Manila, The Philippines. Marites Guingona-Africa

This year's celebration of the International Day of Peace in Manila, Philippines was a heartwarming event, "Moving in Solidarity towards PEACE" that brought together religious groups from diverse faith traditions, non-profit organizations from various sectors of society, and students from different schools and universities.

For the third consecutive year, the IDP celebration was held at the Liwasang Aurora of the

. The Peacemakers' Circle was one of the convening partners of the event, along with the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Urban Missionaries, the Women and Gender Commission, and other prominent non-profit organizations in Metro Manila.

The activities began with ringing of the Peace Bell at two o'clock in the afternoon. This was followed by interfaith prayers. After the prayers, various groups began to walk in procession to government offices around the Quezon Circle (such as the City Hall, the National Housing Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Land Reform, etc.) to present the UN IDP peace statement, and to invite the people working there to attend the afternoon's celebrations.

While the groups were gone visiting government agencies, the people who were left behind had the chance to visit the various exhibit booths that were set-up around the park by the participating organizations. The Peacemakers' Circle had its own booth to share with its members and friends in the interfaith community. In the booth, free jyorei healing was offered by the Shumei group. The Guru Nanak mission gave prashad (blessed food offering) to everyone, while the Muslim and Buddhist representatives watched on.

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the program began with welcome remarks from the park's president, Atty. Charito Planas, a committed partner and supporter of the yearly IDP celebration. Leaders of faith groups and spiritual organizations offered reflections and blessings of peace. A representative of the UN Information Center, Mr. Edwin Martin, graced the occasion, and read the UN statement to the outdoor assembly.

One of the highlights of the celebration was the prayer for all the countries in the world by Mr. Mario "Toots" Fungo, representative of the World Peace Prayer Society in the Philippines. Toots brought with him 191 flags of all the nations in the world, and their vibrant colors waved in the afternoon breeze!

Songs, dances, and reflections on peace were shared with all who participated in the afternoon's event. Finally, as dusk turned to night, candles were lit, and a procession around the Circle began while everyone sang, Make Me a Channel of your Peace.

The Peacemakers' Circle participated actively in making this day's activities a success. Shakuntala Vaswani did very well in coordinating the program (in the absence of the person-in-charge), Marites Africa emceed it on-stage, Orlan documented it, while Lee and the other members of the Peacemaker's Circle assisted the religious leaders.

The day's celebration ended with heartwarming gestures of peace among the assembly of diverse people who were there, and the sharing of hope and commitment to the cause of peace. How interesting it was to watch everyone struggling to keep the light of their candles alive during the evening's peace walk around the Circle, despite the strong winds that threatened to blow them out! This was perceived by many to be symbolic of the struggle to keep hope alive for peace in the world in the midst of the darkness that seems to prevail in our world today.