Forum Civil Peace Service / forumZFD - Philippines Program

From May 21–23, 2026, educators, peace practitioners, government representatives, and academic institutions gathered in Davao City for the wider validation process of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) Syllabus.

Initially drafted in October 2025, the syllabus first underwent a validation and consolidation process led by a group of teachers from Mindanao-based HEIs, who had also been actively involved in the syllabus development process. Drawing from their academic, teaching, and peacebuilding experiences, they helped refine the initial draft and consolidate recommendations prior to the wider validation. The recent session then provided a broader platform for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), CHED, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) to further review, refine, and strengthen the syllabus content and framework.

The discussions focused on improving course outcomes, refining thematic content, integrating conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding approaches, and ensuring the syllabus remains responsive, inclusive, and grounded in local realities and lived experiences.

The validation also reaffirmed the commitment of partner institutions to pilot the Peace and Conflict Studies course and develop supporting learning materials in preparation for its implementation beginning July–August 2026.

This initiative marks an important step in advancing peace education in Mindanao by equipping learners and educators with deeper understanding, critical reflection, and practical tools for peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

Leadership rooted in culture. Peacebuilding grounded in lived experience.

Meet Bae Manyaguyad (Luciana P. Rico), a respected traditional woman mediator and Tribal Chieftain of the Manobo Bayandugan, Inc. of CADT 273 in Agusan del Sur. Through her leadership, she continues to uphold Indigenous systems of conflict resolution, strengthen community unity, and protect the rich cultural heritage of her people.

Look | Brayan Saguban, one of our partners under forumZFD Cotabato project team's Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Project, concluded a five-day training on "Teach for Peace Using Digital Tools for Conflict Transformation" from 18 May to 22 May during the 2026 Annual Peace Building Training of Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI).

Brayan is a member of Kutawato Greenland Initiatives (KGI), who is a member of the CSO TJ Platform. The project aims to enhance civil society's meaningful participation in the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation in the Bangsamoro Peace Process. To learn more about this and other projects of forumZFD Philippines kindly visit the following pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forumZFDPhilippines/
Website: https://www.propeace.de/en/philippines

Look | Dencio Kadingilan, one of our Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples partners from Tubak, Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur successfully completed his course on the "Fundamentals of Conflict Sensitivity and Transformation" with Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) during the 2026 Annual Peacebuilding Training in Davao City from 17 April 2026 to 23 April 2026.

Dencio is one of forumZFD Cotabato project team's partners in its NMIP Accompaniment Project, which started in 2024. The project aims to support Non-Moro IPs in the Bangsamoro with protecting and promoting their rights. To learn more about this and other projects of forumZFD Philippines kindly visit the following pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forumZFDPhilippines/
Website: https://www.propeace.de/en/philippines