Going Stanford University and about coalition

I am in my third week now as a student of Stanford University through Coursera.org.

Yes, I am enrolled to a university far from my residence in the Philippines and am scholarly enjoying it, albeit coping with time and other pressures. It felt really inspiring to be in school again.

I enrolled in many subjects but for these months (until December 2012), I focused on Organizational Analysis and another crash course on Creativity.  My other courses will commence its classes by next year, 2013, and will be attended online although in another foreign prominent university. Neuroethics and Philosophy will pre-occupy my thoughts in the first quarter next year.

Our professor in OA course handle the discussion via video lectures and interactive discourse. Through this, distance is no longer a problem and attending the class can be flexibly adapted within my comfort zones. I could listen to lectures with much ease at home, even if I am sprawled on bed. Despite the given resources for readings, I also read other related documents and take notes, too.

Reflection on experiences is much significant above all when theories are applied and we, students, could only relate it with our personal historic accounts specially on matters that touched us the most.

This week, after taking my quizzes, I am seriously considering the question posted by our professor for discussion relating to Coalition. Since it interests me a lot, I thought of sharing it here, too, for keeps. My essay (which I posted in our forum is italized below).

In my country, most social organizations develop into a coalition to fulfill specific goals. These goals are either political, social, economic, interfaith, or cultural in nature but intent on seeking reform, changes, developments, and for improving social cohesion.

Developing a coalition is basically an integral part of social interaction inspired by some ideals people wanted to translate into reality.

By experience, a broad coalition of advocates was organized when like-minded leaders and experts sat in an informal meeting to discuss and evaluate a specific condition that is affecting a large number of populace caught in a war or conflict situation. Their evaluations resulted to identified recommendations, one of which is to form a lose coalition of non-government organizations and individual experts from the academe to create a greater force to demand from the national government to stop military offensives in hinterland areas that caused massive internal displacement. They also wanted to create venue to address the concerns of the displaced community including psychosocial response for traumatized children, women and men. Because of the massive or magnitude impact of violence, response from other communities were generated including supports from local government council, and from civil society from other regions. Members of the organizations begun pro-actively sharing their skills and resources to pull all efforts toward disaster response and conflict deescalation. Those experts in psychosocial response engaged themselves in trauma healing for war survivors. Those who were able to generate resources for relief operations and medical missions joined together in taking care of the health, sanitation and needs of IDPs. From the academe, the historians, sociologists, political scientists and anthropologists also engaged themselves in documenting the conflict situation and sharing all these information to media workers and international institutions that are sympathetic for humanitarian causes. They also called on other local governments to empathize with their cause by showing and explaining to them the ill-effects of war to people, properties, economy, politics, ecology, relation and specially, the children. Hence, although members are diverse in their skills and expertise, they all contributed to their general goal of addressing the needs of war-torn communities.

In a post-conflict reflection, the experience made the leaders of these organizations decide to sustain the coalition as a broad network of peace advocates and peace constituents of the region. They decided to network with humanitarian organizations to delve potential areas of partnership and for resources. By this time, they agreed to create its structure, by-laws, and have decided to strategize the organization's vision, mission and goals. After the war, they advocated for peaceful settlement of conflict between the government military forces and with rebel groups through negotiations and through grassroot-based peace-building efforts. The latter constitute more of culture of peace education, peace policy advocacy, and interfaith dialogues.

These group of leaders and organizations started their efforts in year 2000. They are still existing nowadays and are deeply involved still in peace education, psychosocial intervention, disaster response and the like, although I noted that the bulk of the tasks is already lessened as relative peace in our region is enjoyed and negotiations with dissidents are sustainably addressed by the government nowadays. By these, I am saying that the coalition here lasted longer and in fact, its in its 12th year of advocacy works. Lately, members have also commenced assuming concerns for ecological protection, climate change impact mitigation, and of supporting indigenous peoples rights. Those in the academe have also continued their efforts. Other civil society at the national scale have also adopted the same pattern of work in the last decade and many of the leaders in our region were instrumental for their formations too.

The internal management is not without challenges. All of these leaders of institutions are diverse in character, of systems, and inclinations. Decision-makings for specific organizational directions are sometimes barred by differences but this is eventually resolve through tolerance and recognition of their uniqueness. When its difficult to agree, they'd opt for consensual agreements and see what is doable at a given circumstance and limitation.

Added to the challenges here is the consideration of policies and systems of external support organizations, such as funding agencies, who'd oftentimes internally conflict with the organization's system. So far, this concern have not so much impacted on the programs and operation of the organization. Open communication and flexible arrangements have helped this through.

As the coalition evolved, members have also adapted to changes and developments. Their expertise are continually honed thus, readily providing them answers to emerging problems and capacitating them to bridge gaps. So, I cannot say that they are merely doing some fix-ups or are providing palliative measures to issues or to impasse. However, through this all, the coalition remain cognizant of its limitations.

This experience is unique to peace-builders in our region. Political organizations in a broad coalition has a different story to unravel, too.

Chapter 1: Off-road & a worried soldier at PoonaPiagapo

From Pantaoragat town, we started flexing our legs and muscles for a long walk to the mountain heeding to Poona Piagapo, one of the numerous conflict-affected areas and undeveloped place of Lanao del Norte.
The road is muddy, raked by spiked tires which required us to be extraordinarily careful and to move snail-paced to evade physical harm.
Our eyes darted to passing horses or those whom we met on our way. Horses here have been used as the traditional transport of persons and goods.
Viewing the dark forest regions, I adored how the trees stood green and tall. Verdant and thorny wild ferns accentuated the natural beauty while wild flowers, herbal in nature, provided more meat to our discourse on alternative medicine to common illnesses.
Shoes or slippers? I prefer slippers because we will still be crossing a river on foot. I was wearing one which was borrowed since my first entry in this remote barangay and is obviously unreturned. Even if there is a submarine bridge to cross-over, still it’s more expedient to strand the river with slippers.
Birds’ tweets are music to my ears harmonized by the cool wind and the melodious gnashing of river flows. Its a fine day to walk to the mountain: not enough sunlight, no rain. At least, not yet.
A vehicle with spiked wheels reached at Corn Sheller place where we were then assessing the impact of water system project of Ecoweb Inc with their partner- communities.
“Let’s go on board now so we could move fast and return soonest,” said one staff.
So we embarked on the vehicle.
It wasn’t just a bumpy ride for us. I worried over vehicles' engine, its trunk and its swaying movement just to retain its balance against the baddddddd, badddddddddd, badddddddd road to PoonaPiagapo.
My mind lurked into government’s inability to support the community here with right social services and better-farm to market road when I sensed that we needed to stop.
A band of soldiers were cutting bamboos. Their vehicle was parked right on the way.
No other way out but to stop.
My photojournalist hands couldn’t stop ensuring captivity of select moments. So I decided to snap some angles but particularly zeroing on the situation of being stranded because there is not enough road for everyone to pass. The lenses did not take depth on working soldiers around.
They are hauling these materials on board a similar type of vehicle. We waited until they’re done and we tailed them through until we reached a crossroad where the lieutenant is certain that we would be taking a different route.
He disembarked from his vehicle and flagged us down.
In astonishment, he spoke to me directly in English. In English… while we are at the mountain.
“Who was it that was taking pictures?” he asked but darting his eyes to me.
“Violy,” replied Nanet who sat beside me at the front seat.
“Yes, I did?”
“And I know someone too video recorded us awhile ago. I believe it was you?” addressing Raney.
“I would like to be certain that those photos and videos be removed because it was taken without my permission. I know mass media and I know there are protocols,” he said.
“Uh yeah. I took photos right, to snapped the situation. I did not focus about you and the soldiers. Does this matter?”
“It is part of our policy and a standing order that we shouldn’t be taken photos ma’am specially if we are not in proper uniform. Those who’d look at it might mistake us as rebels…” he said.
So that’s what he was dead worried about.
Aware of his concerns, I summarily assessed him what he was actually wearing. Clothes were never part of my anxiety especially that we are in a mountain. But his statements taunted my awareness.
T-shirt in military green color; green shorts, slippers and that armalite rifle—-a soldier in very well fit clothes, good enough for hacking-bamboos-attire and enough to know his manhood.
“What’s wrong about your attire? Your commanding officer would even wear shorts himself and he was perfectly alright. Why are you so worried?” I asked.
“Maybe, my officer was not in an official business at that time ma’am,” he said.
“Oh, he was in an official business when I saw him wearing shorts at daytime,” I replied.
“At daytime ma’am?”
“Also at night time.” I replied.
“Also at night time ma’am?” this time a smile cracked his face.
“Uh, he is more handsome at night time,” I said illogically from nowhere.
“Handsome ma’am?” he asked again, this time displaying a wide smile.
I extended my hand which he gladly held.
“What is your name?”
”I’m Evangelista ma’am.”
“What is your first name?”
”Kim ma’am.”
“What is your designation, sir under your battalion?”
”I’m a 1st lieutenant ma’am under 10th IB ma’am. Please just remove my photos ma’am, I might be sacked by my higher officers ma’am,” he pleaded.
We introduced ourselves in return.
“What is the name of your battalion commander?”
“Lt. Col. Eric Adison po ma’am.”
“Ah si Eric. Please send my regards to him,” I said with a silly smile.
“We are not seeing each other all time ma’am.”
“Nonetheless, if you will see him, please send him my regards,” I said.
“We will not publicize the photos, sir. I can guarantee you that you will not be sacked by your officers,” I assured him, adding “it might even appear at sultan warriors web to show that you are good and hard working soldiers here in the mountain.”
“Oh no ma’am. My ass will really be sacked by then ma’am,” he said again dead serious.
“Your ass will not be sacked. And if it’s sacked, I will replace your ass!” I said.
“You cannot replace my ass ma’am. This is worth millions,” he retorted.
A million-worth ass? All of us were in deep wonder about a million-worth ass.
Then he conversed with the program officer of Ecoweb for possible partnership on medical mission. But still disturbed that his group were taken photos. He also asked a barangay official about a situation in barangay Tangclao.
He asked my name and my mobile phone number, half-complaining about my TM number because his place isn’t blessed with globe cell site. Not even a bar-long signal.
“We will drop at your place later. Meanwhile, we really need to leave,” we told him.
“Please… ma’am…” he begged up to the last minute.
“Alright, see you later.”
Just as the engine started to leave off the crossroad where we where flagged… I chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?”
”Because I pretended that I know Sir Eric. If he will bring that paper with my jotted name on it, the officer will really say ‘malay ko ba kung sino ito.’


Chapter 2: [untitled but will follow]