Mrs. Doblon “Hajja Ashiyah” Dalomanding and Mrs. Salimah Corot are parents from Rantian Elementary School who participated in the Parents for Peace mentoring program. They are both the mothers of Rantian peace heroes in Ditsaan Ramain. Rantian is a community in Lanao del Sur province’s municipality of Ditsaan-Ramain. Being unable to effectively control flooding without rain is one of Rantian’s ongoing problems. Family disputes, or rido, do arise occasionally. Still, compared to other barangays of Ramain, Rantian consistently finds a peaceful solution to conflicts.

TPBPM takes a holistic and inclusive approach, believing that every aspect of our society and community has a responsibility to fulfill. The Peace Hero principle applies to parents, teachers, and children alike, and it is about the transformation that teachers, parents, and children have demonstrated ever since they began their journey toward peacebuilding with TPBPM. In the Filipino culture, a child’s family has a significant influence on their life path. TPBPM used a psychological approach to understand the impact of a child’s family and environment on their growth and the formation of a peacekeeper mindset. Building peace can begin with your family. Communities would benefit from supporting families that nurture and raise physically and mentally healthy children and socially responsible individuals (Global Peace Foundation, 2014).

Although not all parents were persuaded to join, Mrs. Dalomanding and Mrs. Corot felt excitement and curiosity when they signed up to participate in the Parents for Peace Sessions because they knew they could explore lessons other than the Islamic perspective on promoting peace in the community.

A few months into the program, Mrs. Dalomanding noticed changes in her parenting approach and her husband’s communication. She used to neglect her husband, her kids, and even the little things like getting involved in their work and school. But after discovering the five different love languages, she understood her crucial role as a mother in teaching her children the value of kindness and love, not just for their own sake but for others. She now knows to take a calmer approach and to remember not to take criticism personally whenever she feels like her neighbors do not like the way she prepares some dishes.

While Mrs. Corot began to value that the kalilintad or peace in Maranao is a reflection of the kalilintad we create in our homes until we reach it ourselves, she has eight (8) children who initially believed that conflict and chaos were normal in her family. However, through Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, and with the help of her Peace Hero son, she showed the rest of the family that a peaceful home is possible despite personality and thought differences.

Thanks to the program, she learned more about peacefully raising her children. She gained an enhanced understanding of peace and children’s rights from the Islamic perspective.

Mrs. Dalomanding and Corot recognized parents’ crucial role in helping their children become role models for peace. They knew that violent extremism could still exist in Rantian even though they had not directly been affected by the Marawi Siege. Parents can teach their children to avoid any form of violence, or harmful behavior, such as school bullying. However, after teaching their children and themselves the peace hero principle, they did not anticipate feeling a sense of comfort and a sense of vital responsibility in maintaining peace in their community. As it relates to Rantian, where Islam serves as their primary source of guidance, this can serve as a lesson to other communities that have been exposed to unrest and violent conflict that being a good Muslim requires being a peaceful neighbor, sibling, or brother, and parent to your community.