Forging a new partnership of hope — LLCSD with the cabinet secretaries

Most of the National Commissions (UNACOM) of UNESCO Member States are under the Department of Education. Few, like the Philippines, have placed their UNACOM under the Department of Foreign Affairs because of numerous bilateral agreements with donor countries on various projects on Education, Science and Technology, Social and Human Science, Culture and Communication. Thus, our Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo is also the Chairman of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, while I serve as its Secretary General with 41 commissioners who are leading experts in each of the UNESCO mandates.

Foreign Affairs Sec. Romulo presents the RP bid for the UNESCO LLCSD

Yesterday, during the weekly National Security Council National Economic Development Authority Cabinet (NSC-NEDA) group meeting held at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of Malacañang with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the agenda included the presentation of Secretary Romulo on the Philippines’ bid to UNESCO Paris to host the UNESCO Lifelong Learning Center in Southeast Asia.

The Agenda started with Power Sector Issues presented by DOF Sec. Raphael Lotilla, The Integrated River Basin Development Plan and Measures to Reduce Air Pollution in Metro Manila presented by DENR Sec. Angelo Reyes. Expenditures and Accomplishment Reports presented by four Department heads: DepEd Usec. Vilma Labrador (assigned by Sec. Lapus for he is attending the Education Ministerial Conference in London), DPWH Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., DA Sec. Arthur Yap, and DAR Sec. Nasser Pangandaman. The Priority Infrastructure Projects was discussed by its Monitoring Task Force head Cerge Remonde, while the Procurement Transparency Board by PAGC chair Constancia de Guzman.

Secretary Romulo said: "The UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines requests Cabinet approval to launch on Jan. 31, the Philippine bid to host the UNESCO Lifelong Learning Center for Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia (LLCSD). This is an opportunity for the Philippines to be ahead of the curve in the field of education in the region. Having one of the highest literacy rates in Asia, at 93.4%, the Philippines is well-positioned to host the LLCSD regional center."

"Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development refers to a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to equip a person, throughout life, with skills and knowledge, to become a productive member of society. It presents a seamless educational process from Early Childhood Education to training beyond retirement to ensure that these programs contribute to a country’s sustainable development. Lifelong learning, therefore, offers a ladder on which to climb and a foundation upon which to stand."

"Over the past year UNACOM held nationwide consultations and surveys to engage policymakers, business leaders, the academe, families and students about the key aspects of the Philippine initiative. UNACOM requests our full support for LLCSD bid since Lifelong Education is a major avenue to uplift millions of our poor people and contribute in developing productive citizens in the region. Today, Ambassador Preciosa S. Soliven will present to you the details of the Philippine proposal."

Addressing PGMA’s Cabinet on the UNESCO LLCSD for Southeast Asia

"Madame President, thank you for giving me, as UNESCO Secretary General, the privilege of addressing these honorable men and women of your Cabinet. For sometime you have been in search of a unifying force — a NATIONAL PLAN of ACTION — to make the Philippines economically independent… to make each Filipino believe he/she can be self-sufficient."

"This miracle has been happening in the past 40 years since Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center (OBMC) was established. Using the scientifically proven system of Dottoressa Maria Montessori — in the non-stock, non-profit institution of OBMC — the best way to begin is to make sure every child from infancy is already conditioned to LOVE WORK, ORDER and INDEPENDENCE."

"OBMC has gone beyond teaching using the Montessori system. It has made this quality education affordable and self-sustainable in seven improved slum areas in Metro Manila, seven in Ifugao Rice Terraces, 30 in Mayor Vilma Santos’ Day Care Centers in Lipa City, as well as in an integrated public school in Pulung Bulu Elementary School, Angeles, Pampanga. The latter is an EFA DAKAR pilot school since 2002 that will continue to professional apprenticeship in culinary high school by 2008."

"Filipino preschoolers, irregardless of religion, social class or race have benefited from this. BUT YOU, DEAR CABINET MEMBERS ARE THE MAIN INSTRUMENTS IN MAKING THIS POSSIBLE FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY."

Four major UNESCO functions of LLCD

The LLCSD in Southeast Asia has four roles in UNESCO. It shows the Philippines’ full and enthusiastic participation in UNESCO’s important mission to promote EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA), PEACE and FREEDOM. It applauds UNESCO’s effort to ensure that every child in every nation has access to HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION. It uses an educational system that results in behavioral transformation guaranteed to acquire the ability to be self-sufficient from infancy to adulthood. It is not mere learning of the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic).

The LLCSD looks forward to exchanging ideas and sharing how learning for ‘sustainable development’ works with our fellow UNESCO Southeast Asian Member States. Together we can help create a more hopeful, peaceful and prosperous future for our children and that of our neighboring countries.

We have asked the best teacher-training universities, including Asian Institute of Management to help in achieving this goal. TODAY, I AM INVITING YOU TO JOIN THIS SOCIAL REVOLUTION IN EDUCATION.

Unlock the hidden treasures of the Filipino countrywide

As a UNESCO Executive Board (EB) Member in 1986, I demonstrated how to teach a Pagsasarili preshool class borrowing the kindergarten children of the UNESCO Paris personnel. It was a pleasant surprise for then UNESCO Director General Amathar M’Bow and the whole UNESCO secretariat since the children were not playful and restless, but were so focused in working with the Montessori apparata, although it was the first time I met them. The following year, I demonstrated its twin functional literacy project for village mothers eliciting a high approval rate that it won the 1993 UNESCO International Literacy Award in New Delhi, India.

When Dr. Federico Mayor succeeded Mr. M’ Bow as UNESCO Director General in 1991, he suggested that the Philippines establish a UNESCO Regional Center for Lifelong Learning. Former Education Secretary Lourdes Quisumbing was then the Philippine representative to the UNESCO Executive Board, after my term in 1986-87.

By October 2005, in his Policy Statement at the Plenary of the UNESCO General Conference, Secretary Romulo announced the Philippines’ willingness to host the UNESCO LLCSD in support of the UNESCO goals of poverty alleviation and Education for Sustainable Development.

After coming to the Philippines to celebrate the 2002 World Press Freedom Day and the 2006 International Theater Institute World Congress, UNESCO DG Koichiro Matsuura has also encouraged the Philippines to have a Regional Center in Lifelong Learning to support Early Childhood programs, alternative learning, continuing education, as well as professional development needs of the country and for the region.

UNESCO DG Matsuura encourages establishing LLCSD in the Philippines

In the June 2006 letter sent by Director General Matsuura, he said:

"I took note of your wish to pursue the Philippine initiative announced at the 33rd Session of the UNESCO GenCon, regarding the establishment of a Regional Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development. I would like to invite you to make a formal proposal to UNESCO indicating the readiness of your Government to cover the full costs of the proposed Center, which I believe would be a Category II institution. The UNESCO Secretariat, particular our office in Bangkok, stands ready to provide full cooperation and technical assistance to that end."

DG Matsuura sent Mr. Hans D’ Orville, director of Bureau of Strategic Planning to discuss with me and the Philippine delegation the three steps in setting up the UNESCO LLCSD, a Second Category UNESCO Center: (1) Set up a temporary Office with and Interim Director and staff; (2) prepare and send to Paris a complete set of data with the goals and time framework of the Regional Center; (3) Make sure it does not duplicate the work of other Centers in the region.

These were all done. The temporary three-room Office is at the fifth floor of the OBMC Greenhills headquarters. Dra. Juanita Guerrero, former DECS BEE Director, is the Interim Director, assisted by Dr. Ethel Valenzuela and Helen Balderama — members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Lifelong Learning that studied the proposal. From 2002 to 2005, I have conferred with all UNESCO Secretaries-General of Southeast Asian countries to make sure that said Center has not been duplicated by any of them.

Time frame for the regional center

Through Executive Order 483, the Philippine government has issued a national policy "establishing the UNESCO-LLCSD" and "designating the Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center, Inc. as the National Laboratory that will assist DepEd, CHED, and TESDA" in the special ESD curriculum and corresponding teacher training. This will address the life skills educational requirements that can guarantee employment.

Since the Philippines has a wide network of institutions and communities "helping people help themselves" the UNACOM formed the TWG which did a survey research on more than 100 Lifelong Learning institutions in 2005-2006. One private and one public institution each from Region I, II, III, IVA, IVB, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, NCR, and CAR were investigated.

By October 13, 2006, a Roundtable Forum on LLCSD was held at the Department of Foreign Affairs participated by education experts headed by Dr. Allan Bernardo, chair of CHFD Teacher Education Panel. Focused Group discussions were conducted for the Visayas region (11 Nov) at the Cebu Normal University headed by Dr. Ester Velasquez, for Mindanao (25 Nov) at the Capitol University Cagayan de Oro headed by Atty. Casimiro Juarez, and for NCR/Luzon at OBMCI (11 Dec). CNU, Capitol University and AIM have expressed their willingness to host the Coordinating Offices of LLCSD.

As guided by Mr. D’ Orville, we have prepared the time frame for the LLCSD: Jan. 31, 2007 is the submission of the formal proposal to UNESCO Paris: April 2007, the formal presentation of the Philippine proposal to be done during the Spring Session of the UNESCO EB in Paris; October 2007, during the 34th Session of the UNESCO GenCon in Paris, the official decision will be given. Upon approval, a five-year exchange of experts to do the Feasibility Study on the UNESCO LLCSD (Category II) is expected. The UNESCO and the Philippine team will jointly conduct this study to evaluate the readiness of the Philippines to host the Regional Center.

Let this miracle happen

President Arroyo asked me for the budget proposal for the LLCSD. My answer: An annual budget of P2 million has been approved by Congress and I recommend to this honorable Cabinet assembly that they allocate each a special annual budget for their training development program towards ESD strategy. Madame President, I am also counting on your President’s Social Fund as a start up money.

In addition, I recommend that the Day Care Center of each government agency be converted to the Montessori Pagsasarili System. The President inquired from DBM Secretary Rolando "Noynoy" Andaya if all the Departments have Day Care Centers. He answered affirmatively.

I CALL ON ALL THE DEPARTMENT SECRETARIES, LET THIS MIRACLE HAPPEN IN EACH OF YOUR AGENCIES WITH A PAGSASARILI PRESCHOOL. Let this miracle happen among your special beneficiaries in Education, Social Welfare and Development, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Local Government, Trade and Industry, Finance, Defense and Justice. It costs only P155,000 to convert the Day Care Centers in your offices into Pagsasarili Preschools. This includes training of two teachers, one set of Montessori Pagsasarili classroom materials, and thrice a year monitoring sessions.

"We are Keepers of the Flame. The Flame is the light of God. It is in every child, One day it will light the destiny of this nation."

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