The City Government of Davao’s Peace 911 signed a Memorandum of Agreement ( MOA ) with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Friday, to advance a shared commitment for establishing enduring peace and implementing peacebuilding initiatives at the grassroots.
The MOA covers existing and upcoming peacebuilding programs, including the incorporation of peacebuilding concepts into the DCplinado Module of the Dabawenyo DCplinado program, which is being taught in public and private schools in the city.
The ceremonial signing took place during the DCplinado Module writeshop, where writers from the Department of Education worked on incorporating Peace 911’s peacebuilding concepts into the primary and secondary education curriculum.
Atty. Jonah Margarette Presto, Davao City’s Acting Assistant City Administrator for Administration and the Acting Head of Peace 911, shared in her speech that the OVP not only partnered with Peace 911 for peacebuilding programs in the city, but also sought to expand the reach of peacebuilding programs through the OVP satellite offices across the country.
“It is a dream come true for us from Peace 911, our stakeholders, our council, our consultants, for the inclusion of peacebuilding in the module—a curriculum sa atoang schools nga every child will hear, will know about peacebuilding. We have dreamt of expanding the reach of peacebuilding program, and now we are here (It is a dream come true for us in Peace 911 with our stakeholders, councils, and consultants for inclusion of peacebuilding in the module—a school curriculum where children get to learn about peacebuilding),” she added.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, in a message read by Atty. Presto, echoed this statement, highlighting that the role of teachers in ensuring that peacebuilding and other positive pillars are inculcated in the minds of young Dabawenyo learners.
He added that the integration of peacebuilding concepts into the DCplinado modules is a welcome progress, as well as the partnership between the city government and the OVP. He further highlighted how peacebuilding in the city was conceived by the then-mayor now Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Today, we are honored to come full circle as we enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Office of the Vice President to partner on peacebuilding initiatives for the city with Peace 911,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte said in her speech during the event that the OVP aims to bring peacebuilding initiatives down to the barangay and school levels across the country through its satellite offices.
She called on the Department of Education, especially the teachers and writers present during the writeshop, to assist in ensuring that the program is timely and responsive to the needs of students and school personnel.
Vice President Duterte further emphasized the importance of peacebuilding as prevention before violence happens, highlighting the importance of reinforcing values and peacebuilding concepts in the minds of young learners.
“This partnership between the Office of the Vice President and the City Government of Davao gives us an opportunity to turn that commitment into action,” she said.
“Through the development of the peacebuilding manual, technical assistance, local coordination, and sharing of best practices, we can strengthen how institutions prevent conflict, respond to threats, protect victims, and build safer communities,” Vice President Duterte added. CIO
Written by: J. Villaluz
Edited by: A. Nawal
Photo by: E. Morata