Project Summary

This research project aims to investigate the factors that accounted for the successful resolution or management of four selected urban housing disputes that were mapped in 2023-2024, evaluate women’s participation in the conflict resolution processes; and generate a theory or a set of general principles governing urban housing dispute resolution in the Philippines and elsewhere.

The four case studies are born out of four conflict maps and negotiation or mediation efforts in urban housing disputes in Metro Manila, Philippines. The research will delve into rigorous investigation into the causes of conflict and examination of alternatives to violence. This research will inform the Mediators Network for Sustainable Peace (MedNet)’s peace activities, especially in negotiating for and mediating urban housing disputes in the future.

Bio

Rachel Aquino (Che) is finishing her PhD in Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She has a Masters in Public Administration also at UP Diliman. Her undergraduate degree is in Sociology from UP Los Banos. She has over two decades of conflict resolution experience as a founding member of the Mediators Network for Sustainable Peace (Mednet). MedNet is a network of conflict resolution practitioners focused on agrarian, environmental, housing, rido, ancestral domain and other community disputes. Che teaches Environmental Negotiations and Communications at the Ateneo de Manila University. Che is an accredited negotiator and mediator by the Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Philippine Department of Justice.