The Peacemakers' Circle will be joining interfaith leaders and representatives of other URI Cooperation Circles (CCs) from all over the Southeast Asia & the Pacific region
on March 15 - 21, 2009 for the
United Religions Initiative Southeast Asia-Pacific (URI-SEAP) Regional Assembly 2009 to be held @ Mindanao Civic Center, Tubod, lanao del Norte, Mindanao
(Because of this please be advised that The Peacemakers' Circle office will be closed during the said dates. For urgent matters you may contact us through mobile numbers 0918-7822805 or 0906-3286441 - c/o OrlanD)
I returned to Manila safely last 26th February from a 10-day trip to Australia. Loreta Castro (Center for Peace Education of the Miriam College) and I were invited to speak at an interfaith summit in Brisbane organized by Dr. Toh Swee-Hin and Dr. Virginia Cawagas of the Multi-Faith Center, Griffith University. The theme of the summit was "One Humanity, Many Faiths." Three hundred forty leaders and interfait h dialogue practitioners attended from around Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. I spoke on "Fostering Intercultural Respect and Reconciliation" in the context of my work in Manila, and this was well received by the assembly.
After the summit in Brisbane, Jason Mundy, James Lees, and Ria Go-Tian of the Australian Embassy in Manila had arranged for our visit to their office in Canberra and Sydney. We were warmly hosted by the Australian government and met many interesting people in government and by representatives of the NGO communities we visited; they shared with us very heartwarming stories and information on the work that they are doing to promote peace and harmony among diverse cultures and beliefs in their country. I will write in more detail about my experience of Australia as soon as I am able.
I am now in San Francisco , USA for the United Religions Initiative (URI) Circles of Light annual fundraising gala dinner. I am to speak on my interfaith work in Manila before an audience of over 400 people from around San Francisco and some URI representatives and friends from elsewhere around the world. I have been here since March 1 to speak to various groups of people. Below is the link to a write-up on an interview I had with the San Francisco Chronicle. It was published in the news here yesterday, Friday (March 6).
Please remember me in your prayers. I look forward to returning home to Manila tomorrow to prepare for the next challenge--the the URI Southeast Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly that will be held in Tubod, Lanao del Norte from March 16-21.
With love and warm regards from chilly San Francisco,
On March 2, 2009 (Monday) The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. participated in the public launching of the WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE & NONVIOLENCE campaign & network in the Philippines.
The network of participating peace organizations and interfaith communities assembled around 8:00am in the morning at the Peace Bell area of the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Among these were: World Without Wars (the campaign secretariat); Ang Komunidad (Humanist movement); Sowing Peace network; Binhi ng Kapayapaan, Inc.; GZO Peace Institute; GenPeace network; Interfaith Center for a Culture of Nonviolence; Peace Rainbow Mission; Rotaract, SangHabi, Inc.; Integral Arts Metta, Inc.; UP Kontra-Gapi; BMP; KPML; and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna).
With high spirits & strong determination the group proceeded with the march along Quezon Avenue despite the drizzle that started to fall from the thick clouds covering the sun that day. Armed with color flags, organizational banners, and just a few umbrellas the group marched counter-flowing the traffic on the rain-blessed highway chanting "Bawat Hakbang Para sa Kapayapaan" (each step for peace) to the tune and rhythm of Hare Krishna drums, cymbals and several indigenous Cordillera flat gongs.
At the Bantayog ng mga Bayani the group proceeded with forming the human peace sign. This was followed by interfaith prayersled by The Peacemakers' Circle and representatives from different faith traditions, namely: indigenous, Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic Christian, and Vaisnava (Hare Krishna).
After a short solidarity message from the convening organizations, several organizations expressed support and endorsement for the campaign. The Declaration of the World March for Peace & Nonviolence was then read together led by several representatives from the different sectors present. This was followed by a public signing of the World March Covenant on a tarpauline banner.
It was a simple yet profound launching event that left everyone with cheerful smiles, peaceful hearts, and an eager anticipation of the succeeding peace activities that will gather them (and many more to join) together as these build up to the big event later in October. During that time the international delegates will be arriving in Manila for the third leg of the first and longest peace journey in the globe today, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.
