On March 17, 2008 (Monday) around 70 youth leaders from all over Mindanao were welcomed to Metro Manila at the Peace Bell monument of the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City by several Manila-based peace organizations and youth partners in support of the Manila leg of the first Mindanao Youth Caravan for Peace.
Spearheaded by the Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus (MPC), the Peace Caravan is the launching program for a one-year peace advocacy campaign plan with the theme to: “Resolve the Mindanao Conflict, Sign and Implement the Peace Agreement Now!”
The welcoming program was jointly organized by the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI), Generation Peace Youth Network (GenPeace), Balay Rehabilitation Center , and The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI), Citizens’ Peace Watch, in cooperation with the Quezon City Parks Development Foundation, Office on Muslim Affairs – NCR, and several other faith organizations.
Arriving at dawn that day at the port of Batangas Province, the contingent first made a courtesy call to the Governor Vilma Santos in the morning before proceeding to Metro Manila. Despite a two-hour travel delay, the welcoming party of about a hundred peace advocates, youths and faith representatives patiently waited at the venue and had to eat ahead their packed lunch before their guests from Mindanao arrived.
When they arrived the group gave an impromptu musical welcome to the delegates. The cultural group, Sanghabi, distributed indigenous musical bamboo instruments for everyone to jam while they met and escorted the visitors to the program venue.
Spearheaded by the Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus (MPC), the Peace Caravan is the launching program for a one-year peace advocacy campaign plan with the theme to: “Resolve the Mindanao Conflict, Sign and Implement the Peace Agreement Now!”The welcoming program was jointly organized by the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI), Generation Peace Youth Network (GenPeace), Balay Rehabilitation Center , and The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI), Citizens’ Peace Watch, in cooperation with the Quezon City Parks Development Foundation, Office on Muslim Affairs – NCR, and several other faith organizations.
Arriving at dawn that day at the port of Batangas Province, the contingent first made a courtesy call to the Governor Vilma Santos in the morning before proceeding to Metro Manila. Despite a two-hour travel delay, the welcoming party of about a hundred peace advocates, youths and faith representatives patiently waited at the venue and had to eat ahead their packed lunch before their guests from Mindanao arrived.When they arrived the group gave an impromptu musical welcome to the delegates. The cultural group, Sanghabi, distributed indigenous musical bamboo instruments for everyone to jam while they met and escorted the visitors to the program venue.
As the guests took their lunch, they were serenaded with peace songs performed by local youth bands, Urban Musicians and Kikospectus, who are members of the GenPeace youth network.
After the delegates had their lunch, the program formally began with the Interfaith Prayers lead by The Peacemakers’ Circle. In preparation, everyone was led to a Qi-Gong meditation for inner peace and harmony to the tune of live bamboo flute music. This was followed by prayers individually offered by youth and adult faith representatives from the MPC (a Muslim and an Indigenous from the Manobo tribe), Salesian Youth Movement of Don Bosco (Catholic), Christian Peacemakers Team (Protestant) , the Hindu community, Shumei – Phils. (Japanese spiritual organization) , and Sanib-Dasal (interfaith) .
This was followed by a Press Conference facilitated by the MPC leaders. Everyone was later engaged in a symbolic activity of printing one’s hands on a canvass with colorful paint to express unity and solidarity in working together for peace in the country and all its regions. 
The GenPeace youth network then facilitated a Panel Discussion and learning interactions then between the Mindanao youth delegates and the Manila-based youths.
Capping off the afternoon was another symbolic activity of writing aspirations and dreams for peace in the broken pieces of a jar and then re-forming and gluing these together to make it whole again. This was to represent the collective effort of healing the disunity and disharmony in our land. It also symbolizes that the dreams of the people in Mindanao for peace can only be completed if the rest of the Philippines dream with them for peace.For decades peace has seemingly remained elusive in Mindanao . One after another, peace talks have not yet led us anywhere. Now the youths of Mindanao have stood up, spoken, and are now crying out to their non-Mindanaoan brothers and sisters for support. Since the Metro Manila is where the country’s lawmakers and political leaders are, it is hoped that their journey through this Peace Caravan would resound their campaign to raise the Mindanao conflict as a national issue.
The Peace Caravan culminated on following day (18th March) with a Bangsamoro solidarity program in the morning, held at Corregidor Island to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Jabiddah Massacre, and a kanduli (feast) at the Maharlika Village , in Taguig City .
We look forward to more journeying together with our Mindanaoan brothers and sisters in solidarity for peace in the land of promise.
