Copyright 2010 Philippine Public School Teachers Association. All rights reserved.
Long years of intermittent conflicts between Christians and Muslims have caused the national and local governments, Muslim leaders and indigenous populations to seek, at certain stages, measures to promote peace in Mindanao.
A project that holds a lot of promise is the “Peace Village” located at Mindanao Civic Center (MCC) grounds in Tubod, Lanao del Norte and managed by the Department of Education (DepEd) Region X.
Focusing on educational ways to enhance awareness of cultural identity and environmental protection, the Village offers festive playground for elementary and secondary school students.
Among others, the innovative strategies adopted at the Peace Village are:
PEACE WALL- The wall consists of a bulletin board where students can post their comments and reflections on their learning for the day.
PEACE HUTS- Schools in the region have built “peace huts,” made of wood, bamboo and palm. Sponsored by the municipal governments, the huts serve as dwelling for peace advocates. As one walks through the village, the sight of huts, standing in clusters, makes one feel these are real villages that are populated by real people. One feels a sense of permanence, which a tent does not provide.
KIDS SAY NO TO GUNS- Children are encouraged to become peace advocates as they bring and surrender their toy guns to the province’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). For every toy that is surrendered, a child is given a seedling to plant. The children then plant the seedlings on the capitol grounds. The activity which is done in partnership with the local government, demonstrates the symbolic transformation of “arms to farms” and signifies the children’s concern for the environment.
SHOWER OF PEACE- At the Peace Village, peace advocates take a shower together to symbolize the cleansing of biases and prejudices among the various cultural groups. The activity, which is made possible by fire trucks from various towns, symbolizes the peace advocates’ commitment to a culture of peace.
CULTURAL NIGHT- The educational project also features a cultural night, a festival that depicts the cultural practices, including ritual, music, dance and costumes. During the festival, community members, consisting of Christians, Muslims and lumad share their respective cultures with each other and learn to appreciate and respect each other.
The project has started to bear fruits, creating awareness among groups with different cultures, promoting mutual understanding and infusing war-torn areas with a culture of peace in a natural and neutral setting.
While it is true that securing a space and budget for the Peace Village was actually a great challenge, such is nothing when one catches sight of young people in primary and elementary schools opening their hearts and minds to educational innovations.
Through this project, I saw with my own eyes that mutual understanding is key in dissolving age-old scars, engrained resentments and deeply seated grievances and when one speaks of peace, he means mutual understanding.
The Peace Village has demonstrated that an educational undertaking that focuses on peace can be a model for other villages, other towns and other provinces in Mindanao. The model can also be adopted by other places, outside the Philippines, where there is conflict and deep longing for peace.
While past wars, conflicts and tensions have been imprinted in the memory of older generations in Mindanao, the young generation is learning to break the cycle of war, misunderstanding, stigma and ignorance. The village offers hope, not only Mindanao, but also to the rest of the country.
Everyone hopes that through time, the smiles on the faces of school children of Mindanao and the fun that they are having together in the Peace Village would blossom into tolerance, which is essential in achieving not only coexistence, but also lasting peace.
If the goal of education is learning “Who I Am” and “Who Others Are”, the Peace Village has achieved its goal of planting the seeds of peace in the hearts and minds of children. As the children grow up and become future leaders in their communities, they would carry with them the seeds and hopefully nurture them into fruits.
The joyful camaraderie of children in the village shows that with persistence, open communication, innovative thinking and cooperation, peace is possible not only in Mindanao, but also in other places experiencing tension, conflict and war.
