1st National Peace Convention Held to Establish Unity for Peace in the Philippines

    NEW YORK, NY, January 30, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- More than 1,500 peace advocates participated in the first national peace convention held in the Philippines on January 25th. Under the theme, "Peace Builds One Nation, One Future: Peace is Here," the event sought to create a roadmap toward attaining national unity and peace aligning with the agenda of the current administration.

Dr. Ronald Adamat, commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), spearheaded the event.

"We want peace to reign in our country," said Dr. Adamat, the first Filipino recipient of the Mahatma MK Gandhi Prize for Non-Violent Peace. "We want peace to be the language every one of us will speak and every Filipino and every foreigner will understand."

The 92-year-old Korean war veteran, Chairman Lee Man-hee of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), also attended the convention.

"Peacebuilding in Mindanao after conflict is becoming known worldwide. This is the case of transforming death into life for peace," Chairman Lee said. "Starting with Mindanao and the Philippines, when we unite in love, peace will come to our world. For this reason, everyone in the Philippines has to become one and work together as messengers of peace."

Dr. Adamat and Chairman Lee first met in 2017 during the HWPL World Peace Summit. CHED and HWPL signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in 2018 to integrate peace education in the higher education curricula.

The January 25th convention began with a plenary session followed by parallel sessions with five sector groups. During each parallel session, a resolution was drafted.

Five resolutions were consolidated during the second plenary session to call for President Bongbong Marcos to proclaim January 24th as 'National Peace Day' or 'Truce Day.'

The January 24th date was suggested to commemoration a civilian-led peace agreement signed in 2014 that was proposed by Chairman Lee to mediate conflict in Mindanao. The date was declared as 'HWPL Peace Day' by former Maguindanao governor Toto Mangudadatu in 2015 and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Ahod Ebrahim in 2016.

Event organizers believe that declaring a National Peace Day shall be the mechanism by which every year, peace-related activities are observed and celebrated throughout the Philippines.

Related Link:
http://www.hwpl.kr/language/en/home-hwpl-_en/

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