21/09/2026
Thank you Office of CHED Commissioner Michelle Aguilar Ong for recognizing and sharing the story of Prince Lacsa's journey.
Israel A. Lacsaโs journey as a student leader, campus journalist, and humanitarian from Kalinga State University proves that peace is built through daily service, empathy, and active community engagement. As an Electrical Engineering student and Student Regent, he transformed student governance into a platform for student welfare and mental health advocacy while earning recognition as one of the countryโs top engineering students. His leadership as President of the Rotaract Club of Kalinga produced high-impact initiatives like ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌโranked ๐ต๐๐ต ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ปโalongside ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐.๐.๐.๐. for voluntary blood donation and Breaking the Silence for mental health awareness. An award-winning journalist across Cordillera and Luzon, Israel used responsible reporting to bridge differences and amplify unheard voices, bringing his vision to the global stage as a recognized delegate at the Asia Youth International Model United Nations. Ultimately, his work reframes peace not as the absence of conflict, but as the active presence of justice, inclusion, and compassion forged through daily choices to uplift others.
Under the theme "๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ- ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐" this yearโs UN International Day of Peace celebrates the everyday architects of peaceโthe individuals taking action, inspiring local communities, and building peace from the ground up.
Today, we shine the spotlight on the remarkable leaders and peacebuilders within our State Universities and Colleges.
Read more of Israelโs story below.
๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐: ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐. ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Every day, we choose the world we leave behind. We can ignore someone's struggles, or choose to represent them; remain silent, or speak for those long unheard. Some choices leave behind peaceโbinding communities, bridging divides, and offering hope. This is the story of Israel A. Lacsa, a Kalinga native who learned early that leadershipโs most powerful form is peace, and that peace is a daily responsibility to live out.
๐ท๐ฌ๐จ๐ช๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ ๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ท๐ฌ๐ถ๐ท๐ณ๐ฌ
Growing up, Israel learned that people go further when they look out for one another. Pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Kalinga State University, education became his platform to serve. After two terms as Supreme Student Council Vice President advocating for student welfare and mental health, he now represents thousands of students as Student Regent. For Israel, leadership isn't about being admired; it's about listening, empathizing, and ensuring every voice matters.
๐ณ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐น๐บ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ท ๐ป๐ฏ๐จ๐ป ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ซ๐บ ๐ช๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ผ๐ต๐ฐ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฌ๐บ
Leadership extends far beyond campus walls. As former Rotaract Club of Kalinga President, Israel embraced Service Above Self, uniting students, local officials, health professionals, and volunteers to address pressing needs. He believes leadership is measured not by activities held, but by lives transformed.
Through Project TARABAY, children gained safe environments to learn, play, and grow. Earning 9th place globally in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), it proved that investing in children builds compassionate, resilient communities. His commitment continued through Project B.I.A.G., a blood donation drive reminding us that peace is sustained when we give to preserve others' lives.
Recognizing that peace starts within, Israel launched Breaking the Silence to address youth mental health and su***de prevention, affirming that true peace cannot exist where people suffer in silence. He also spearheaded programs in good governance, journalism, environmental stewardship, and teacher appreciationโall united by the belief that peaceful communities are built on knowledge, opportunity, and shared responsibility.
๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ต๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐บ๐ด ๐จ๐บ ๐จ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ฌ๐ต๐ป ๐ถ๐ญ ๐ท๐ฌ๐จ๐ช๐ฌ
Beyond diplomacy, Israel discovered the power of journalism to build peace. As an award-winning campus journalist across Cordillera and Luzon, he recognized that words can heal, bridge differences, and drive social change:
Truth builds trust.
Understanding reduces conflict.
Stories cultivate empathy.
For Israel, reporting was never just about telling what happened, but explaining why it mattered. In an era of misinformation and division, he used journalism to move communities from conflict to dialogue, showing that peace is built in newsrooms and on printed pages just as much as in conference rooms.
๐จ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฉ๐จ๐ณ ๐ท๐ฌ๐น๐บ๐ท๐ฌ๐ช๐ป๐ฐ๐ฝ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ต ๐ท๐ฌ๐จ๐ช๐ฌ
Israel brought his peacebuilding vision to the international stage at the Asia Youth International Model United Nations, earning Honorable Mention and Second Runner-Up in the UN Human Rights Council simulation. Engaging with global youth leaders reinforced his belief that peace is sustained when people across cultures choose dialogue over division and recognize their shared humanity.
๐ฌ๐ฟ๐ช๐ฌ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ต๐ช๐ฌ ๐พ๐ฐ๐ป๐ฏ ๐ท๐ผ๐น๐ท๐ถ๐บ๐ฌ
Israelโs achievements include honors as Most Outstanding Community Youth Leader, Most Outstanding Project Implementer, the Rotaract Presidential Citation, and recognition as one of the Most Outstanding Electrical Engineering Students of the Philippines. Yet, these accolades are outcomes, not motivations. His true measure of success remains the lives he helps move forward.
๐ฐ๐ต๐ฝ๐ฌ๐บ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ท๐ฌ๐จ๐ช๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฝ๐ฌ๐น๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐
The United Nations reminds us that peace is an investment requiring time, commitment, and consistency. Israel embodies this by dedicating his knowledge, leadership, and voice to give others hope. He shows that peace is the active presence of justice, opportunity, and compassion, built one choice and one act of service at a time.
๐จ ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐จ๐ช๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ซ ๐น๐ฌ๐ช๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฐ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต
As the world observes International Day of Peace, Israelโs journey shows that peace is built every dayโby students who serve, journalists who report truth, and leaders who lift others. His greatest legacy isn't the awards on his wall, but the children inspired, leaders empowered, and lives transformed.
