BARMM and the whole-of-society approach

Recently, the European Union (EU) and the World Vision Development Foundation Inc. launched two projects called “Promoting Efforts Addressing Conflict through Education in Mindanao” (PEACE Mindanao) and “Integrated Solid Waste Management-Circular Economy Adaptation for Alternative Plastic Waste Solutions,” which form part of the key areas of bilateral EU-Philippines development cooperation that focuses on attaining a green and resilient economy, bringing in more jobs, promoting good governance and developing a peaceful and just society until 2027.

This is really great news and it brings me back to memory lane on some projects I have been able to take part in with the Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement a few years ago in our public schools in Quezon City.

The European Union has for many years advocated as well as funded efforts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the benefit of children and vulnerable sectors and is looking forward to doing more projects by adopting a whole-of-society approach.

A culture of peace has been, for many years, something that my colleagues in education and I hold close to our hearts as, being a group of educators with diverse backgrounds, it more than suffices to say that whether we are from Luzon, the Visayas or Mindanao, we are Filipino brothers and sisters through and through and that mutual respect as well as an appreciation of both our similarities and differences have provided us the avenue to become peace champions in our own special way.

The PEACE Mindanao project strives to address conflict eradication in Mindanao by advocating a culture of peace, tolerance and increasing social cohesion, specifically in the cities of Marawi and Cotabato.

The Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement for one has as its mission to make every Filipino child and youth a peace hero through peace education. For those who wonder what peace education is, it is the process of acquiring values, knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors to live in harmony with oneself, others and the natural environment they belong to. More importantly, peace education prevents conflict by promoting conflict resolution, hence making it transformative.

On the other end, the environmental project to be implemented by World Vision Germany will fulfill one of the priorities of the EU, which is on the matter of circular economy and plastic waste management wherein our local economies, civil society organizations and micro, small and medium enterprises play key roles in driving the circular economy transitions and establishing cutting edge and localized solutions to the plastic waste problem.

In conclusion, it has been a while since I last visited Marawi and I look forward to such lasting programs where all of us, regardless of the region we belong to, should, and once and for all, embrace a culture of security through a whole-of-society approach by taking part in the strengthening of our communities across the regions.

Without peace, no nation and no single individual can move forward and when it comes to the circular economy, zero waste helps us improve access to vital resources such as food while providing the much needed support for our local economies.