Sa katapusang adlaw sa tuig 2011 unsa may atong mga hunahuna ug gimbuluhaton?

First. We have not heard from the Secretary of Tourism regarding our new slogan for attracting tourists to the Philippines, to replace  “WOW Philippines!” that Richard Gordon coined years ago. I am impressed by the commercial at CNN: “Malaysia, Truly Asia.” My suggestion is:


“The Philippines: 7100 Islands in Asia Pacific”(more or less, depending on the tide)


Second. I just finished the full draft of a paper I am presenting at the Seminar on Consolidating Peace for Mindanao to be held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang on 16-20 January 2012. My paper is entitled “Bangsamoro’s Aspirations for Autonomy in a Peaceful and Democratic Philippines.”It brings together my own thoughts, and those of others, on resolving the 40-year Moro rebellion from the time of Marcos to the present under President Aquino III. I am doubly pleased that my wife, Coring, will be with me in this journey.


Third. 15 March 2012 is the appointed date for launching the second edition of my book that was originally launched in 1971, and entitled: Ramon Magsaysay: A Political Biography. Solidaridad Publishing, 497 pages. I’ve been working on and off for months toward a new foreword, photo album, dateline, afterword, list of interviewees, and a summary record of RM’s legacy in Asia.Our co-publishers are the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation and the Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy of the National College of Public Administration and Governance in U.P. Diliman. It’s arduous but fulfilling work for me to help keep alive Ramon Magsaysay’s unique contribution in our unending struggle to build the nation and democracy we envision in our Constitution.


Fourth. As I have reported in this column, Governor Edgar M. Chatto is leading the project to plan and build the Bohol Museum of Art and Peace in Tagbilaran. Sa atong Binol-anon: Museo sa Arte ug Kalinaw sa Bohol. In Spanish, Museo del Arte y Paz en Bohol. Building plans have been prepared by architects led by Joven Ignacio and funded by a generous donation of Mr. and Mrs. David M. Consunji and family. For this Governor Chatto is giving the Consunjis a Special Award from the province.The Bohol Fine Arts Foundation is designated as the depository of all donations toward the building and operation of the Bohol Museum of Art and Peace. I am hoping that the present Tagbilaran airport can be the site of the proposed Museum, when the new airport in Panglao will be completed. “A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first steps.” Ino Sotto is mentioned as a good curator for the Museum.


Fifth. In 2001 a group of us, retired U.P. faculty, started classes at Kalayaan College then located at Riverbanks, Marikina. Our aim is still to offer U.P.-quality education by U.P. faculty to those who cannot enter U.P. mainly because of its limited college quotas. KC offers 12 courses approved by the Commission on Higher Education. We have graduated over 250 students who are all employed.In 2009 KC was saved from closing down when we moved to a rented new building in New Manila in Quezon City. That was four months before typhoon Ondoy submerged our old rented site in nine feet of muddy water from the Marikina River. Now we hope to forge a partnership with an established school that wants to set up a college, so KC can have our own building and campus provided by our partner. For this we hope and pray to God!


Sixth. In 2011, as we also shared in this column, we published the research and training report The Movement for a Nonkilling Philippines. Tungo sa Kalinaw at Walang Pagpatay! The research was supported by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the printing of the Report and related books and publications was funded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).We have enlisted several members of The Movement for a Nonkilling Philippines but the political leaders  we have invited to help lead the Movement have not yet responded to our call. We must step up our campaign to make the Movement a sustainable national movement.Here is our Vision and Mission Statement for Building a Nonkilling, or Killing-Free, Philippines.


Vision


Building a nonkilling or killing-free Philippines marked by the absence of killing, threats to kill, and conditions conducive to killing.We are to pursue this in relation to our constitutional vision of building “a just and humane society” and a “democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,” where our people’s human rights are guaranteed and protected.A Nonkilling Philippines is possible because, in fact, most Filipinos, like other peoples, never kill in their whole life time. We all want to live in dignity, peace and progress.We must realize that human violence, like a disease, is preventable and it can be minimized and checked under certain conditions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).By building a Nonkilling Philippines we are helping to build a Killing-Free World.


Mission

 So let us all help build a Nonkilling Philippines in relation to our vision of building a life-sustaining, just and humane society, and a democratic and republican State.Let us observe the right of every Filipino to live, and the responsibility never to kill anyone.Let us create and sustain the conditions that will reduce violence and killing to the utmost. And remove as fully the conditions that lead to violence and killing.Let us recognize our nonkilling communities to be worthy of emulation and help other communities remove their life-threatening conditions.And let us cooperate with all nations in building a Killing-Free World for the good of all humankind.We might also recall: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” The Beatitudes.Kalooy sa Diyos, sa Mayo 25, 2012, puhon,  ma 84 ka tuig na ako.