Foreword F ollowing the dark years of colonialism, war and dictatorship, the Philippines has made great progress in building a solid infrastructure of human rights. Formal institutions, laws, and processes have been put firmly in place to protect the individual freedoms as outlined by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Now, the challenge for the Philippines is to nurture a culture of human rights, wherein duty-bearers respecting and protecting the rights of claimholders is realized and felt by all citizens as a natural way of life. I cannot emphasize enough how important human rights education is in nurturing this culture. It will help people deepen their appreciation of and sensitivity to human rights. Moreover, it plays an essential role in promoting peace; in providing people with a common understanding and in applying this understanding to address their differences; and at the same time, in respecting cultural diversity. It should therefore be seen as a vital prerequisite to conflict resolution, not just for the leaders of the opposing sides but for those who are tasked to keep the peace and order as well. It is in this respect that the study, “From Four Nodes of History: The Human Rights Challenge in the Philippine Security Sector,” is a timely and relevant publication for the country. The military is currently engaged in a number of longstanding conflicts, like in the case of the Moro struggle in Southern Mindanao that has taken many lives and displaced countless families for over 100 years. If these conflicts are to be resolved, the military will need to become vi a force to build trust amongst the people and protect their human rights, providing a safe and secure environment in which peace can be achieved and sustained. This publication is a part of our project, “Nurturing a Culture of Human Rights in the Philippines”, which is jointly carried out with the Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine Human Rights Information Center, and the other civil society organizations. A central thrust of the project is to build the capacities of marginalized people to claim their rights as well as duty-bearers to effectively meet their obligations. It is needless to say that building capacity is not only about training people on how best to perform their function but also engaging them with the institutions and communities to which they belong or with which they interact; realizing their role which they are to play; and certainly, owning their mandate which they are to fulfill. This book provides a concise guide to the history of the Philippine military, which I believe can help sharpen soldiers’ perspective of their mandate as the protector of the Filipino people and the defenders of their human rights. TOSHIHIRO TANAKA Country Director United Nations Development Programme-Philippines