THE United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program was considered one of the biggest US government-funded programs not only in the Philippines but across the Asia-Pacific region.
The GEM Program, which ran from 1996 to 2012 in three phases, was launched in the same year that the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Nur Misuari led Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was signed.
The main concern of the US and Philippine governments at that time was how to help the thousands of still active MNLF combatants who for decades, were engaged in a fierce armed struggle with the national government.
The peace that had been struck between the GPH and MNLF was still fragile and had to be protected at all costs. This gave birth to GEM and the Enhanced Livelihood Assistance Program (ELAP), which would be renamed as the Livelihood Enhancement and Peace Program (Leap).
Weaning the MNLF members from their warrior mindset was the primordial mission of the GEM and Leap programs. And program implementers knew that the best way to do this was to demonstrate the national government’s commitment to uplift the lives of the beneficiaries.
GEM and Leap hit the ground running, providing the MNLF combatants and their families the means to make a sustainable living: production inputs such as seeds and fertilizer, skills training and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, solar dryers, and grain warehouses, among others.
Working then as a communications and advocacy specialist for the GEM Program, I witnessed and documented the remarkable transformation of the MNLF combatants from being grizzled fighters to becoming agents of peace and development.
In Jolo, Sulu, I saw how a group of MNLF members who organized themselves into an association, were successfully engaged in high-value aquaculture production. They were producing Black Grouper which sold at P150 per kilogram in the international market.
In Kidapawan City, I met a 42-year-old MNLF field commander who had turned to vegetable production and was earning P6,000 a month from his 750-square meter farm. He said he only started farming about four months prior to our visit.
And in Madamba, Lanao del Sur, I spoke to a 45-year-old MNLF commander as we negotiated the length of a floating bamboo walkway. He was carrying a Styrofoam box filled with tilapia fingerlings, which in seven months will be sold to local buyers at very good prices.
What I found remarkable among these individuals was not only their determination to create a better life for themselves and their families; it was their unwavering commitment to the peace process between the MNLF and the national government.
Crucial to this amazing turnaround was the support provided to them by USAID through its GEM, Leap and other peacebuilding initiatives, which convinced them that good things come to those who choose the path of peace.
It was this paradigm shift that enabled these once grizzled warriors to turn away from armed struggle and use their experience, knowledge and skills to transform their communities into zones of peace and development.
At the height of the GEM and Leap Programs’ implementation, our personnel count reached more than 400, which were spread across the different parts of Mindanao, particularly in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas.
Our staff were composed of selfless, dedicated, and hard-working professionals coming from various fields of expertise: civil engineers, teachers, marine biologists, industry specialists, communications experts, and expatriates coming from various parts of the globe.
On many occasions, the lives of these brave men and women were put on the line while carrying out their mission. They were caught in the middle of armed encounters, lost at sea for hours, and chased by lawless elements.
Despite these life-threatening incidents, not a single one complained. It was because we were bound by our common purpose, and that was to help bring sustainable development and long-lasting peace to the people of Mindanao.
And this has been the mission of USAID not only in the Philippines but worldwide: to help create an environment where the dividends of peace, progress and stability are enjoyed by everyone – regardless of race, religion or beliefs.
It is, therefore, my earnest hope that USAID, and the rest of the international development community, will continue to be beacons of hope, empowerment, peace, and inclusivity in a world that is governed by the principles of mutual respect, human rights, and the rule of law.
