Muslim, Christian students tackle peace via videocon

Muslim and Christian students participated on Tuesday in a mass videoconference that sought to build understanding towards peace among youths of different cultures and religions through technology. Dubbed “Building Understanding through Technology," the videoconference 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. Undersecretary Luisito Montalbo of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) was one of the resource speakers, while broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and United Nations (UN) Ambassador Baicon Macaraya were the co-hosts in PUP and MSU-IIT, respectively.

TV reporter Atom Araullo (right, in blue shirt) hosts the mass videoconference between Christian students in PUP Manila and Muslim counterparts at MSU-IIT in Iligan City. Photo credit: Newsbytes.ph

The PUP and MSU-IIT event is the second mass videoconference 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. OPAPP and the academe have been collaborating with PeaceTech in this endeavor to engage the youth in the peace discourse. For the videoconference, the OPAPP invited students 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. The activities included the reading of a pastoral message on Feb. 6 in Catholic churches calling on the faithful to support the peace agenda; prayers for peace in Muslim and ecumenical churches; “Bells for Peace" a nationwide synchronized ringing of church bells at exactly 1:00 p.m. on the same date; “Light Up for Peace," a candle lighting activity on Feb. 8 to symbolically show the public’s support for peace; “Signature Campaign on Peace Wall" on Feb. 14; and as part of the EDSA People Power Anniversary Celebration on Feb. 25, a “Peace Rally", launch of the development program “Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA)" in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Peace Concert. — Newsbytes.ph