“Gurong Pilipino: Dangal ng Sambayanang Pilipino”
World Teacher’s Day is celebrated every October 5 to honor the efforts of the Teachers, Instructors, Professors and those who help shape the minds of the future generation. This was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) way back in 1994.
On October 5, 1966, UNESCO held a special intergovernmental conference in Paris to adopt the International Labor Organization’s recommendation on the rights and responsibilities of teachers.
Different programs and campaigns are being done by schools and institutions worldwide to recognize and celebrate the contribution of our teachers in the society.
In the Philippines, National Teacher’s Day is celebrated on October 5 and National Teachers’ Month from September 5 to October 5. For 2022, the theme of World Teachers Day is “The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers“ while the National Teachers Month’s theme is “Gurong Pilipino: Dangal ng Sambayanang Pilipino (Filipino Teachers: Pride of the Filipino Nation).”
Source: https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/05/world-teachers-day-and-national-teachers-month-how-did-it-start/?amp
International Coffee Day 2022
The best way to start the day is sipping a cup of coffee which has been a perk me up drink for many. October 1, 2022 sees the return of International Coffee Day. A special day to recognise millions of people across the world from farmers, roasters, coffee shop owners and enthusiasts who come together to create and serve the coffee in the consumable form.
International Coffee Day promotes coffee as a beverage. Different events are organised across the world to celebrate this special day for coffee lovers.
The first official date was October 1st 2015, as agreed by the International Coffee Organization and was launched at Expo in Milan.
In the Philippines, coffee has been a staple household item. It has been part of the daily lives of many Filipinos to drink a warm cup of coffee in the morning. It gives a sense of a new beginning and a positive outlook towards the day. It increases energy levels and improves mental performance. This special day not only highlights the beverage itself but also the farmers whose livelihood depends upon coffee plantations.
Source: https://nationaltoday.com/international-coffee-day/
Let us Celebrate New Friends Day 2022 on October 19!
National New Friends Day is observed every year with the main purpose of making new friends. In this day and age where everything is fast-paced, people tend to ignore old friends and forget to make new ones.
This day encourages everyone to step out of their comfort zone, make new friends who can make our lives better, colorful and happier.
It has also started to be recognised and eventually grow its popularity around the world.
A few facts about National New Friends Day are as follows:
Day of Observance: October 19th every year
Celebrated in: The United States
Hashtag: #NationalNewFriendsDay
Purpose: Step out of our comfort zone and try to meet new friends
The traditional manners of celebrating National New Friends Day include meeting new people, making new friends, exchanging greeting cards and flowers. Apart from this, different social and cultural functions, programs and get together are arranged to enjoy with your new friends.
In the Philippines where everyone is so warm and hospitable, making new friends has been a part of our way of living. We always make room for new people in our lives without forgetting the old ones. We enjoy meeting new people and making new connections. And cliché as it may seem, but no man is an island. Happy New Friends Day to All!
TikTok as a Driver of Advocacy
Peace is an abstract concept. It takes a while for human beings to actually grasp the concept and more often than not, it leads to the association of several other abstract concepts such as nationalism, volunteerism, advocacy and equality.
Bringing such an abstract concept in a more realistic and relatable way may not at all be easy, but it is doable.
TikTok has been the social media platform for short-form mobile video. From the early dance crazes and life hacks, this social network has helped organizations engage their audiences, reach thousands and even millions of new potential advocates and demonstrate a brand’s unique personality. Undoubtedly, TikTok has dominated the scene in such a short span of time.
Advocacy is intertwined in highly engaging videos by effective content creators soliciting interest, oftentimes without need to gather significant amounts of funds to support a cause. It is also worthy to note that even international governmental organizations such as the United Nations have been utilizing this platform to encourage awareness and involvement in ending world hunger and supporting rural youth (U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development). Even the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched their TikTok account in the early months of the pandemic to advocate for safety.
In a Reach3 Insight study, a global marketing research firm based in the U.S., 54% of TikTok users said that the platform inspired them to participate in conversations with friends and relatives about social issues they saw on TikTok. 77% of users also said they generally learned more about activism and social issues through the app.
With these statistics, coupled by beliefs and practices of younger generations, TikTok will undoubtedly be a main mover of global advocacies.
Reference:
https://wearehudson.co/tiktok-the-next-generation-of-advocacy/
Promoting Post-Pandemic Peace
The UN General Assembly has declared May 16 as the International Day of Living Together in Peace. The main purpose of which is to constantly mobilize the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity.
With the Covid-19 pandemic still at hand, governments across the world have adopted measures and new dynamics which created both challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding. Covid-19 had serious implications for conflict-affected countries, primarily worsening existing inequalities, food insecurity, gender-based violence, community violence, stigmatization, unemployment and human rights violations, notwithstanding its impact over the healthcare systems and the economy. It has significantly affected the most impoverished and vulnerable.
The UN Secretary General took a stand against this global catastrophe and called for a global ceasefire. Of the 43 recorded countries with significant levels of organized violence, only 10 responded to the ceasefire call, 21 ignored it all together and many quickly dissolved.
Though a number of borders have opened and protocols have been easing out, the challenge of peacebuilding in the new normal remains to be a long-term challenge for governments faced with the risk of intensified levels of violence. The NGOs role in working with peacebuilding efforts of the government can also be intensified during the new normal if their digital capacities are addressed. This is of course over and above the need for donorship and funding. On the ground, the local organizations have created a bigger niche in peacebuilding efforts as they take the main stage in advocating pandemic awareness and addressing Cobvid-19 concerns within their respective local environments.
The digital space is something that is yet to be maximized through new approaches such as social media, and can result in higher levels of engagement in peacebuilding related work. Digital infrastructure and fewer economic barriers would be necessary to deploy through virtual channels.
Any of the mentioned means by which we can transition peacebuilding into the new normal however would still require a broader scrutiny to ensure all loopholes are addressed and that issues on confidentiality and privacy are addressed, especially as we delve into the digital framework.
Reference:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15423166211052832
Gen Z and the Concept of Peace
The new generation, what older generations refer to as “kids these days,” contrary to popular belief of being self-centered and over-patronizing, could actually be the protectors of peace in this day and age. Statistics reveal that 95% of this generation have access to a smartphone and the majority are online almost constantly. The “digital natives” were exposed to and engaged with new technologies and social media. This provided Gen Z’s adaptability and development of discernment skills and skepticism. Such enthusiasm to find out the truth, social and political issues included, the display of this generation’s authenticity is undoubtedly refreshing in the current order of things. Their quest for what is real and true, leads them to forge their own paths toward what they perceive as a more acceptable, just and sustainable society.
The uncertainties, insecurities, war-torn and climate-ravaged planet have greatly affected aspects of Gen Z’s lives. Across the global landscape we have witnessed the dynamism of the youth, cutting across sectors, groups and peoples. I would have to agree with an article describing the youth as “…indubitably a source of new energies, new ideas, and new ways of reimagining the world.”
This Generation knows they will inherit our societies, practically our planet. Their commitment to societal change gives a deeper meaning to peace, equality and overall concept of a better world to live in.
Reference:
https://focusweb.org/asian-generation-zs-voice-for-peace-and-justice/
National Peace Consciousness Month 2022 Activities
The Peace Month started with the opening of the KaPEACEtahan Peace Fair at Quezon Memorial Circle which focuses on the milestones of the Philippine Peace Process and its initiatives in the transformation of conflict-affected communities into windows of peace and development. This was spearheaded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) with the main theme, "Pagkakaisa at Paghilom: Isang Bansa para sa Kapayapaan".
The Peace Fair was participated by OPAPRU's Peace Partners where they have showcased their products through their designated booths. The said event featured food stalls, music classes and art exhibits and also served as a "family day" to OPAPRU's personnel.
The OPAPRU, through its Social Healing and Peacebuilding Office (SHAPEO) and Knowledge Management and Peace Institute, also conducted the Second Peace Research Conference with the theme, "Ending Conflicts: Women's Role in Building and Sustaining Peace" which focuses on peace interventions of the government and private institutions to elevate peacebuilding and security.
The Fifth Instalment of MasterPEACE: Enriching Youth Perspectives on Peace and Human Security is also being conducted by the Peace Agency, through its Peace Panel and Political Concerns Office and SHAPEO. This activity seeks to understand the role of the youth and their contribution in peacebuilding. This will be done through a series of online webinars followed by an immersive 2-day physical workshop on peacebuilding and project implementation.
Conflict Sensitive and Peace Promoting (CSPP) Guidebook for Government Information Officers shall also be launched by the OPAPRU's Communications and Public Affairs Services to equip government communicators the knowledge and skills that they can use in their peacebuilding work.
Gawad Kapayapaan or Peace Awards will also be launched by OPAPRU to recognize the country's peace advocates and highlight their contribution to the country's peace and security.
Other National Peace Consciousness Month activities throughout the country are as follows:
- Peace Caravans
- Local Peace Engagements Support to Ugnayan sa Barangay and Serbisyo Caravan in ELCAC Priority Areas
- Regional Media Engagement in Catbalogan City, Samar
- Art Session for Martyrs Orphans and Internally Displaced Children with Moro artist Rameer Tawasil in Maguindanao
- Regional Youth Peace Conversation in the City of Borongan in Eastern Samar Province
- Peace Education for Former Rebels in Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay Province
- The SWAN Annual Assembly (Peace Conversation) in Calbayog City, Samar
- Regional Former Rebel Leaders' Summit with Provision of Food and Non-Food Items in Zamboanga Sibugay Province
- Khidmat 2022: a Service Caravan for Moro National Liberation Font (MNLF) Communities and SportsPEACE 2022: Pagpahugut sin Parsugpatan para ha Kasajahitraan (Strengthening partnership toward peace) in Sulu
- Other Activities in support of the Executive Order No. 70 or the Whole-of-Nation Approach in Ending Loca Communist Armed Conflict
Women's Role in Building Peace
Various researches on Philippine Women, Peace and Security Agenda and their role in conflict resolution and transformation has been conducted.
These studies aim to devise policies and programs for peace. This has also been the highlight of this year's annual celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) which started last 2021.
The Second Peace Research Conference's main theme, "Ending Conflicts: Women's Role in Building and Sustaining Peace" was held at the Chardonnay by Astoria event center last September 2 to 3, 2022.
"Good representation of women can really benefit the whole process. If we include the gender agenda in the process and take welfare into account, the process would be more structural and inclusive," Guest Speaker Miriam Coronel Ferrer said. She also concluded that meaningful participation that is inclusive and intersectional is the true essence of expanding spaces for gender responsive peace processes.
Miriam Coronel-Ferrer was the former peace negotiator who signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Font on behalf of the government. She is also the first and only female in the world to sign a major peace agreement.
In addition to this, OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said in his speech that the researches will serve as supplementary inputs to the sunset reviews of the third generation National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAPWPS) and recommendations and inputs in the crafting of the fourth generation NAPWPS to be done this year.
OPAPRU, through this conference, encourages civil society members and the national and local governments to conduct research related to peacebuilding that will develop the Government's peace policies and programs.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2ndPeaceResearchConference
National Housing Authority takes an Active Role in Peacebuilding
The National Housing Authority (NHA), through its Indigenous Peoples and Former Rebels Coordinating Office, participated with the other government agencies the observance of the National Peace Consciousness Month with the theme: "Pagkakaisa at Paghilom: Isang Bansa Para sa Kapayapaan" at the Quezon Memorial Circle last September 1, 2022.
NHA put up an information booth to showcase its housing programs intended for the former rebels (FRs) and Kapatiran members. This is NHA's contribution in providing reconciliation and reintegration programs of FRS into mainstream society.
The activity started with the ringing of the World Peace Bell by Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (PAPRU) Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. This is a donation from the World Peace Bell Association, which promotes awareness of the world peace movement.
Secretary Galvez expressed his gratitude to NHA for the continuous support and assistance to the housing programs for FRs. "Ang NHA ang nagbibigay sa atin ng pabahay para sa mga former rebels. Maraming salamat po NHA sa inyong programang pabahay na binigay sa aming Kapatiran. Nakita natin na napakaganda ng pakiramdam ng isang former rebel na magkaroon ng sariling bahay na matutuluyan."
Information Materials which promotes the housing programs for former rebels and Kapatiran members were also posted to NHA regional offices across the country.
Source: https://nha.gov.ph/nha-supports-the-celebration-of-national-peace-consciousness-month/
NCMF-led Youth Leadership Training Camp in Davao del Sur
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, thru its Bureau of External Relations, posted in their Facebook account the successful conduct of the Muslim Youth Leadership Training Camp at Megas World Hotel, San Miguel, Digos City from July 19 to 20, 2022.
Said activity was done in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Davao del Sur and Salam DavSur, with the theme, “Responsible Youth Leadership Towards a Peaceful and Progressive Society”. It was attended by forty-eight participants from Digos City and Municipalities of Hagonoy and Sta. Cruz.
The activity was able to highlight discussions on the Correct Islamic Aqidah and its significance to Islam; Basic Principles of Leadership in Islam; the Bangsamoro Historical Perspective; the Muslim Youth in Contemporary Society and the an Overview of the Provincial Anti-Drug Program. Said topics were discussed by prominent Muslim scholars and key speakers namely Alim Muslimin Amiril, Alim Abdulrahman Caderao, Chief Buat, and Mr. Francisco Ray Banlasan
The workshops aimed at discussing the roles of Muslim youth in unity, peace and development; the issues and problems they encountered; and the solutions and recommendations to said problems then followed.
The concluding activity was a plenary session where the participants were grouped to formulate programs and projects, which are relevant and plausible to be implemented in their communities.
As a closing program, a solidarity message was delivered by Datu Leopoldo Lalang, Chairman of Davao Sur Muslim Communities Federation.
We at Mustaqim congratulates the NCMF for their sustained and continuous programs on peace and education for all Muslim FIlipinos.