Theme: Peace, Human Security and Human Development in the Philippines
Conflicts, in all its nature, have been a major impediment to national development and particularly,
efforts to combat poverty. Loss of life and property, internal displacements, massive migration,
re-channeling of funds to finance militarization and to counter destabilization are the common fruits of
conflicts. Those who are already suffering from poverty are brought to even worst conditions as a result
of internal conflicts.
The Philippines is no stranger to this situation. For decades, it has experienced conflicts in many forms
in the names of religion and political differences. Armed communist insurgents and Islamic secessionist
groups continue to pose a challenge to peace, stability and the long-term development of the country. This
is particularly evident in the case of Mindanao. Open conflict in Mindanao has prevented socio-economic gapos
programs from achieving their goals and instead exacted heavy social and economic costs on affected communities.
In fact, there are regions in Mindanao that belong to that group of regions all the country with the highest
incidence of poverty.
Meanwhile, another form of conflict is said to be brewing with a sampling quite evidently shown in the
May 1, 2001 so-called "uprising" of the urban poor. This manifests a latent source of conflict that is rooted
in the prolonged marginalization and disenfranchisement of the urban poor
Given the severity of the situation and the extreme costs it imposes upon the country's social and economic
development, the 5th Philippines Human Development Report (5th PHDR) sets out to explore the various dimensions
and major sources of conflict in the country; analyze the current dynamics that may assist to resolve or
aggravate conditions; and relate these to the concept of human development and human security in the context of
the country's development strategy. The Report will likewise present the latest statistics on provincially
disaggregated Human Development Indicators, Human Poverty Indicators, Gender-related Development Indicators,
and Human Security Indicators. Based on these indicators, the Report will attempt to identify the provinces
which are the "most peaceful and stable" as well as those that are "most vulnerable and at risk." The theme of the
5th PHDR is Peace, Human Security and Human Development in the Philippines.
