The Bangsamoro Peace Process and Peacebuilding in Mindanao: Implications to Philippine Studies and National Development

This paper is all about how integral Mindanao is to the Philippines. As such, Mindanao studies should not only be at the periphery of Philippine studies. The recent developments in Mindanao should be enough reason for scholars to devote significant amount of their attention to the region. After all, the peace processes in Mindanao, both vertical and horizontal, have generated a constellation of issues and questions for them to delve and study. More critically, this paper interrogates the gaps in Mindanao and Philippine studies, arguing that scholars can contribute to the success of the peace processes not only by engaging in research but also by initiating extension activities with research components. Here, I will discuss, as an example, initiatives from the academe (e.g., the partnership on peacebuilding between the University of Hawaii and Mindanao State University, under the aegis of the United States Institute of Peace) that complements the vertical peace process.Finally, the paper is an invitation for scholars to help steer the boat of Philippine Studies towards the direction of peace-building by writing articles on Mindanao using a peace lens