PEACE, UNITY AND DEVELOPMENT FORUM

BACKGROUND / RATIONALE

The fundamental call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is UNITY.  It is a prerequisite to the attainment of the Filipino people’s dreams – a Nation at peace; a developed country; and a bright future for future generations. These require the disciplined response, pro-active involvement and collective participation of the Filipino people.

YES FOR PEACE – Bayanihan ng Bayan is proposed to arouse, organize and mobilize the Filipino people through a national open referendum and awareness sharing dialogues to mobilize all sectors to actively counter violent extremism as well as assert that Peace is a Human Right and end armed conflicts by democratically institutionalizing good governance as well as promote the social, economic and cultural rights of the Filipino people.

The UNDP has been working to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of violent extremism.  It aims to address two interlinked challenges:

  1. “The rise of violent extremism, using a development and peacebuilding approach grounded within human rights principles, and
  2. ‘The need to govern increasingly diverse and multi-cultural societies, which requires attention to institutions, political and religious ideologies and people and promotion of human rights-based approaches.”

To help raise public consciousness on the foregoing Yes for Peace, Unity and Development Forum shall be undertaken in Regional Centers across the country.

OBJECTIVES

The following shall be the specific objectives of the activity:

  1. Promote YES FOR PEACE – Bayanihan ng Bayan as a human rights-based counter terrorism and violent extremism as well as peacebuilding initiative among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.  
  2. Launch and sustain the YES FOR PEACE – Bayanihan ng Bayanopen referendum (Peace Education and Advocacy Campaign) saturation drive – thru DepEd and CHED – for  the education and advocacy phase of the campaign (September to December 2023).
  3. Showcase and disseminate existing community-based peace and development programs and projects of various government agencies designed to address poverty

CONCEPT

The Yes for Peace, Unity and Development Forum shall be undertaken pursuant to the following concepts:

  1. Initiate the Forum as venue to announce updates on number of human rights-based counter violent extremism and terrorism advocates as well as peacebuilders – “KaBayanihan ng Bayan”
  2. Use the Forum to inform the public of the growing number of “KaBayanihan ng Bayan”.
  3. Provide public affairs support to the Forum to expand the reach of the education and advocacy campaign generate additional “KaBayanihan ng Bayan”.
  4. To pressure all parties in the internal armed conflicts to earnestly pursue peace initiatives and uphold localized peace engagements.
  5. Venues to be determined in coordination LGU and Regional Directors of DepED & CHED.
  6. YES FOR PEACE – Bayanihan ng Bayan Regional Coordinators shall convene responsible officers of participating institutions.
  7. Engage NGAs* to set-up information booths for existing community-based programs and projects designed to alleviate poverty.*DA; DAR; DOH; DOLE; DSWD; DOST; DENR; TESDA; NAPC; NIA; DEPED; CHED; PHILHEALTH; CDA, etc
  8. Use the Forum to underscore the fact that there are existing government community-based peace and development programs and projects to address practically all the needs of Barangays and communities throughout the country.
  9. Organize the Forum in regional centers to gain media attention through the PIA and other media outlets.
  10. Tap socio-civic organizations to organize private sector support.
  11. Venue of activities shall be State Colleges and Universities and/or National High Schools.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES

The typical activities of the Yes for Peace, Unity and Development Caravan shall be the following:

8:00 am – 9:00 am — Regional Kapihan c/o PIA, Radio Station Hopping

6:00 am – 12 nn — Symbolic re-launch

  • SANDUGUAN (Bloodletting)
  • TREES for PEACE
  • NGA Booths

1:00 pm – 5 pm – Peace, Unity and Development Forum

  • Student Councils, NSTP students / ROTC cadets Youth for Peace, Alpha Phi Omega, Rotary, Rotaract, etc

SANDUGUAN (Blood-letting)

The internal armed conflicts pitting Filipinos against Filipinos have undeniably put to waste the blood of thousands of Filipinos.  Blood of Filipinos who all profess their love for the country.

To underscore that blood of Filipinos can be used to save lives instead of being wasted, a blood-letting activity or a “Blood Compact for Peace” shall be conducted in host venues in cooperation with the Department of Health.

Local organizers shall endeavor to announce the activity through available and accessible quad-media (print, radio, TV and social media) in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency

TREES for PEACE

Man should be at peace with its environment. Without ecological balance, sustaining the basic needs of man – food, shelter and clothing – will be more and more difficult and thus competition for access to these resources will increasingly be stiffer through time and thereby lead to conflict among those competing for already scarce resources.

To underscore the need for people to be attuned with the environment, a tree planting/maintenance activity – “Trees for Peace” / “Alay ng Sambayanan sa Inang Kalikasan” shall be undertaken within the campus of the venue in each of the stops. Suitable native and indigenous trees for planting shall be determined and provided the local Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) which will likewise undertake ground preparation.

National Government Agency Booths

Information booths or tables shall be set-up by the following National Government Agencies to showcase available Community Based Peace and Development programs and projects:

  • Department of Education
  • Commission on Higher Education
  • Cooperative Development Authority
  • Department of Interior and Local Government
  • Philippine Statistics Authority
  • Philippine Postal Corporation
  • National Irrigation Administration
  • Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration
  • Department of Social Work and Development
  • Department of Agriculture
  • Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources
  • Department of Agrarian Reform
  • Department of Energy
  • Department of Trade and Industry
  • Department of Tourism
  • Department of National Defense
  • Department of Health
  • Department of Public Works and Highways
  • Department of Science and Technology
  • Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
  • Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority

Peace, Unity and Development Forum

A Peace, Unity and Development Forum to present a comprehensive analysis on the state of armed conflicts and terrorism and the need for people’s participation to end these shall be conducted.

Specifically, how the people can pro-actively get involved and collectively participate through the five phases of the Yes for Peace – Bayanihan ng Bayan campaign shall be discussed.

Target Audience : All sectors, Open invitation, Come First Served

To be specially invited:

  1. LGU Officials led by Governor and/or Mayor
  2. Newly Elected Barangay Officials
  3. Known Institutional and Individual Peace Advocates

Venue: Largest available Activity Hall / Gym in the Area preferably in a National High School or a State College or University

SCHEDULE

December 10, 2023, International Human Rights Day to underscore Peace as a Human Right.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

Below are the areas and target number of participants – Local Government Officials, DepEd Officials, Non-Government Organizations, Alpha Phi Omega members, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Student Leaders, Peace Advocates, etc.

PROJECT OUTCOME

At the end of the activity, participants shall have been comprehensively informed of concrete steps that they may undertake to pursue human rights-based counter terrorism and extremist violence activities in their respective communities.

They shall likewise be equipped with information that they can use to proactively get involved and collectively participate in identifying, planning, budgeting and implementing on existing peace and development programs and projects of the government for their respective communities and thereby give flesh to the long overdue people participation in the Whole-of-Nation approach to end armed conflicts and institutionalize Good Governance.