Women and armed conflict in the Philippines: narrative portraits of women on the ground

Abstract

This article reconstructs the stories of three women who experienced armed conflict in the Philippines. Their narratives were documented through the process of individual storytelling, an exercise that involved reflexive meaning creation on the part of the storyteller. Thus, even as there have been numerous studies reflecting the discourses of women's victimization/vulnerability and agency in the context of armed conflict, this article stands by the importance of each and every story told by each and every woman. In other words, beyond the project of narrative documentation and analysis lies that marginal space where stories told are not just valuable for the hard data they contain; their significance must also be seen from the vantage points of storytellers as co-creators of knowledge that can provide alternative perspectives on the linearity of the discourses of women's victimization/vulnerability and agency.

Keywords::

• agency
• armed conflict
• Philippines
• narrative
• storytelling
• victimization
• vulnerability
• women

Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to the women from many places in the Philippines who shared their conflict experiences, their challenges, and aspirations in life. All of them are women of strength and substance who continue to live their lives in the midst of and despite armed conflict. Tina, Gloria, and Charity have shared a significant part of their lived narratives and for that I am sincerely grateful for their trust.

I am also very thankful to Sulong CARHRIHL and Conciliation Resources for their full support in the research project to uncover women's conflict narratives. Lastly, I likewise thank the reviewers of my article who contributed valuable insights.

Notes

^1. The fieldwork for this study began in 2012 in areas that were identified as “conflict zones” from data sources available to the public. These areas have their own conflict histories – some areas, though currently relatively peaceful, still contended with the presence of, or intermittent “visits” from, various armed groups while other areas were not even considered as “conflict areas” but were suddenly transformed as such because of incidents of conflict-related violence. There were 20 research sites for this study covering eight provinces with communities that were affected by armed conflict at various points in time. The study documented stories of women who came from: Buscalan, Tinglayan and Ileb Resettlement Area, Tabuk, Kalinga; Camias and Katutubo Village, Porac, Pampanga; La Castellana, Negros Occidental; Calbiga, Hinabangan, Mambog, and Paranas, Western Samar; Catbalogan, Northern Samar; Ormoc City, Leyte; Claveria, Misamis Oriental; SitioBendum, Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Barangay Kitcharao (Purok A, B, C), Zapanta Valley and SitioTagkiling and SitioDugyaman, Barangay Antikala, Agusan del Norte; Trento, Agusan del Sur; Kilometer 9, Barangay Simumaw and Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur; Kaoswagan, Kolambugan and Tacub, Lanao del Norte; Al-Barka, Tipu-Tipu and Sumusip, Basilan; Jolo, Sulu; and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. Actual visits were made to several of these areas, while in some cases the women were met outside of their communities for security reasons. I got to know these women through local CSO and government agency contacts who knew of their experiences or who had worked with them on post-conflict and development activities. In total, 145 women shared their stories; 119 who participated in the group storytelling sessions were aged between 20 and 85 years old; 26 who engaged in individual storytelling were aged 12 to 63. They also came from varied but intersecting backgrounds: indigenous (e.g. Aeta, Bubut, Manobo, Mamanu'a, Hinagaonon, Pulangayin), Moros, farmers, educators, peace workers, community volunteers, members of people's organizations, former rebels, and students. However, for this study, only the stories of three (out of 26) women who participated in individual storytelling are shared.

^2. Tina, Gloria, and Charity have explicitly stated that they agreed to be identified and thus their actual names are used. They all agreed that their individual storytelling session be recorded. Tina shared her story in her native dialect, which was translated for me in Tagalog by a colleague; Gloria and Charity shared theirs in Tagalog. Their stories and insights are reconstructed from the transcriptions and translated into English for the purpose of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza

Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Ateneo de Manila University. Her research interest, advocacy, and consultancy work is in the area of women, peace, and security.