In 2015, after I took my high school entrance exam, my parents brought me to one of their favorite restaurants when they were college students in Los Baños. I was happy with my life and the way things were going. I was comfortable with my peers and I was comfortable with the environment in my hometown, Calamba. I thought that I had found peace. Little did I know that this would become one of the most important days of my life. This was the day that my parents broke the news to me – we would be moving to Cagayan de Oro. All my dreams of studying in my hometown and hanging out with all of my friends were instantly shattered and replaced by images living under constant fear of war in a place full of conflict and poverty. The only times I would ever hear of Mindanao were either in my HEKASI class or on the news. More often than not, every time I would hear Mindanao mentioned on the news it would always be related to bad events. Growing up in Luzon, I have always heard biases and negative stereotypes concerning Mindanao and its communities. Only after living in Cagayan de Oro for five years have I realized that I have been wrong my entire life.

Living in Cagayan de Oro City has shown me that Mindanao is so much more than war, poverty, and conflict. Mindanao is a wonderful place filled with culture and diversity. Looking back on how I was five years ago, I realized that I had never truly understood the real meaning of peace. The only way to find peace is through understanding and proper communication.  Five years ago I thought that I had found peace. Today I realized that my lack of understanding and my lack of proper communication are what hindered me from finding true peace. Conflicts and wars will always stem from a lack of connection between communities. The only way to strengthen that connection is to understand the culture and values of one another. The biases and stereotypes presented in the media are the walls that prevent us from truly understanding one another. These walls are what need to be turned down in order to pave the way towards achieving true peace.

Working towards peace is the responsibility of each and every one of us. The only way we can successfully work towards peace is to make sure that every member of the society knows what peace really means. This had me wondering how my peers views peace. I took a moment of my time and personally asked as many people as I could with this simple question: “What is peace for you?” Every person I asked gave me an answer related to these two statements, “Peace is the absence of war” and “Peace is having a happy environment”. Let me ask you this, can you call it peace when you can sleep soundly at night without a care in the world while thousands of your countrymen cower in fear from the sound of gunshots? Can you call it peace when you leave your meal unfinished while thousands of your countrymen are struggling to find food? That is not peace. Peace is not the absence of war, it is the moment when everyone understands the values, struggles, and needs of one another. The opposite of peace is not conflict, it is ignorance. You can never achieve peace if biases and stereotypes cloud your judgment and cause you to be ignorant to the plight of others. Communicating without bias and understanding whole heartedly are the only ways for us to promote peace here in the Philippines.

Living in Cagayan de Oro after being brought up in Luzon for nearly twelve years has helped me see what the real meaning of peace is. Having different cultures and values from one another is not something that should prevent us from finding peace. I was born in Luzon. I have lived for five years in Cagayan de Oro. My heart is that of a Filipino. My heart comes not only for Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao, but for the whole Philippines. Peace needs everyone to care for one another. Peace needs everyone to communicate with one another. Peace needs everyone to understand one another. Have you found peace? If your answer is yes, then first tear down your biases, your stereotypes, and your assumptions. After doing so, come back and tell me, have you found peace? /Victor Karl Andre E. Luces

VICTOR KARL ANDRE E. LUCES is a senior high school student of the Ateneo de Cagayan Xavier University. His essay entitled “Peace Needs…” placed third during the OURmindaNOW Summit Essay Writing Competition.