COTABATO CITY, Philippines โ Basketballs bounced and volleyballs soared through packed gymnasiums across Cotabato province this week as athletes from Muslim, Christian and Indigenous communities competed in tournaments designed to achieve something far larger than victory on the scoreboard: strengthening peace in one of the country’s most historically divided regions.
The Office of Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliรฑo-Mendoza organized the sports competitions. It brought together high school and college students from the province’s 17 municipalities and 40 barangays in Kidapawan City, the provincial capital.
Among the participants were individuals identified with two former Moro rebel organizations that had once stood on opposing sides of armed conflicts in Mindanao. Their presence on the same teams and courts reflected the changing realities of a region still navigating the long process of reconciliation.
Provincial officials said the tournaments were intended not only to promote cultural and religious understanding but also to steer young people toward constructive pursuits and away from illegal drugs. “We want our youth to pursue sports for leisure and fame rather than become victims of narcotics,” provincial officials said in explaining the initiative.
The effort drew support from security officials who have increasingly embraced community-based approaches to sustaining peace.
Brig. Gen. Allan Manibog, Police Regional Office 12 director, as well as commanders of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division and 6th Infantry Division, pledged support for future interfaith sporting events. The 10th Infantry Division oversees Kidapawan City and nearby upland municipalities, including areas bordering Maguindanao del Sur. The 6th Infantry Division maintains units in Carmen and in municipalities closer to Cotabato City, the capital of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Major General Alvin Luzon, commander of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, framed such activities as effective tools for fostering solidarity among young people while discouraging involvement in destructive vices.
According to local radio reports, athletes representing Magpet, Mlang, Antipas and Carmen, along with participants from Kidapawan City, emerged as winners in the basketball and volleyball competitions held at the provincial capitol.
Now serving her second term, Taliรฑo-Mendoza has become one of the region’s most visible advocates of anti-drug initiatives, supporting campaigns led by PRO-12 and the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The governor chairs the Regional Development Council in Region 12. She has also played a role in programs supporting the national government’s peace efforts with both the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which separately forged peace agreements with Manila after decades of insurgency.
Those peace efforts continue to shape Cotabato’s unique political landscape. Eight municipalities grouped under the Special Geographic Area of BARMM now lie within the geographic boundaries of Cotabato province after residents of 63 barangays voted in a 2019 plebiscite to join the Bangsamoro government.
Though these communities no longer fall under the province’s jurisdiction, Taliรฑo-Mendoza’s administration has continued humanitarian outreach programs there.
In this part of Mindanao long defined by stories of division, the tournaments offered a different narrative: one in which competition became cooperation, former adversaries became teammates, and the path toward lasting peace ran through the simple rituals of sport.
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