Established in 1977, the Philippine Ecumenical Action for Community Empowerment Foundation, Inc. (PEACE) is an offshoot of the pre-martial law CO agency called Philippine Ecumenical Council for Community Organizing (PECCO). PECCO was considered an alternative church response to the deteriorating social, economic and political conditions in Tondo, a sprawling urban poor community on Manila Bay.
Unlike its predecessor, PEACE decided to give more importance to organizing in the rural areas, where also occurs repression of marginalized groups of peasants and indigenous peoples.
PEACE survived the changing political contexts, including the most difficult period of the Marcos regime. In adjusting to these situations, PEACE ably innovated its CO technology. However, PEACE in being innovative had to pay the price of being isolated from the national democratic movement. The CO technology that PEACE held on to basically questioned the validity of the armed struggle that the natdem movement adhered to as the main strategy for social and political change.
Its founders, led by former Senator Jovito Salonga, were known for their ecumenism and activism at the height of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorial regime.
Currently, PEACE’s Board of Trustees is composed of 15 committed professionals, a Church leader, academics, advocates, and farmer leaders, under the Chair Emeritus-ship of Atty. Oscar F. Santos, an advocate known for his involvement in the peace process during the Cory Aquino administration, in the recovery of the coconut levy fund, and in other various initiatives in support of the cause of agrarian reform and rural development and democratization.
PEACE’s current President is an accomplished Community Organizer and a barefoot political scientist, so to speak, having been involved the praxis of building social movements engaging the State for specific concessions. The cadre core of staff has varied experiences in CO work since the heyday of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Congress for a People’s Agrarian Reform (CPAR).
PEACE, together with its partner people’s organizations from national to local levels, has been instrumental in facilitating transfer of over 200,000 hectares of agricultural lands to over 70,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries. Despite and because of its history and strength of militant approach, PEACE was able to influence the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) into effective partnership to implement agrarian reform in selected provinces nationwide; thus, the movement of over 200,000 hectares of land.
PEACE has also facilitated building and strengthening autonomous and capable rural people’s organizations and non-government organizations. Aside from local people’s organizations from barangay to provincial levels, PEACE assisted in the formation of the Pambansang Ugnayan ng mga Nagsasariling Lokal na Organisasyon sa Kanayunan (National Coordination of Autonomous Local Organizations in the Countryside).
PEACE was also instrumental in the formation of local institutions nationwide.