanding the point.
In studying conflict, persons need to examine the visible and invisible factors of conflict that they are into.

Mapping the visible and invisible factors of a problem that causes conflict is relevant for them to respond to conflict. Oftentimes, people only respond to visible causes of conflict but have not responded to the invisible factors like the differences purported by uniqueness of peoples’ identity, cultures and principles that is oftentimes dealt discriminatorily and prejudicially.


Interests, observations, perceptions, intentions, beliefs, values, needs, assumptions and wounds are invisible causes to conflicts while the positions and conclusion of individuals, groups or associations are the visible part of it.

Baht pointed that oftentimes, projects of the government are rejected by the barangay because this might not be the felt need of the people. Thus, the need for public consultations and communications. He also pointed that the worst type of factors of conflict that is too hard to solve are the wounds and trauma of people embedded in their psyches and emotions.

These underlying factors of conflict also needs the process of unlearning for people to systematically erase discriminatory and prejudicial attitudes and behaviors towards indigenous people like Badjao or to other marginalized indigenous tribes.