Over 25,000 volunteers have joined the “PEACE Congress 2019” during the PEACE Festival and Grand Launching of Volunteer Individuals for Peace (VIP) through the initiative of Heavenly Culture, World Peace Testoration of Life (HWPL) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) held at the Philippines Sports Stadium at the Philippine Arena, Ciudad de Victoria, Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan on Friday.
The event is under the theme of “We are one for Peace to attain Sustainable Development” wherein Movie/ TV actor Cesar Montano represented former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go as Guest of Honor/ Speaker while Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado also graced the program where thousands of delegates throughout the country’s State Universities and Colleges joined the 30th World Peace Tour, a nationwide peace movement composed of social representatives in the Philippines and international peace activists including the organizers – Volunteer Individuals for Peace (VIP) by Dr. Ronald Adamat, CHED’s Commissioner and Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL who organized this event as a peace non government organization under the United Nation Economic Social Council ECOSOC.
Delegates from the Bulacan Agricultural State College of San Ildefonso showcased their performance during the opening ceremony of VIP Peace Congress 2019 held at the Philippine Sports Stadium of the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Friday. –Photo by: FREDERICK SILVERIO
Go’s message delivered by Montano said “ I thank all those who made this PEACE rally successful and I will give all my best to serve you well like heroes who came from this historic province of Bulacan”.
A signing of Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) on Partnership of VIP and HWPL was held spearheaded by Lee and Adamat with the member of the Bulacan Press Club Inc. headed by Erick Silverio of The Manila Times followed by the signing of Philippine PEACE Declaration.
On Thursday a press briefing was held wherein HWPL Chairman Hee Lee appointed 20 members of the press mostly Bulacan based reporters headed by Silverio as member of HWPL Media Publicity Ambassadors.
Some of the participants came from government officials, religious leaders, journalists, students and faculties from Region 3 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), women and youth organizations that share a common interest in achieving world peace and cessation of war.
“The highlight of this peace event is to give inspiration of citizen participation in peace building. Cultural performances will represent harmony under peace beyond differences in ethnicity, religion or nationality. Also, the principles of peace-building with civic participation and national support will be introduced – the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW),” said Mr. Ian Seo, General Director, Department of Public Relations, HWPL.
The DPCW addresses principles of conflict resolution and international cooperation for peace building such as prohibition of use of force, peaceful dispute settlement, and spreading a culture of peace through education and citizen activism, within 10 articles and 38 clauses.
As a partnership in promoting a culture of peace between the City Government of Paranaque and HWPL, there will be an inauguration of the “PEACE ROOM” in Paranaque City Public Library where peace education materials will be exhibited to inspire daily visitors.
According to organizers of this project, “peace corner and peace room will be established in different libraries nationwide to raise awareness of peace-building to citizens.
Last January 2018, Commissioner of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and HWPL signed an MOU to promote peace education throughout public colleges in the country.
“Promoting peace education through the CHED will affect many Philippine educational institutions and play a crucial role in promoting peace in the Philippines,” Dr. Adamat said.
“We should think of how we can achieve peace. It should start by teaching peace to the youths,” emphasized Mr. Lee in his last visit to the Philippines. As a representative of HWPL, Mr. Lee, a Korean peace activist and Korean War veteran will visit in February to advocate global cooperation for peace building.
HWPL, a Seoul-based international NGO under the UN ECOSOC, has internationally engaged in advocating peace building through international law, harmony of religion, and peace education.
Since its foundation in 2013, HWPL has grown exponentially in terms of both supporters and influence worldwide. With peace as its core value, HWPL has operated a number of campaigns and events across the globe to unite individuals from all sectors and levels within the society.
Within a few short years only, HWPL has partnered with citizens and organizations from over a hundred countries in order to promote peace on an international scale, particularly through the advocacy campaigns for an international law based on the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW); an international instrument declared by HWPL last March 14, 2016 in Seoul, Korea which will be submitted to the United Nations.
Through the hosting of annual events, such as the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Summit and the Peace Walks commemorating the Declaration of World Peace, HWPL continues to gather additional support from individuals, civil society actors, national leaders, religious leaders, and everyone under the common goal of a world free of war and conflict.
With peace and respect for life as its core value, HWPL transcends culture, religion, ideology, and other boundaries to achieve peaceful harmony in the global society. HWPL is committed into bringing world peace and cessation of war.
This event comprised peace- inspired performances of the different Filipino cultures that encourage culture exchanges aiming to foster good relationship and highlighting the 10 articles of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War which was declared in the Republic of Korea.
The event’s objective is to awaken the hearts of every Filipino to engage in a nationwide campaign for peace with the Higher Educational Institutions as its frontrunners.
“We hope that through this event, we will be able to transcend cultural differences to the core virtue of solidarity in achieving world peace,” John Rommel Garces Country Director, HWPL Philippines said.