Darwin, a 26-year-old peace and climate justice advocate based in the Philippines, began his career in peacebuilding at the grassroots level in 2019. He worked alongside prominent peace advocates to implement several peace initiatives in villages within Zamboanga City, located at the southernmost tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. His efforts involved collaborating with youth, women, and religious sectors, and working closely with Barangay Local Government Units (BLGUs), including the Pacification Committee (Lupon Tagapamayapa), Local Barangay Police (Tanods), and Barangay Peace and Order Committee. In addition to his peacebuilding work, Darwin organized the Interreligious Solidarity Circles, a platform designed to maximize the role of various religious leaders in the community. This initiative aimed to support BLGUs in addressing peace-related conflicts, leveraging the influence and guidance of religious leaders to foster dialogue and cooperation.
In addition, he led the organization of anti-coal and anti-LNG groups in certain communities, promoting a just and sustainable life for Indigenous people against the proposed construction of coal-fired power plants and liquefied natural gas plants, which are non-renewable energy sources.
He currently works at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU). As part of the office’s mandate, he envisions continuing his passion and expanding his involvement in the national peacebuilding process of the Philippine National Government.
He aims to address the need for women and youth-related initiatives at the grassroots, particularly in conflicted areas in his country. He supports the government's commitment to sustainable peace and plans to implement; (1) Women's Empowerment Initiatives to empower women economically and socially through training and seminars on women's cooperatives, enterprise, and health and reproductive education. (2) Youth Engagement and Development initiatives to counter the threats of extremism and terrorism by providing leadership training, civic education, and integration of the Culture of Peace (CoP) for young people, offering positive pathways to avoid recruitment into armed groups.
He believes in the power of Dr. Jose Rizal's statement, "Youths are the hope of the nation." This belief drives his vision of multiplying like-minded youth who share a commitment to sustainable peace. He aims to address issues related to SDG 16: promoting peaceful, inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. In his country, youth are vulnerable in terms of peace, often used by extremist and terrorist groups to fight against the government. To mitigate this, opportunities such as training, capacity development, and civic engagement are crucial to help youth understand the value of their collective voices and participation in the betterment of their communities and the country as a whole.
He expresses, "I look forward to the opportunities the OMLAS Fellowship program offers, particularly in realizing my vision for my country. I am grateful for the 3-month intensive training and capacity development and am now ready to take on the challenge of re-echoing and multiplying the values and knowledge learned to my selected champions, creating a difference and contributing to the sustainable peace I envision and long for."