On July 23, 2019, 17 MPI alumni from and around Cotabato came together for their first MPI Cotabato Alumni Reunion. However, some who joined the meeting came from very far away. One MPI alumnus came all the way from Myanmar. Another alumnus from 2011, Mr. Shecku Kawusu Mansary from Sierra Leone, who happened to be visiting Mindanao with his wife Isata, was also welcomed and added a special flavor to the meeting.

Read more here.

Three representatives of MPI—Mely Lengkong, MPI Alumni Outreach Assistant; Novee Willa Rafaela, MPI Peacebuilding Training Program Officer; and Datu Beds Kali, MPI intern—conducted a series of activities during their visit at Southern Christian College (SCC), Midsayap from March 16-19, 2018. On the first day, the MPI representatives had dinner with SCC staff Dr. Edwin T. Balaki, SCC President; Dr. Elma M. Neyra, SCC Vice President for Research and Extension; Dr. Neyrma N. Cabatac, SCC Vice president for Academic Affairs; Mr. Rodelio Ambangan, Director for Extension; Mr. Roy Cabatac, Dean of the College of Agriculture; and Ms. Angelita Barrato, OVPRE Project Bookkeeper. On the second day, Mely and Novee were interviewed for Paaralang Kapayapaan, a radio program of SCC, to discuss the purpose of their visit. Then, the MPI team interviewed the former Mayor of Alamada, Mr. Batolome B. Lataza, Jr. He was also part of the MPI alumni batch 2011 & 2012. In the evening, the activity continued with an MPI alumni local gathering at SCC. The next day, MPI interviewed five alumni: Debbie Satentes-Dasang, Maechille B. Quiñones, Jeanyline M. Alvarado, Redentor C. Alejado, and Joseph Erson E. Reyson in order to get their stories regarding their peace work.

Mely Lengkong, MPI Alumni Outreach Assistant and Beds Kali, MPI Alumni Intern spent two days at Mamasapano to experience the ordinary Filipino lives. They introduced themselves first to the Mayor Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan before starting all activities. The Mayor chose Bhen Amba, Commission of Elections Officer to be the host family during that immersion.

Their journey started from visiting the historical bridge where the bloody misencounter between SAF 44 (Special Action Force) and MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) happened. And continued to visit the house of the Chairman of Barangay Tukanalipao. In the night, the host family prepared the food after buying the ingredients together with Mely and Beds. While waiting for the dinner to be served, Mely played guitar and jammed with the youth. The next day in the morning, before continuing their journey to Midsayap, they have had breakfast in the local carenderia and tasted the local foods such as Tapai, Pastil, and Suman.  

Mely Lengkong, MPI Alumni Outreach Assistant and Beds Kali, MPI Intern visited the Young Reconciliation Council (YRC) at Matanog, Maguindanao. That community was initiated by Beds Kali and Muhajiren Macapuling, Co-Founder of YRC. Mely facilitated the whole program and asked several questions to get to know them, the reason behind their existence, the gift and potential inside them, and more. She lets the participants to be creative through drawing their own thoughts, writing on it and etc. About 20 local peace champions attended the focus group discussion conducted at the Municipal Session Hall. The session was consisted of the 12 in school youth, 5 out of school youth, and 3 young professionals who accepted Mely and Beds in the three-day community immersion. Things were getting interesting as Mely Lengkong introduced a new way of knowing the causes and effects of our actions in regards to the context in our community. She noted that it is always wise to see not only the effects of our movements but also the root causes of it. In peacebuilding, knowing the root causes of conflicts is an essential element to making sure that we deal properly with the context, people and all variables connected to the conflict.

On the second day, in line of the National Women’s Month Celebration, about 100 women were convened to celebrate this event. Mely Lengkong was given time to share her narratives on the Indonesian perspective of women empowerment before the Mayor and the Vice Mayor of Matanog and the participants. 

The Departments of Econimics, English, Fine Arts, History, Internation Studies, Public Relations and Social Work of Stella Maris College in Chennai, India, organized an international conference titled “Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation: from Violence to Sustainable Peace.” Its aim was to explore theoretical and comparative models for understanding conflicts and peace from multidisciplinary perspectives and to investigate the possibilities of Mainstreaming Peace.

Marlies Roth attended for MPI and gave a message on behalf of MPI's Director, Christine Vertucci.

We are pleased to share our 2025 Annual Report, reflecting on a milestone year as we celebrated 25 years of peacebuilding.

The report highlights key achievements, including our largest-ever Annual Peacebuilding Training, the expansion of our Grassroots Peacebuilding Mentors Program, and the partnerships that continue to strengthen peacebuilding across the Asia-Pacific region.

We invite you to explore the report and see how, together with our partners and supporters, we continue to create spaces for learning, dialogue, and peace.