2017/01/01 by Jovanie Camacho Espesor, Espesor, Jovanie C.
Social Sciences · #International Development and Aid
paper · pdf · doi:10.26021/874
openalex publication_date 2017/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
This paper examines the agency of non-government organisations as liberal peace agents \nand power players in Mindanao—a hybrid political community in the southern Philippines \nwith a legacy of protracted armed conflict. The paper focuses on the mechanisms employed \nby development NGOs in managing and engaging with formal and informal power-holders, \nbrokers and gatekeepers in conflict-stricken communities. This is an original study that \nutilises first-hand information gathered through intensive field research in different \ncommunities in the southern Philippines. Robust interviews with experts were conducted \namong local, intermediate and international NGO workers, officials of the Philippine \nGovernment, leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, university academics, military \nleaders, donor agencies and traditional local leaders in Mindanao. Semi-structured \ninterviews were used, most being conducted in Manila and major cities of Mindanao. \nEthnographic field observation was also carried out to produce a thick and rich description of \nthe current situation in conflict zones. The paper presents a power map to illustrate the \nhybrid nature of the socio-politico regime, preserved by longstanding conflict. The map \nsketches the nodes and intensities of power that highlight the dominance of warlord clans in \nMindanao