OPAPRU, QC LGU lead peace bell ringing ceremony

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 5, 2023): OPAPRU, QC LGU lead peace bell ringing ceremony

PEACE BELL. Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. (2nd from right) and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (right) lead the peace bell ringing ceremony at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Tuesday (Sept. 5, 2023). The peace bell is rung at the beginning of September as part of the opening activities of the annual National Peace Consciousness Month celebration. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU)

MANILA – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, in partnership with the Quezon City Government, spearheaded this year’s ringing of the Peace Bell on Tuesday at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

The Peace Bell, representing the Filipino people’s aspiration for a just and lasting peace, was donated in 1994 by the World Peace Bell Association, a Japanese organization promoting awareness of the world peace movement.

It is rung at the beginning of September as part of the opening activities of the annual National Peace Consciousness Month celebration.

“The importance of ringing the peace bell to the comprehensive Philippine peace process cannot be overemphasized. The reverberations coming from this massive bell symbolizes peace, harmony, and solidarity. More importantly, this is a clarion call for all Filipinos – regardless of religion, tribe or personal beliefs – to play a key role in peacebuilding,” Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. said in his welcome remarks.

For her part, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte shared the peacebuilding initiatives being implemented by the Quezon City government.

“The essence of peace is to allow everyone to have their voices [be] heard, to understand various perspectives, and to choose to live in harmony with one another,” she said.

Other dignitaries present during the ceremony include Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Senior Minister Abunawas “Von Al-Haq” Maslamama, representing the BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim; KAPATIRAN Leader Veronica “Ka Inca” Tabara; Minister of Labor and Employment and Chairperson Muslimin Sema; Deputy Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament Speaker and Moro National Liberation Front Vice Chairperson Abdulkarim Misuari; National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chairperson Emmanuel Calairo; as well as representatives from various line agencies and the international development community.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209289