Application

Eliseo Mercado

Chair
Notre Dame University, National Council for Peace and Kusog Mindanao
The Impact of Militant Ethnic and Religious Groups in the Separatist Struggles and Peace Building in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pattani, Thailand and Southern Philippines
Philippines

Father Mercado holds a rank of Professor V at Notre Dame University (Cotabato City). He teaches Peace and Development Studies in Graduate School and Islamic Studies in the undergraduate studies. He also chairs the Mindanao Leaders Coalition (Kusog Mindanaw) that joins all sectors in Mindanao to advocate for Peace and Development including the campaign for greater autonomy in Mindanao that includes campaign for Federalism. He is a well-known Mindanao Peace Advocate, and he is the chair of the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) in the Autonomous Regional of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from 1998 to the present.

He was President of Notre Dame University in Cotabato City (1992-2002) and the Notre Dame Educational Association (NDEA) (2000-2002) consisting of two universities, five colleges and 847 Secondary and Elementary Schools. He was the Assembly Floor Leader of the Southern Philippines Council for peace and Development (SPCPD) Consultative Assembly during the period of political transition following the Peace Agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro National Liberation Front from 1996 to 2001.

An expert on the role of Islam and the Peace Process in the Philippines, Father Mercado was designated Chairperson of the Independent cease-fire Monitoring Committee of the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He was a World Bank Consultant in the evaluation and the redesign of the post agreement Social Fund phases one and two. He also serves as "advisor" to the Japanese Embassy on Mindanao.

He now chairs the National Peace Council that work for the resumption of the formal peace talks between the Philippine Government and all rebel fronts including the National Liberation Front. He is a regular Columnist of the Philippines Daily Inquirer (Philippines largest National Daily)

Father Mercado holds a doctorate in Divinity and Humanity, Master's degrees in Theology and Philosophy, and Bachelor's degrees in Theology and Philosophy, and Bachelor's degrees in Classics and Philosophy. He completed work in Islamic Studies and Arabic Studies at the Gregorian University in Rome and at the oriental Institute in Cairo.

Selected Publications:

Understanding Modern Trends in Islam. NDU-IRR Publication. Cotabato City. 2000
Mission and Dialogue. NDU-CPASS Publication. Cotabato City. 1999.
Southern Philippines Questions. Notre Dame Press. Cotabato City. 1997
Praymer Pangkalusugan. Notre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1993.
Evangelizing the Poor in the Philippines. Notre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1989.

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The Impact of the Militant Ethnic and Religious Groups in Separatist Struggles and Peace Building in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pattani, Thailand and Southern Philippines

The original MAPHILINDO (Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia) created in the early 60's by Tungko Abdul Rahman of Malaysia, Diosdado Macapagal of the Philippines and Bong Sukarno of Indonesia pointed to the converging ethnic and racial traditions coupled by regional dream and aspirations of peace and prosperity of the three Malay countries.

ASEAN supplanted MAPHILINDO in the 70's, yet the convergence of traditions and dream continues and even has expanded to other ASEAN countries like Brunei and Thailand. This is truer now as trade globalization and technology impact ethnicities, religions and cultures.

Works have already been done in each country on separate issues involving ethnicity and religion including politics of separatism and the contemporary peace processes. The importance of the proposed undertaking is to identify and map the "connectedness" or "kindredness" of these many and varied ethnic and religious movements and groups as they continue to assert their distinct "separateness" amid the global trend of "leveling off borders and frontiers."

As ethnicities and religions play crucial roles in the struggles to preserve and assert their distinct identities, the same is now being tapped in the peace processes in the region. Indeed, ethnicities and religions are double-edged swords that decisively contribute to both war and peace. In short, as religion and ethnicity become the "glue" and the "call" in times of war, they also have the power and dynamism in establishing social cohesion between and among disparate ethnic and religious groups and movements. In fact, it can also fuel genuine reforms and reconstruction that involving radical "changes" in the structures and relationships between and among the many and differing stakeholders.

In an era of global network, the project will also attempt to find the "resonance" and "linkages" (romantic, historical or real) between these local movements and groups to the wider regional and global network of ethnic and religious "fronts."

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