




































 Humanities and Social Science Research; Vol. 2, No. 4; 2019 
ISSN 2576-3024   E-ISSN 2576-3032 

https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v2n4p22 

 22 Published by IDEAS SPREAD 
 

The Task and Ministry of Peacemaking in Mindanao: Understanding a 
Peacemaker’s Recipe for Peace 

Noel G. Asiones1 
1 University of Santo Tomas, Espana, Manila, Philippines 
Correspondence: Noel G. Asiones, University of Santo Tomas, Espana, Manila, Philippines. E-mail: ngasiones
ust.edu.ph 
 
Received: September 15, 2019; Accepted: October 20, 2019; Published: October 20, 2019 
 
Abstract 
At a time when the role of religion in reducing global conflicts and the authority of its leaders are being questioned, 
studies that would link religion and conflict may fill in a gap in knowledge. To address this gap, this study seeks 
to gain an understanding of Orlando Cardinal Quevedo’s task and ministry of peacemaking in the long-running 
conflict in the Southern Mindanao region. Given the recent signing of the Bangsa Moro Organic Law as the highly 
expected solid basis for a peaceful and prosperous Mindanao, it is timely to look back and pay closer attention to 
the key role that he played as a peace advocate. To achieve this end, it organized and conducted a content analysis 
of his writings and interviews about peace and its imperatives. Findings show that his words, firmly rooted in the 
conflict’s historical past and yet open to the realities of the present, encompassed and helped disclose his practical 
wisdom, consensus-driven approach, and Catholic perspectives of its underlying issues and challenges. The 
lessons and insights that are uncovered from his writings may serve as a grounded recipe for those who would 
follow in his footsteps to learn and re-appropriated in a hopefully not an unending task and ministry of 
peacemaking in today’s world. 
Keywords: consensus-building, content analysis, a fusion of horizons, ministry, Orlando Quevedo, peace, 
peacemakers, strategies of peacemaking, understanding 
1. Introduction 
The celebrated book Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution narrates and shares the 
experience of 16 remarkable religious peacemakers hailed as "unsung heroes who have put their lives on the line 
in conflicts around the world, to help resolve some of the world's horrifying conflicts" (Holbrooke 2007). They 
are, in the words of former American Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, "stellar examples of religiously motivated 
peacemakers around the world; each of them is unique, but are all similarly motivated by a shared moral conviction 
and a religious calling to work until peace and justice are a reality. Holbrooke asserted that their impacts and what 
they teach about resolving today's conflicts cannot be ignored. In this view, it is a bit a surprise that the book 
seemed to have overlooked our local peacemakers. If it’s any consolation, the book, Mindanao: The Long to Peace 
and Prosperity, listed one of them in the index even if as a mere footnote (Stephens 2016). 
To address the apparent disregard of our own native peacemakers, this study decided to reflect on the peace and 
peacemaking advocacy of Orlando B. Quevedo, Mindanao’s first and lone Cardinal, the archbishop of Cotabato 
and who is, among the Catholic bishops of the Philippines, widely considered as the most knowledgeable and 
actively engaged in the quest for peace in the country's second-biggest island (Nan et al. 2001). His constituents 
call him as the “Cardinal for Peace.” As a longtime Mindanawan, he witnessed the destructive effects of the 
conflict on the people’s quality of life, on the one hand, as well as envisioned the collective dream and promise of 
a long and lasting peace, on the other. Seeing both the lights and shadows of the armed-conflict, he embraced the 
task of a peacemaker, spoke, and wrote extensively about it during the long process of the search for a principled 
and negotiated peace now believed to be within arms-reach given the recent signing of the Bangsa Moro Organic 
Law as the highly expected solid basis for a peaceful and prosperous Mindanao and a watershed in Philippine 
history. Both moderate Muslims and Christians will most likely feel good about it. 
At a time when the role of religion in reducing global conflicts and the authority of its leaders are being questioned, 
this study seeks to answer one question skeptics like me asked about the practical side of this subfield of Peace 
Studies and Interreligious Dialogue (Abu-Nimer 2008). Given the deep-seated mistrust, prejudice, bias, resentment, 
and anger by both parties in the armed-conflict, what can and must a peace advocate like Cardinal Quevedo 



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possibly say and/or do? It will be guided by the following more specific concerns: “who is he, what did he say and 
do, how did he say or do it, and how did he keep going?” 
To obtain an empirical answer to these questions, it organized and analyzed the contents of his written 
communications about peace and peacemaking (Note 1). It is assumed that they encompassed his manifest and 
latent perspectives of the protracted quest for peace in a region that, because of its rich biodiversity and natural 
resources, has been called the Land of Promise (Fraenkel and Wallen 2013). To bring it into focus and frame the 
wealth of data and information gathered, it employed David Myers’ four strategies for peacemaking: contact, 
cooperation, communication, and conciliation (Myers 1994). 
This study expects to uncover his perspectives of the challenges and opportunities that have underpinned the said 
conflict and, perhaps more importantly, of what can and must be done towards the widely shared desire for a just 
and sustainable peace in the island. Furthermore, it can bring into light the general goals and specific objectives, 
processes, and contents of the peace negotiations for all stakeholders to consider and appreciate what the German 
philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer called the “fusion of horizons” (Gadamer 2004). Nonetheless, suggesting his 
awareness of the inherent limitations of words, Quevedo admitted that: “It is by our lifestyle and our behavior 
that we can speak louder, more than words” (Jayewardene 2014). But as Ludwig Wittgenstein once wrote: 
“Words are deed, used not only to convey thoughts but to perform an activity” (As quoted in David 2018). Thus, 
in the process of organizing and analyzing the contents of his words, the study can also weave a tapestry of his 
lived-experience of joys, hopes, and anguish in his ministry or service rendered in the Church as a peace advocate. 
The lessons and insights it hoped to gain may serve as a grounded recipe for peacemaking which future 
peacemakers may learn from and re-appropriated in the seemingly unending task and ministry of peacemaking in 
today’s world. Most importantly, it can provide a pattern of meanings into the theoretical and practical implications 
of peacemaking as, in the words of one author, “the art of the possible.” 
2. Findings 
2.1 Who is He? 
Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI has performed his peacemaking task or ministry in the context of the long-
standing conflict in the Mindanao region. 

I have been a missionary among Muslims for most of my priestly life. I have 
been a parish priest in Jolo. I taught Muslims and Christians in a Catholic 
University which now has a predominantly Muslim student population. 

 As a Catholic leader, a Christian disciple, he is convinced of his task and ministry in the conflict-ridden region: 
I am for peace, the peace that God grants to people of goodwill. I am for the 
peace that God gives through the collaborative work of men and women who 
work conscientiously for the good of the whole country. 
Asked how he would describe himself, he answered: “Simple, I don’t demand 
too many things, and I would like to be with people.” (Note 2) 
 

 
Figure 1. His Excellency Orlando Cardinal Quevedo in a peace-building mission 

Source: http://abpquevedo.blogspot.com 



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2.2 What did He Say and Do?  
Framing his words into consideration both of the conflicts' historical roots and present-day realities, Quevedo has 
spoken and written broadly about the peace process which he described as “a long and tedious, arduous and 
difficult journey towards peace with many stops and detours?” (Note 3) It is "the most dramatic chapter in the 
history of the Philippines, a chapter written in blood and tears and nourished in pain and suffering," writes one of 
the foremost Dominican historians Pablo Fernandez (1994). He also observed that, even during those conflict-
ridden times, there were already intermediaries, diplomats and peace negotiators between the conflicting parties 
of Muslims and Christians. This only shows that “the island of Mindanao has long been a contested territory in the 
Philippines, beginning with Spanish colonization 400 years ago and continuing through the recent decades of 
conflict between the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and various rebel groups.”(Brady, C. 
et al.2013; Dida, G. R.2012). What has happened in Mindanao across time is too well researched and documented 
to necessitate further retelling in this study. (Aquino, R. M. 2009; Gowing, P. G., & Robert, D. M. 1974; Estranero, 
D. E.et al. 2007; Luga, A. R. 2002; Ong, J. T. et al. 2009; David, R. A. 2003). Suffice it to say that the long and 
bloody history of Muslim-Christian relations has weighed so heavily on the region's peace and progress that a 
comprehensive roadmap to a just and lasting peace is so much desired and longed for by its people. Decades of 
armed conflict between the Philippine government and Muslim organizations made Sulu, one of the poorest 
provinces in the country (Ong, J.T. et al. 2009). 
Quevedo expressed this succinctly when he wrote, “Peace is the only solution to living together, developing a 
territory together. Peace is the only option.” In a paper delivered at the 27th General Assembly of the Bishops-
Business Conference in Taguig, Metro Manila on July 8, 2003, shortly after the Buliok war, he identified the 
historic injustice perpetrated against Muslim Filipinos as the root cause of the conflict: “Injustice to the Moro 
Identity; Injustice to Moro Political Sovereignty; and Injustice to Moro integral development.” He concludes by 
saying that: 

There is no peace without justice. Peacemaking is about doing the truth and 
justice, walking in kindness and love, mercy and compassion. This is the way 
of the heart, the way to a just and lasting peace. 

Specifically, he has argued and explained the “substantive questions and lingering doubts” about “the enduring 
aspirations of the Bangsamoro for self-determination within a limited area.” He maintained that for the peace 
process to prosper two fundamental postulates must be accepted and agreed upon by both sides: the Moro 
fundamental aspiration for self-determination and the Philippine government’s right to national sovereignty and 
territorial integrity. 

At the very beginning of any peace negotiation, there has to be a clear and 
explicit recognition, mutually accepted: (1) of the national sovereignty and 
territorial integrity of the Philippines as enshrined in the Philippine 
Constitution; (2) of the Moro aspiration for self-determination and its concrete 
realization in a manner in accord with the Philippine Constitution.  

He repeatedly argued that “lasting peace can be achieved without sacrificing either right to self-determination or 
national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Although it seems to run against the popular understanding then, he 
held on to the view that the two interests are politically acceptable “because the paramount concerns of both parties 
– territorial integrity and national sovereignty for the government and right to self-determination (RSD) for the 
MILF” are duly considered. He strongly believed that the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain 
(MOA-AD) crafted by the representatives of the two parties will provide an integral and holistic solution to the 
conflict and in his own words a “piece of paper” that could very well be a good working basis for lasting peace in 
Mindanao. 

But the MOA-AD, no matter how one looks at it, is a remarkable document. 
It is a very serious attempt to balance national sovereignty and Bangsamoro 
aspirations for self-determination and freedom. For this reason, I believe that 
the MOA-AD can bring lasting peace. 

Throwing out this “piece of paper based on mutual misconceptions, prejudices, and misinformation” would cause 
the demise of the peace process and may most likely lead to an all-out war. (De Jesus 2018).  

But to reject the MOA-AD completely based on what it does not say could be 
a tragedy of incalculable proportion, possibly a death knell to lasting peace. 
The two panels have painstakingly worked out the peace documents for 11 



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long years. I would give them the benefit of the doubt that they have been 
conscientious in their work, looking out for the interests of their constituencies. 

Against those who advocated military or economic solutions to the conflict, he offered a comprehensive, holistic 
strategy as the most effective way to address a conflict situation that seems to have stood on thin ice: 

The road to lasting peace involves a holistic solution, political, economic, 
cultural, and religious. A political solution, much less a military solution, will 
not suffice nor will a simple economic one, without the political and 
cultural/religious. 

 
Figure 2. The Site of the Proposed Core Territory of the Bangsa Moro 

Source: http://www.mindanews.com › Graphics 
 
This section of the study would now more closely examine the ‘how” of Quevedo’s peacemaking process through 
the lens of Myer’s four strategies of peacemaking. They are contact, cooperation, communication, and conciliation. 
3. Contact 
This strategy can exert an influence on the adversaries by putting them into close contact to enhance familiarity, 
mutual acceptance, and reduce mutual mistrust, bias, and prejudices against each other. It presupposes an “equal-
status contact” or contact made on an equal basis on a level playing field. It can be safely said that, at the grass-
root or micro level, the moderate Muslims and Christians have managed to live together in mutual tolerance and 
respect for each other. Both sides are firmly rooted in their religious traditions and yet are respectful and open to 
their similarities and differences.  

I have witnessed a harmonious dialogue of life among the students. Many of 
our soldiers and high ranking officers studied in our Catholic schools. So, too, 
did members and leaders of the MILF. 
What we have is a beautiful dialogue of life among students, among ordinary 
people who mixed with Muslims in the market, in the office, at work, in the 
neighborhood, there’s no problem between moderate Muslims and Christians. 
(Note 4) 

He has been in contact with the Muslims for many years. He remembered that he came from the context of a boy 
who “grew up in Marbel, Koronadal, Cotabato in the late 40s and early 50s,” and whose parents “migrated from 
the crowded North to the vast and spacious South,” and who worked in Mindanao for more than three decades 
(Mercado 2014; Vitug 2014). The up-close and personal contact with them made a significant impact on his 
viewpoint and understanding of the conflict.  

Through the years I have gained some understanding of the Moro viewpoint. 
That has significantly influenced, even altered, my Christian viewpoint.”  



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Based on these contacts, he expressed the firm belief that, in spite of the political and military conflict in his 
Archdiocese of Cotabato, peaceful and friendly coexistence between moderate Muslims and Christians is 
realizable. 

We managed to remain friendly towards the Muslims at the grassroots level. 
Many of the rebel leaders are graduates of our Catholic schools in the 
archdiocese and some were students of the Notre Dame University where I 
was the president. So the situation is sometimes over-publicized because the 
conflict is only in some parts of the Archdiocese of Cotabato and not 
everywhere. Nonetheless, I am concerned because there is still so much bias 
and prejudice among Muslims and Christians alike. 

The relatively, albeit fragile, peaceful coexistence between the Muslims and Christians ended when, as Quevedo 
observed, the former started to lose their ancestral lands to the settlers from Northern Philippines (Abreu 2008). 

The loss of land was compounded by government neglect of the Moro right to 
integral development during the Commonwealth and post-independence 
governments. In all dimensions of human development, political, economic, 
educational, and cultural, the Moro population continues to lag far behind its 
Christian Filipino counterparts. The latest national census bears this out in 
terms of educational improvement, political participation, and economic 
development. This is truly a tragic plight. 

Asked about his plans and hopes as a newly installed cardinal for his archdiocese and the Church as a whole, he 
replied: 

My first concern and hope would be peace; peace in our territory in Central 
Mindanao; peace in the Archdiocese of Cotabato. Second, I hope to see better 
harmonious relationships among Christians, Muslims, and indigenous people 
through interreligious dialogue. My third hope for the people of Cotabato is to 
see the economic development of all people irrespective of their faiths. But 
my most primary concern is to inject the dimension of faith, whether in 
Christians or Islam or indigenous people — to have a common ground for 
peace and interreligious dialogue based on one's faith. And I would like to 
press for that. 

4. Cooperation 
This strategy can exert a positive influence on the conflicting individuals or groups by allowing them to work 
together to face a common predicament or pursue a shared goal (Myers: 283). Thus, an important challenge facing 
conflicting individuals and groups is to identify and agree on superordinate goals defined by Myers as “goals 
compelling for all in a group and requiring cooperative effort, and structure cooperative efforts to achieve them.” 
The shared superordinate goal is presumed to outweigh the differences between the parties leading to integrative 
win-win agreements that reconcile both parties’ interests to their mutual benefit. 
Now and then, the search for the elusive peace in Mindanao would require a joint and cooperative effort from all 
stakeholders and constituencies. That being said, the numerous negotiations between the two parties in conflict are 
a cooperative effort to reconcile the two superordinate goals as crucial to the attainment of a just and lasting peace 
in the region. Likewise, he proposed to build constituencies to support the peace process believing that to make 
the peace process works all stakeholders must participate and enjoy their rights to speak and be heard. In the 
aftermath of the Mamasapano tragedy, he again made this point when he said: 

Truly we must seek the truth and justice. This search for truth and the pursuit 
of justice must be done with objectivity and without prejudgment. We need to 
gather all the facts from all sides, from civilian witnesses, from combatants on 
both sides. 

Given a long history of bias and mistrust from both parties, cooperation must be built on mutual trust and done in 
good faith in pursuit of the common good. Thus, efforts for cooperation can and must come from all the 
stakeholders.  

For me, peace is a goal for everybody -- Christians and Muslims, Lumads, 
peoples of other faiths, government and MILF. Peace is the only solution to 
living together, developing a territory together. Peace is not acquired overnight. 



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There are ups and downs and this Mamasapano tragedy may be the worst of 
the downs. But if any heart can lift itself out of the pieces of a broken peace, 
it would be the heart of a sincere peace advocate, with no hidden agenda but 
peace. The spirit of peace is the Holy Spirit of God. It can soar over ashes and 
shattered houses and give hope where seemingly there is none. 

5. Communication 
This strategy contributes to the achievement of peace through communication and dialogue (Thamgaraj 1999).  

It is wise to consult, ask questions, and secure assistance regarding directions 
and goals from stakeholders, left, right and center. For the government – 
consult with the different branches of government and with the people directly 
affected by conflict. For the MILF – consult with the Bangsamoro people, with 
the MNLF, and with the ARMM. I am not sure that any of these consultations 
were done -- and competently.  

The so-called “fusion of horizons” is the expected outcome of this strategy. It can be done in three ways: direct 
bargaining with one another, mediation, and arbitration (Myers: 284). For the past 16 years at the macro-level, the 
Malaysian government has played a prominent role as the third party or mediator in the peace talks between the 
Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) (Iqbal 2004; Makabenta 2015). However, 
Quevedo, in his capacity as a long-time religious leader in the region, has also served as a highly respected 
“mediator” between the two parties. In early 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) experts 
along with Muslim and Christian leaders approached Cardinal Quevedo and asked him to lead a group of eminent 
persons to serve as high-level intermediaries and advocates and facilitate the relevant conversations with regard to 
legislation, as well as the wider cause of a lasting peace in Mindanao. This led to the formation of a group called 
"Friends of Peace” which Quevedo eventually led (Kuma 2004). Through his initiatives, he helped facilitate 
dialogues between and among the stakeholders especially when the peace process had been derailed or reached an 
impasse. The dialogue and negotiations for peace cannot be closed prematurely. 

Experience has shown that the negative outcomes due to the absence or lack 
of a line of communication between the two parties may never be 
underestimated. The peace process has been derailed and almost died because 
one or both of the parties failed to communicate.  

There were many times when his words were said in direct reply to perceived misinformation and disinformation 
as well as to address deep-seated biases and prejudices and thus “restore rationality to the peace process.” In the 
face of outrage and calls for an all-out war, he asked the parties to go back to the negotiating table to rehabilitate 
the peace process. He called for consultation and dialogue, information and education as the key to the acceptability 
of the ill-fated MOA-AD: 

MOA-AD has a lot of ambiguity as well as questionable presentation. 
Muslims, Christians, Lumad would want such issues to be clarified, before 
saying yes or no to the consensus points. Perhaps, concepts need to be clearer. 
They can be made so in future steps of the peace process as both parties move 
towards a Comprehensive Pact. But the MOA-AD need not be the document 
that should contain all the details that would resolve all questions and doubts. 
The peace process will continue even after it is signed. With goodwill, 
patience and wisdom --- and consultation ---such further steps will surely 
resolve substantive questions. 
Therefore, as a way out of the present impasse let organized and focused 
public discussions on the MOA-AD be conducted for a specific and reasonable 
time so that the two parties may be guided accordingly. In the face of possible 
provocations, be persevering, patient and resolute until a fair and just final 
peace agreement is done. 

Because of misunderstanding and mistrust from both side of the divide, Quevedo strongly and many times 
suggested as an imperative: a serious and sustained effort to inform and educate all of the constituencies and 
stakeholders about “matter that is of utmost importance to them and their future” and about the mutual rights and 
mutual sacrifices needed by both parties.” 

There is certainly the imperative of educating all the various constituencies 



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and stakeholders as to the contents (concepts and principles, territory, 
resources, and governance) of the MOA-AD, their bases in history and in law, 
the steps still to be taken, the recognition of mutual rights, as well as the 
mutual sacrifices needed by both peoples, Bangsamoro and non-Bangsamoro. 
It would be to the interest of the common good for them (the peace panels) to 
explain the meaning and the rationale of provisions that are questioned and 
objected to. 
Two immediate reasons for the negative reception of the MOA-AD are lack 
of information regarding the contents of the document and the lack of previous 
consultation with various stakeholders as to what the document should contain. 
No serious effort was made to establish a supportive public constituency. 
Having consultations, asking for directions, providing progress reports – these 
are proven ways to have people participate in any matter that is of utmost 
importance to them and their future. 

The words synonymous to communication are plenty: information, dialogue consultations, consensus-building, 
and reception in its ecclesiological sense (Congar 1972). This study found that “consult” and “consensus” were 
Quevedo’s most utilized words. Strongly believing that a genuine consensus is possible, he argued that all 
stakeholders must be allowed to voice their views and demanded the mutual respect and attention of all. Stressing 
the need for and importance of consensus-building through wide consultations, he said that: 

But there is a certain irreplaceable and indispensable benefit to people’s 
participation through consultation and information dissemination at various 
points in the peace journey. I am quite certain that both the MILF and the GRP 
have set a certain time for extensive consultations, perhaps when referendum 
and changes to constitution/law are to be made. But present reactions cannot 
wait for that time. 

In the wake of the many incidents that tend to derail the peace process, Quevedo remained strongly committed to 
fostering a culture of dialogue, forging a unity of opinion – or consensus-based on all the above points through 
widespread consultations by both sides (Rosario-Braid 2000). In spite of the prevailing culture and history of 
mutual prejudices, he maintained this mindset throughout the search for peace. 

Aggravated by lack of consultation and reinforced by anger, misinformation, 
misconceptions, biases, prejudices, and resistance to change, led to the present 
grave uncertainties regarding the peace process. 
Due to lack of information resulting in the negative reception of the MOA 
Consultation, public discussions and dialogue with all the stakeholders are a 
must to arrive at a consensus on issues that divide. Reception of the peace 
process intended outcome is the result of this consultation. 
One would think then that along the arduous and difficult journey, certain 
stops should be made to ask for directions, consult people, set goals and then 
obtain consensus points at the roadside negotiation table. 

6. Conciliation 
This strategy is designed to de-escalate tensions that may arise during the peacemaking between the two parties in 
conflict. This element of conciliation is based on what is nicknamed as GRIT or “graduated and reciprocated 
initiatives in tension reduction” (Myers: 291). Based on the belief that the participants are equal, it is not so much 
retaliatory as it is conciliatory in mode. It requires no preconditions to the conciliation or the surrender of one’s 
original and non-negotiable position but only seeks a middle ground between the two opposing sides. 
Three intervening events happened that threatened to derail the peace process, led to grave uncertainties, and 
compelled the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions triggered by them. They were the declaration by the Supreme 
Court Supreme that the MOA-AD as unconstitutional (August 2008), the Buliok war (February 2003), and the 
Mamasapano tragedy (March 2015). All three events re-escalated the conflict and triggered the deep historic biases 
and prejudices that lie in the dark corners of the two parties, Quevedo said. As a participant of the peace process, 
he only knew too well how volatile everything can be in the region and did try his best to conciliate between the 
adversaries. To reduce the tension, he immediately proposed small de-escalatory actions such as the need to 



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conduct participatory fact-finding investigations and to return to the negotiating table. After the Mamasapano 
tragedy that seriously cast doubts on the peace process and increased the tensions, he said: 

The demand for wisdom is for us to hold back the natural response of revenge 
and desire to break off the peace process. The bloodbath in Mamasapano 
should not end in the peace process in Mindanao. 

To ease the tensions and resist the demoralizing results of the three events, he immediately proposed to establish 
verifiable conciliatory acts and challenged both parties to reciprocate without risking their security and self-
interests. As what exactly was needed at those tragic events, he earnestly proposed two steps to quickly bounce 
back and ease the pressure on the two sides: to return to the negotiating table and to organize focused public 
discussions on the MOA-AD for a specific and reasonable time. 

It remains true that many things cannot be negotiated in public; otherwise, the 
plethora of opinions and suggestions, each one passionately presented and 
defended, would create disorder out of order. But there is a certain 
irreplaceable and indispensable benefit to people's participation through 
consultation and information dissemination at various points in the peace 
journey. I am quite certain that both the MILF and the GRP have set a certain 
time for extensive consultations, perhaps when referendum and changes to 
constitution/law are to be made. But present reactions cannot wait for that time. 

7. How did he say or do it? 
Quevedo’s words were attempts to answer a fundamental question: What is the wise thing to do in a conflict 
situation like Mindanao? Three words may be used to explain this domain of his peacemaking task namely: 
practical wisdom, consensus-driven, and Catholic.  
8. Practical Wisdom 
The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur's concept of phronetic or practical wisdom would help make sense of 
Quevedo’s integrative and balanced approach to the peace process (Vermeer and van der Ven 2002). For Ricoeur, 
practical wisdom is the ethical skill that helps one to determine the “good life with and for others in just institutions,” 
test it against the “right norm,” and strike a balance between the good and right in concrete situations.” Applied to 
the concrete situation of the Mindanao conflict, the image of the “good life” would be the collective desire to 
achieve a long overdue peace in general, and the right to self-determination of the Muslims, in particular. To pass 
the critical test for the objectively good, however, the ethical aim needs to “pass through the sieve of the norm” as 
provided by the Constitutional requirement that seeks to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the 
country. In line with Rosario-Braid’s (2002) suggestions, Quevedo used constructive rather than adversarial 
communications; emphasized the commonalities rather than disagreements between the two adversaries, explored 
the multifaceted angles of a simple idea such as peace, justice, and progress. 
Based on these concepts, it is clear that to succeed in his ministry as a peacemaker, it was imperative for Quevedo 
to carefully navigate between the Scylla of perpetuating a historical injustice and the Charybdis of dismembering 
the republic. Happily, he managed to stay on course and to strike a balanced and accurate account of the good life 
and the right norm is the concrete and complex situation of the Mindanao conflict. 
9. Consensus-Driven 
Following Jürgen Habermas’ theory of communication, Quevedo’s language and words about peace and its 
imperatives may be described as “that which seeks mutual understanding and possesses no strategic goal other 
than the achievement of a consensus or common understanding” of the “good life” and the norms of peacemaking 
(Gallardetz 2002). It was a consensus-driven dialogue for peace based on the maintenance and promotion of the 
dynamic relationships between and among the stakeholders and constituents. When faithfully engaged in, the 
model can yield "shared truth” of a fusion of horizons between the conflicting parties.  
Quevedo employed this communication model as a reciprocal act of sharing in which the intended recipients from 
both sides will actively and selectively appropriate that which is communicated. As a type of dialogue or 
conversation, his approach was a communicative and not a strategic approach to peacemaking, not a top-down 
strategic kind of communication geared only towards a successful resolution of the conflict. On the contrary, it 
was deeply rooted in the ground and oriented towards a holistic understanding of the collective search for peace 
and justice. Quevedo’s single-minded purpose was to guide stakeholders to a shared understanding of the conflict 
through constant dialogues, consultations, negotiations and reception of their shared resolutions to establish peace. 



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10. Catholic 
Finally, Quevedo’s words manifest an approach that is clearly and distinctly “Catholic.” It adopts the principle of 
complementarity, a this-as-well –as- that approach to reality and thus not dialectic either-or approach.  
First, it adopts an integrative perspective of all the issues and challenges that had bedeviled the peace process 
across time. Second, both rooted in his religious tradition (the use of reason informed by faith) and yet open to the 
perspectives of the other, he saw to it that all the various constituencies and stakeholders were given a voice and a 
hearing whether they are left, right and center, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Lumads, the government, 
and the Bangsa Moro, MILF, MNLF. Third, he consistently and respectfully paid attention to their common and 
self-interests, fears and prejudices, misconceptions and misinformation. With his sight singly-focused on the 
common good, he painstakingly tried to be both inclusive and integrative in the firm hope of achieving the fusion 
of horizons between the Bangsamoro aspirations for self-determination and GRP conviction to its national 
sovereignty. For a deeper and wider understanding and appreciation of the issues and challenges that had beset it, 
his words put into light the historical, cultural, legal, political, territorial, economic, and social dimensions of the 
conflict. This has helped diminished the ambiguities, doubts, and prejudices surrounding the peace process.  
11. How did He Keep Going? What Kept Him Going? 
It is a commonly known fact that peacemaking is a challenging and complex task. It is surely not for the faint-
hearted. Amid the clear and present risks to their lives and limbs, peacemakers will need a lot of daring, courage, 
patience and optimism that at the end of the long and tedious path peace will be realizable. Holbrooke said that it 
takes some qualities to be a peacemaker in a world torn apart by intractable conflicts: diligence and persistence, 
unique insight, credibility, passion, and a commitment to the idea that peace is possible. We may add courage to 
face the possibility of torture and death. Not a few of our local peacemakers have lost their lives without seeing 
the peace and justice that they dreamed and pursued the people of Mindanao. This sad reality makes us wonder: 
“What has kept peacemakers like Cardinal Quevedo going against the many odds of peacemaking?” What is his 
secret? In the seeming absence of manifest answers from his testimonies, we may therefore only make an educated 
guess: the secret lays both in the human and divine domains of peacemaking. 
Following Holbrooke's assessment of what enables individuals to be a peacemaker, I think it is in Quevedo’s 
"moral conviction and religious calling to work until peace and justice are a reality" where his secret lies. Moral 
conviction is defined as “a subjective assessment that one’s attitude about a specific issue or situation is associated 
with one’s core moral beliefs and fundamental sense of right or wrong” (Bauman and Sitka 2003). It is the 
subjective belief that something is fundamentally right or wrong which Quevedo strongly asserted consists of the 
historical and social injustice that the Muslims endured and suffered for centuries. Although it seems an unpopular 
idea, he is morally convinced that unless the historical injustice and the basic rights of the Muslims for self-
determination are resolved through a principled negotiation between the two parties, the just and sustainable peace 
will most likely not come to Mindanao. 
As a religious leader and a Christian disciple, there is no doubt as to the second possible reason why Quevedo kept 
going in spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to peacemaking. He has said many times that he is into 
this advocacy because of his religious calling both as a parish priest and later on as an archbishop of a diocese that 
is 47% Muslim and 48% Catholic. Although he believes that peace is God’s grace and gift, he is also convinced 
that for peace to become a reality he must perform his task as a Christian and as a leader of his flock. 

Because peace is both gift and task. Ultimately it is a gift of God. But it is also 
our task. It is our task to be peacemakers rather than to be destroyers of peace. 
That we do not have peace is due to us. We have not done our task. 
I beg you as fellow disciples of Christ, the Prince of Peace, to pray and work 
together for peace so that Mamasapano will not repeat itself. 
It is the Spirit of God that gives hope and infuses love and harmony among 
peoples of different faiths and cultures. With God's Spirit, we can soar over 
tragedies, we can restore trust for one another; we can strive together for 
harmony and peace. Ultimately it is in the enlightened heart where love and 
peace begin. May the God of Justice, Peace and Love bless us all! 

He has always prayed for peace knowing that, regardless of his own human efforts peace, his faith tells him that it 
would ultimately remain a gift of God’s grace and mercy. In short, he is a peacemaker because he is a man of 
prayer, a man of faith, and ultimately a man of God. 

I am for peace, the peace that God grants to people of goodwill. I am for the 



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peace that God gives through the collaborative work of men and women who 
work conscientiously for the good of the whole country. 

12. Conclusion and Research Directions 
This study focused on Orlando Cardinal Quevedo’s advocacy for peace and its imperatives in the Southern 
Mindanao region. A close and careful examination of his statements makes manifest an eyewitness understanding 
of the historical roots of the armed conflict and a comprehensive plan of action to uproot it to gain a just and 
sustainable peace in the region. It is crystal-clear that he knew exactly what he was doing and speaking about for 
years on end. Moreover, they also speak volumes about his practical wisdom as well as his courage to “fight the 
good fight” even in the face of humanly insurmountable obstacles and risks to his life. Though bereft of political 
power and armed only with his religious faith and moral conviction, he proved to be a credible and attractive voice 
in the public square where the choice between war and peace and life and death were being decided.  

As an advocate of peaceful strategies to make and build peace in Southern 
Mindanao, the extent of his influence and impact on the peace process may 
not be exactly measured. But by organizing and analyzing his words about 
peace and its demands, the long-running conflict is better understood and the 
issues and challenges standing in the path of a just and sustainable peace in 
the island cleared and flattened. The lessons and insights that this exploratory 
study has helped uncover may serve as a grounded recipe for future 
peacemakers to learn and re-appropriated in a hopefully not an unending task 
and ministry of peacemaking in today’s world. 

Cardinal Quevedo's case is merely illustrative though; there is a need to examine more closely the narratives of 
the other few good men and women who, like him, have courageously and selflessly performed the task and 
ministry of peacemaking and peace-building in the region. It will help would-be-peacemakers to better understand 
not only “who they are, what they do, how they do it, and what keeps them going” but also the fundamental 
challenges and opportunities facing the thousand-mile journey toward a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.  

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Notes 
Note 1. With his expressed permission, the data and information gathered for purposes of this study were mostly 
sourced or cited from Cardinal Quevedo's communications such as letters, interviews as well as newspaper and 
journal articles from 2005-2017 accessed from his blog archive http://abpquevedo.blogspot.com.   
Note 2. Interview with Shane Healy, July 2017. Available at https://youtu.be/SV3AVYuwKT8 
Note 3. Two major wars occurred while Quevedo was President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the 
Philippines for two-year terms (1999 to 2003: the Estrada administration's "all-out war" in 2000 which displaced 
nearly a million residents and the Arroyo administration's 2003 Buliok war which displaced nearly half a million 
residents. Both wars occurred amid peace talks. (MindaNews/05 February). More recently, the Mamasapano 
tragedy happened when the MOA-AD was about to be signed into law by the government. 
Note 4. From an Interview with Thomas Rosica, CSB. March 9, 2017. Available at https://youtu.be/xnBIrdd-vpw 
 
Biographical Statement 
Noel G. Asiones earned his Ph.D. in Theology and M.A. in Psychology from the University of Santo Tomas, 
Manila, Philippines, in 2005 and 1999 respectively. He teaches fundamental college Theology with the Institute 
of Religion and is a researcher at the Research Centre for Social Sciences and Education. His field of interests 
includes religion and youth, organizational assessment and evaluation, and church and social issues. He has done 
commissioned and national research projects for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal 
Commission on Youth (CBCP-ECY) and the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. As one of its 



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co-authors, his most current published research for the CBCP-ECY is titled "The National Filipino Catholic Youth 
Survey 2014." 
Email address: ngasiones ust.edu.ph 
 
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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 
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