Alumni News

MPI Alumnus Abbas Panakkal wrote the script and directed the film below "The Heart of Harmony." Abbas presented this story in a Youth Training Programme on 'Innovative Model of Harmony' from India along with other interfaith harmony models.

The following poem was written by Phebe Angus George, an alumna of MPI's 2017 Annual Peacebuilding Training. Phebe wrote the "binding, bonding and bridging" are concepts she learnt during week two and three courses.

BINDING
A recovery of the lost self
From a wilderness of conflict
Rescued from the mirage of anxious pain
From the bottomless chasm of chaos
To a healing through the balm of hope
Sowed generously through
BONDING
A path unknown discovers itself
That it's not alone
One voice
Becoming many
Across nations a unity of souls
A journey from the mind to the heart
Extending to the unreached through
BRIDGING
A path of peace
Carved through sweat and blood
Commitment and passion
All moving towards one purpose
KAPAYAPAAN.

Delivered during the internally displaced 10th Hooding Ceremony of the Mindanao State University – Marawi Graduate School at Iligan City on July 12, 2017. Trimizy is an alumnus of MPI and former secretariat volunteer. He was also a fellow with the KAICIID International Fellows Programme. Tirmizy was conferred this Ph.D. in Philippine Studies.

Bismihi subhanahu. In His Name be He glorified.

Assalamu ‘alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Our esteemed mentors, University administrators, our great self-sacrificing parents and family, family that make up our support system, friends, fellow graduates, may peace and the blessings of God, Allah be upon us all now and in the days to come. Good morning.

I pray before Allah subhanahu wata’ala that this momentous event, our hooding ceremony, serves a form of collective prayer for the reign of peace, justice, and harmony in Mindanao, in the country, and beyond, if not in the physical world, in our hearts at least. For dark clouds seem to loom not only in our land, but also in many parts of the world, especially in Aleppo, Syria and Mosul in Iraq. To the list of war-racked and war-devastated places must now be added our very own City of Marawi. Marawi is not just in our hearts. Marawi is our heart.

Reflection of my time at MPI and how it contributed to setting up the Centre for Peace Studies and Dialogue at Union Christian College, Aluva, India

Jenee Peter (2nd from left) with classmates in the Interreligious Dialogue course at MPI

Who could imagine that a peacebuilding training would mean being by the seaside listening to waves and meeting people from across the globe? This was exactly my experience when I attended the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Foundation, Inc. 2015 Annual Peacebuilding Training at the Mergrande Ocean Resort, Mindanao, Philippines.

The faculty and participants shared many experiences about their nations, communities, cultures and lives. This time for sharing was the most important learning aspect for me at MPI. As a teacher of archaeology and ancient history in a liberal arts college in India, I wondered, How would I be able to use the skills that I learned from Mindanao?

I had high expectations about MPI. The classrooms were ideal for meditation, cultural evenings, farewell parties, informal discussions, formal lectures and deep reflections. This was totally different from the classrooms in India. As I let myself embrace this novel experience, I realized that the entire program at MPI is learner-centered. That is why MPI leaves a lasting impression on us alumni.