In a remote city college tucked and hidden from the eyes of the city dwellers of Metro Manila, students of Pasig City celebrated International Day of Nonviolence at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (Pasig City College) with a simple ceremony. As night approached this past October 4, students gathered to form a peace sign with candle lighting ceremony. The students and their teachers declared their commitment to nonviolence, did a recognition ceremony, and sang peace songs.
This moving ceremony capped the afternoon’s workshop on Nonviolence which was attended by more than 500 students and their teachers. The workshop presenter, Genevieve Balance Kupang and active member of Ang Komunidad Para Sa Ikauunlad Ng Tao (The Community for Human Development), engaged the students and teachers to share their experiences of violence and to find ways to deal with the situations through nonviolent ways. Afterwards, a documentary film was shown on the life of Mahatma Gandhi whose birthday marks October 2 as International Day of Nonviolence.
After the ceremony, Dr. Amihan April Alcazar, president of the college and Professor Alicia Bu i, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, discussed the possibility of formalizing a linkage with Ang Komunidad for in-college and extracurricular activities that would enrich and expand the experiences of the students. This impromptu meeting was attended by Florencio Hubo (president), Genevieve Kupang, Willa Tecson and Erwin Escalada (officers of Ang Komunidad), as well as Osbi Santillan of World Without Wars.
The activity is part of an international advocacy campaign for nonviolence of The Community for Human Development
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