John Badaweee

Never has the voice of Bangsamoro youth echoed this loud and powerful in the fight for identity. For generations of the quest for freedom and self-determination, we were awake the whole time hoping that one day the right and respect we were denied of will be handed to us without fear and reservation. We were told stories of struggles of our ancestral heroes who are antagonists in the history books and persecuted by the government. We were exhausted proving ourselves to other people of the goodness in us and the competence we can bring to the table. We felt the pain of losing and starting over again and the fear of losing again. But that pain and uncertainty kept us strong to take a stand and inspired to keep on moving for the promise of Bangsamoro. We are Bangsamoro. The history of Bangsamoro is marked by youth taking up arms for justice. We were at the frontlines shouting our battle cries and takbeers . We were honored with the assurance of salvation. Our fathe...

Implementing the second run of the Peace of Mind project was a fulfilling experience. The team gained a lot of insights that will help us make our next run even better. As part of the first wave of the #ForMindanao projects, we are happy to share some tips and best practices that worked for us. Presenting the P.E.A.C.E. Tips: 1.     P repare for challenges. Running the Peace of Mind project was not a walk in the part. We had challenges both internal and external. Our team had issues regarding our personal schedules. Most of us had our own jobs and priorities. Team dynamics is also a challenge, but it was expected. Externally, there were roadblocks outside our control. Some partners might drop suddenly; target community might have major activities that would ruin your timeline. Anticipating challenges early on and coming up with possible solutions can save time, money, and effort. Looking forward to challenges and responding to them is okay but proactivity is the w...

The delegates of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative United for Peace regional forum held at Tagaytay City last February 18-22, 2015.  The gathering was a good opportunity for young leaders in the SEA region to share strategies on how to build peaceful communities. Thru the varied approaches of the training, the issues on peace and conflict were discussed; and best practices were shared. The event was attended by esteemed individuals who have remarkable works in the field of conflict resolution, project management, and others. At the end of the 5-day training, the participants from the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia brainstormed and came up with proposals to address a particular problem related to peace and conflict.  Let's look forward to these projects and support them in any we can. #YSEALI The young leaders from the SEA region with Jenny Foltz of the US Embassy-Manila had the opportunity to discuss the future of US-sponsored programs....

The Mangrove Planting activity was successfully conducted last August 30-31, 2014 at Bayug Island, Iligan City. The event was largely participated by volunteers and students from different organizations with a similar goal: environmental sustainability. The present group was the Miss Earth 2014, Environment Online, Youth Environmental Society, Rotary Club of Iligan and different school in Iligan City such as La Salle, Corpus Christ High School, Iligan City East High School, Sacred Heart High School and Saint Lawrence Academy. Over three thousand mangrove seedlings were planted by the active and committed volunteers who had to wake up early in the morning.  The activity was made possible by the effort of the stakeholders which includes the local Barangay unit of Hinaplanon headed by Kagawad Rio Gonzaga. It was sponsored by the US Embassy- Manila through Naawan HELPS through the USG Alumni Group of Iligan City. In th...