...the youth for peace

Thousands of youths participate in conference for peace

By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD

Manila Bulletin

February 1, 2011

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of Muslim and Christian students Tuesday participated in a mass video-conference that aims to build understanding towards peace among youths of different cultures and religions through the power of technology.

Dubbed “Building Understanding through Technology,” the video-conference was held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Manila and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Iligan City.

According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), the event served as a venue to connect and tackle issues that confront the peace process, as well as to find solutions to bring peace between Muslim and Christian communities.

It added that about 4,000 students from both schools attended the event.

OPAPP Undersecretary Luisito Montalbo served as one of the resource speakers, while broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and United Nations (UN) Ambassador Baicon Macaraya co-hosted the event in PUP and MSU-IIT, respectively.

The PUP and MSU-IIT event is the second mass video-conference organized by PeaceTech, a non-profit organization that intends to build peace among the youth throughout the country by promoting an understanding of the causes and consequences of conflicts in the Philippines and the common challenges young Filipinos face.

The first was held last Dec. 1, 2010 at the De La Salle University in Manila and Western Mindanao State University in Zamboanga City.

The OPAPP and the academe have been collaborating with PeaceTech in this endeavor to engage the youth in the peace discourse.

Aside from the video-conference, the OPAPP said the students were also invited to participate in the activities lined up by civil society groups and government agencies in support of the upcoming peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) this month.