The Words of the Balcomb Family
|
|
The Words of the Balcomb Family |
Thousands of peacemakers, both young and old from all walks of life, gathered in unity during the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Global Peace Tour 2009 while launching the historic Mindanao Peace Initiative at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City in the Philippines, on March 2, 2009.
Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, co-chairman of UPF, heralded a message of peace with the theme of “One Family Under God: A New Vision for Peace in the 21st Century.” Philippines was the second nation to hear first-hand his message following the peace tour launch in Tokyo, Japan.
The event was attended by prominent leaders, both local and international, in the fields of religion, government, NGOs, education, business, culture, and arts who are standing on common ground for the establishment of peace in the country and the world.
The program started with prayers offered by different religious leaders representing Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, followed by a patriotic rendition of the National Anthem by the Philippines Army Band.
In an inter-religious "Water of Peace" ceremony, religious leaders each poured a cup of water into a large bowl symbolizing the unity of all religions, recognizing each other not for their uniqueness but for their common destiny.
Top congressmen from different provinces, especially districts in Mindanao, postponed other engagements in order to attend the conference. They included the Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Jose De Venecia, Jr., who has been working with Dr. Moon for the cause of peace; Hon. Datu Pax Magudadatu, Congressman of the 1st District Sultan Kudarat; Hon. Simeon A. Datumanong, Congressman from the Lone District of Maguindanao; and many other champions of peace, including Dr. Estrella Abid-Babano, Regional Director of Region X of the Department of Education.
Leaders who came from different countries included Dr. Thomas Walsh, Secretary General of UPF International; Dr. Charles Phillips, President of Service for Peace International; Mr. David Caprara, from the Youth Federation for World Peace; and Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, member of the Parliament of Nepal.
Various speakers shared with a receptive crowd their views on establishing lasting peace in Mindanao and the country in general. Hon. Jose De Venecia exclaimed, “What we need today is what we are doing here today! It has been 30 long years since I worked for the peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front of the Bangsamoro people, but sadly, conflicts in Mindanao have not been resolved.”
UPF, according to Dr. Moon, affirms that the dream of “One family Under God will be the clarion call of our age!” He strongly believes in what his father, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, has said that the time has come “to tear down the man-made walls of race, culture, religion and country and establish the peaceful, ideal world of God’s cherished desire.”
At the end, Dr. Moon, struck a gong calling for an end to the conflicts in Mindanao and the entire country and bringing rays of hope to the people of Mindanao and the Philippines in general.
During this momentous event, UPF bestowed peace awards and awarded Ambassador for Peace certificates to people from various fields who have made noteworthy achievements in service to others, so that they can be at the forefront in the process of building a peaceful world.
The event concluded with a peace concert by singing sensations including the HALE Band, Cercado sisters, Kris Lawrence, and the RandB pop singer Jay-R.