03/07/2026
๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด; ๐๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐
MALABON CITY โ In a major push to institutionalize peacebuilding within higher education, the National Training of Trainers for Peace Educators successfully concluded at the City of Malabon University (CMU). Held from June 25 to 26, 2026, the two-day intensive program brought together academic leaders, co-authors, and educators from across the Philippines to establish a unified framework for teaching peace studies.
The high-profile event was organized by the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Philippines in collaboration with a powerhouse network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), City of Malabon University (CMU), Mabalacat City College, and Sultan Kudarat State University.
Among the participating institutions, BPSU maintained a commanding presence, sending delegation members who actively served as primary drivers and hands-on facilitators for the national initiative.
BPSU Faculty Spearhead Curriculum Facilitation
A central highlight of the training was the robust involvement of faculty members from the BPSU College of Arts and Sciences Department of Social Science. Rather than attending merely as passive participants, these educators took on crucial leadership responsibilities on the ground, serving as core facilitators throughout the complex training modules and interactive workshops.
BPSUโs prominent leadership role during the summit underscored the university's growing status as a regional anchor for social science development and institutional advocacy. Working directly with the event's lead authors, the BPSU contingent guided participating educators from across the country through pedagogical simulations, institutional audits, and syllabus mapping.
Driving a National Mandate for Peace
The training serves as a direct response to institutional directives from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), specifically CHED Memorandum Order No. 1 series of 2019 and CMO No. 42 series of 2021. These mandates enjoin all Philippine HEIs to formally integrate Peace Studies and Peace Education into their respective undergraduate curricula.
Aligned with UNESCOโs multidimensional framework for educating for peace, the newly developed Peace Education Syllabus (Code: GEPED) addresses the root causes of conflict and violence while promoting sustainable human security and development.
Launching the Groundbreaking Peace Education Workbook
Complementing the efforts of the BPSU faculty on the floor, BPSU President Dr. Ruby Santos Matibag anchored the university's academic contribution at the executive level, serving as one of the co-authors of the newly unveiled Peace Education Workbook. Titled "Past, Present, and Future of Peace Education for Implementation in Philippine Higher Education", this pioneering text acts as the vital, standardized reference material for teaching peace education nationwide.
The development of the workbook was led by lead author Dr. Lucia B. Dela Cruz (referred to affectionately by colleagues as "Doc Lot") from the University of Makati, with significant content modules structured by Dr. Matibag and other university presidents.
Inside the Two-Day Program
The training, held fully onsite at CMUโs campus along Pampano corner Maya-Maya Streets in Longos, Malabon, was meticulously designed to cover both content mastery and interactive pedagogy.
Day 1: Content Mastery & Course Orientation
The event kicked off with opening remarks from CMU President Dr. Glen DV. De Leon. Over the course of the day, trainers dove deep into core modules:
GEPED Units 1 & 2: Fundamentals of Peace Education (Dr. Lucia B. Dela Cruz)
GEPED Unit 3: Peace, Violence, and Human Rights โ a specialized segment authored and oriented by BPSU's own Dr. Ruby S. Matibag
GEPED Unit 4: Peace Education & Transformative Education (Dr. Samson L. Molao, President of Sultan Kudarat State University)
GEPED Unit 5: Communication for Peacebuilding (Dr. Glen DV. De Leon)
Following these content lectures, BPSU faculty members stepped in to facilitate Workshop 1: Mapping Your Course Context, guiding diverse institutional groups through structural audits.
Day 2: Pedagogy, Assessment, and Collaboration
The second day shifted focus toward classroom ex*****on, global contexts, and strategic planning:
GEPED Units 6 & 9: Global Peace Initiatives and Case Study Analysis (Dr. Lucia B. Dela Cruz)
GEPED Unit 7: Global Peace Initiatives of the Global Peace Foundation (Ms. Sharleen E. Tomobe)
GEPED Unit 8: Peace Education in the Philippines (Dr. Marilyn S. Arcilla)
During the afternoon session, BPSU facilitators led the Lesson Design Lab, an intensive session where participants designed sample lesson plans customized to their respective home campuses. The training concluded with special remarks from Dr. Samson L. Molao and an award ceremony recognizing the freshly certified peace trainers.
A Unified Community of Practice
Beyond the rollout of structural guidelines, the seminar successfully forged a collaborative community of practice among Philippine educators. The heavy investment of BPSUโs College of Arts and Sciences personnel demonstrated the university's concrete commitment to peace education, human rights promotion, and systemic curricular enhancement.
Supporters and co-organizing institutions present at the launch included Mutya Publishing House, Inc., the United Association of the Philippines (UNAP), CHED, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).
As the BPSU delegation and fellow participants returned to their respective campuses equipped with standardized workbooks and newly honed pedagogical tools, organizers echoed a shared sentiment of urgent optimism for the future of regional stability, encapsulated by the eventโs closing rallying cry: "Para sa pambansa at pandaigdigang kapayapaan!"*
