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PEACE EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES


Author: Sovannarith Keo
Peace education in the Philippines began its movement following the
collapse of the
two-decade Marcoss Martial Law regime in 1986the year that also gave
birth to the
Comprehensive Peace Process. It was not until in the 1990s that various
forms of peace
education were introduced in a number of academic institutions of the
country, which
according to Castro, Galace & Lesaca (2005), through the influences and
initiatives of the
Philippine Council for Peace and global Education (PCPGE), the World
Council for
Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI), and the Catholic Educational
Association of the
Philippines (CEAP). Toh and Cawagas (1987, p. 2) put in their words that
education for
peace requires both understanding and practice, [and] both reflection and
action, on
the grounds that first, it seeks to contribute to a better awareness and
understanding of
root causes of conflicts and violence at the global, national, community, and
interpersonal levels, while at the same time, it also cultivates values and
attitudes which
will encourage individual and social action for building more peaceful
communities,
societies, and ultimately a more peaceful world. In 2005, with support from
the
UNICEF, two volumes of Peace Education Teaching Exemplars Peace
Education
Module, with a true reflection on socio-economic situation in the
Philippines, for
Elementary and Secondary Schools, which were developed and tested by
OPAPP and
Department of Education (DepEd) in partnership with civil society groups
and a number
of academic institutions since the late 1990s, were published. The main
objective of the
Exemplars is to mainstream peace in the educational system of the
Philippines. The
implementation of these Exemplars, however, remains on a slow pace due to
bureaucracy and lack of capable peace trainers/teachers.
In terms of legal basis and policy, peace education was embedded in the six
paths to

peace agenda as outlined by the Executive Order No. 3the path 6th of
which is
Building and nurturing a climate conductive to peace through peace
advocacy and peace
education programs, indicating that the government recognizes the
genuine and longterm
contribution of peace education to its efforts for a Comprehensive Peace
Process.
Furthermore, this peace education policy can also be found under the
contexts of
peacemaking and peacekeeping as well as peacebuilding and conflict
prevention of
Chapter 14 National Harmony: The Peace Process of the Medium-Term
Philippine
Development Plan 2004-2010. For instance, Element No. 2 provides for
complementary measures to minimize the level of violence arising from
armed
conflicts, in particular, through information education to promote nonviolent means of
conflict resolution. Meanwhile, Element No. 7 of the said instrument
provides for the
conduct of healing and reconciliation programs in conflict affected
communities,
which, it stated, shall include the conduct of community-based interfaith
and
intercultural peace education and advocacy campaigns. Another milestone
in the
development of peace education legal basis in the Philippines included the
adoption of
Executive Order No. 570 institutionalizing peace education in basic
education and
teacher education. This Executive Order paves the way and obliges the
Department of
Education (DepEd) to mainstream peace education in the basic formal and
non-formal
education curriculum, utilizing the existing peace education exemplars and
other peace
related modules, and enhance the knowledge and capability of supervisors,
teachers and
non-teaching personnel on peace education through the conduct of inservice trainings.
Also, it requires the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to introduce
and
mainstream peace education in teacher education, while OPAPP is
entrusted with the

role to collaborate the two, DepEd and CHED to strengthen linkage with
private
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schools in promoting peace education. In addition, Proclamation No. 675,


dated July
20, 2004, issued by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, declaring
September of
every year as the National Peace Consciousness Month, also indicates the
governments
commitment to affirmative action on raising peace awareness. According to
the said
proclamation, its objectives are to first, instill greater consciousness and
understanding
among the Filipino people on the comprehensive peace process, and
second, promote
a Culture of Peace based on nonviolence, respect for fundamental rights
and freedoms,
tolerance, understanding and solidarity.
As for the contents of peace education itself, while some academic
institutions adopt
different frameworks, namely: the Learning to Abolish War model
(developed by
Reardon and Cabezudo 2002), the Flower-Petal Model of Peace Education
(Toh SweeHin 2004), and the international standards normative framework
Declaration and
integrated framework of action on education for peace, human rights, and
democracy
(1995), it is observed that no consensus peace education framework,
strategies and
pedagogy guidelines have been officially adopted for the Philippines
education system at
the national level as a whole, although the Center for Peace Education of
Miriam College
has so far been taking its pioneer in developing its own peace education
themes
(including 8 themes: Theme 1: upholding human dignity; Theme 2:
challenging prejudice
and building tolerance; Theme 3: promoting non-violence; Theme 4:
challenging the war
system; Theme 5: resolving and transforming conflict; Theme 6: sharing the
earths
resources; Theme 7: caring for the earth; and Theme 8: cultivating inner
peace), creating
a peaceable classroom (zone of peace), teaching-learning approaches and
strategies in

peace education, attributable of a peace educator, and a whole school


approach, in an
attempt to try to engage all the learning areas, all the members of the
school community
(students, faculty, staff), and the wider community (Castro & Galace,
2008).
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REFERENCES

Castro, L. N. & Galace, J. N. (2008). Peace education: A pathway to a culture


of peace. Quezon
City, Philippines: Center for Peace Education-Miriam College.
Castro, L. N., Galace, J. N. & Lesaca, K. S. (2005). Learning experiences
study on civil-society
peace building in the Philippines: Peace education initiatives in Metro Manila,
Volume 4.
Manila, Philippines: UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP
CIDS).
National Economic and Development Authority (2010). Medium-term
Philippines
Development Plan 2004-2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from
http://www.neda.gov.ph/ads/mtpdp/MTPDP2004-2010/PDF/MTPDP20042010.html.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (2010). Downloads:
Executive Order
No. 3, Executive Order No. 125, Executive Order No. 496, Executive Order
No. 569,
Executive Order No. 626, & Administrative Order No. 172. Retrieved May 14,
2010,
from http://
opapp.gov.ph/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=161&Itemid=155.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (2010).National
Peace Consciousness
Month 2010.Retrieved September 29, 2010, from
http://opapp.gov.ph/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemi
d=1.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (2010). OPAPP
History.
Retrieved May 14, 2010, from
http://opapp.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task
=view&id=155&Itemid=147.
Toh, S. H. & Cawagas, V. F. (1987). Peace education: A framework for the
Philippines. Quezon
city, Philippines: Phoenix Press, Inc.

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