After the first World March for Peace and Non-violence passed through the Philippines with flying colors in 2009, the base team of the 3rd World March for Peace and Non-violence is planning and working to enter Philippine shores, to bring, once again, its message of hope and conviction for a world without wars and violence.

Margherita Maffeis Natale, honorary consul of the Philippines in Canton Ticino in Switzerland, Tiziana Volta, member of the World Coordination Team WWWV, and some other collaborators have managed to create a working group for the passage of the base team in the Philippines. One group will be in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, and the other in the province of Bulacan.

Margherita Maffeis-Natale – President and founder of the Association Culture Ticino Network in Switzerland and the Philippines (and Consul of the Philippines in Ticino/Switzerland) during the World Forum for Peace in November 2023.

As Tiziana Volta relates… In Manila, we can count on the precious collaboration of The Philippine Italian Association ( https://philippineitalianassociation.org/ ) . In the 1980s, there was a strong immigration of Filipinos to Italy. Realities like this association were born, and others a well, such as the Liter of Light association ( https://literoflight.org )

In Paombong, Bulacan, activities are being planned to take place thanks to the association of which Margherita Maffeis Natale is president, with the help of Cristina Gonzales, a delegate of this association.

Giunell Flores (Philippine Italian Association) and Maria Cristina Gonzales (Delegates of Culture Ticino Network) during a meeting about the Third World March in Manila fifteen days ago.

On October 2, 2024, the Base Team of the Third World March for Peace and Nonviolence will leave from San Jose in Costa Rica after passing through Nicaragua-Honduras-El Salvador-Guatemala-Mexico-USA to be received at the UN. The 3rd World March base team is being planned to enter enter Asia around October 15th. So, around October 15-20th , it could arrive in the Philippines.

The working group that has been able to be set up in recent months was very much inspired by what was achieved in the Philippines during the first World March. This is thanks to Osberto Santillan and all the humanists who formed the World Without Wars and without Violence organism to set up the World March among other activities, with the help and support of many others.

Here are just some images of the 1st World March for Peace and Non-violence in the Philippines.

The experience that is being lived in the Philippines now is very interesting. It shows concretely that believing in paths like the World March leads to unity despite physical distances.

Tiziana Volta continues to relate:

It all started in Alto Verbano, Italy. Maria Terranova, the contact person for the local World March promoter committee, introduced me to Margherita Maffeis, the president of the Culture Ticino Network (and honorary consul of the Philippines) with the intention of creating the conditions for the international delegation of the 3WM to pass to Switzerland, to the Canton of Ticino.

During the World Forum for Peace in November 2023, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence was discussed. On that occasion, the Consul General of the Philippine Embassy was present. Leafing through the book of the first World March, looking at all that had been achieved, it was thought that it would be important to return to the Philippines, especially at this time in history where there are conflict problems there, like the conflict over the West Philippine sea with China.

We started to catch up with the people who had been part of the 2009 journey. Right from the start, there was the support of the Pressenza agency, which was born with the World March. Sensitive organizations that shared the goals of the World March were contacted. Among them was the Philippine-Italian Association based in Makati City– a cultural and educational reality, which since 1962, has been trying to cultivate relations between two communities (Italian and Filipino that are very close which is a little-known peculiarity) by working in the fields of education, language, culture, art and social work.

Picking up on the experience of the first World March, three days for the passage of the Base Team are being hypothesized during the various virtual meetings. For example, in Manila, a meeting with the municipality is being worked on. There will be moments with the schools, with which, thanks to the
contribution of the Philippine-Italian Association, the Human Symbols of Peace and Nonviolence campaign is being carried out.

It could be that they will try again to create a great symbol as it was during the first World March at the Lucena Stadium. Another symbol, illuminated by solar lights, lamps made by school students, powered by solar energy, is being studied at Rizal Park with the Liter of Light foundation. Later, they will be
donated to some village that is not supplied by electricity.

CultureTicino Network has a sister association in Pambong, in central Luzon. Institutional and school events in the province of Bulacan are also being studied with them.

Universities are also getting involved not only with the themes of peace and non-violence, but also sustainability and biodiversity (5% of the world’s plant species live in the Philippines), even beyond the delegation’s passage. An event between universities (at least Italian, Swiss and Filipino) is being planned for December 10th, the International Day for Human Rights when the Third World March for Peace and Non-violence is not yet over.

With all that is brewing, with the help of many proponents who believe that the future of humanity lies in a more human world without any wars and without any form of violence, the 3rd World March is getting ready to once again bring this highly important message into the forefront.

The 3rd World March hopes that this message will reverberate, resonate, be heard and heeded. And, the pathway towards a bright, peaceful future for all human beings be paved and opened.

Footnote:

As mentioned, Tiziana Voltes is part of the WTC of WWWV. She coordinated the second and is now coordinating the third edition in Italy. She also follows the Universities Europe group for the World March. Then, she helps from Italy in passing contacts in the various parts of the world where the WM will pass.