A “Dula sa mga Bata Alang sa Kalinaw” (Games of the Children for Peace) was one activity planned to help communities, particularly the children, bring back happier days in places traumatized by the recent violence. The sponsors—Mr. Musa Sanguila, Executive Director of Pakigdait Incorporated, and Ms. Marit Stinus-Remonde, District Governor of Kiwanis International—chose Barangay Dilabayan of Kauswagan Town in Lanao del Norte as the site for this activity. Incidentally, the two sponsors took pride being among the Army awardees which came to help the brigade in its peace efforts in the area. In the recent celebration of the 112th Army Anniversary, Pakigdait, an interfaith organization, got the award, per our nomination—the second time around—as the Most Outstanding NGO; Ms. Remonde, also, received an award for helping the Army in its various civic programs.
In the afternoon of 30 March, I addressed the children, skipping the usual lengthy amenities, saying simply that we came to have fun and play with them. The children’s response was quite ecstatic. Despite the drizzle, the event became livelier as Ms. Cristina Lomoljo sent her teams from Balay Integrated Rehabilitation for Total Human Development (BIRTHDEV) to assist in the games. Afterwards, they ate chicken “arrozcaldo.” To Musa, this was the first time the kids ate what was prepared for them; many even came back for second servings and more until nothing was left. In the previous activities, it was noted that the children did not touch the food that was brought for them due to cultural sensitivities. This time it was different, the local folks were given the raw food items and were asked to cook it themselves.
We left seeing the children happy…and we felt happier with a sense of fulfillment.
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