LIFE IN THE NEW PHILIPPINES METRO SANTA ROSA Santa Rosa Magazine's SPECIAL FEATURES Section
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PURSUING PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION During the Martial Law years, only a few dare to pass Datu Paglas, Maguindanao. Datu Ibrahim "Toto" Pendatun Paglas III was among the countless victims of violence that rocked the small town of Datu Paglas in the 1970s. Battle-scarred due to decades of war launched by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and later on by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), he and the other residents have no other desire but to achieve peace in their hometown.       This desire to pursue peace and seek economic growth had a leap when Datu Toto was elected to public office in 1998. As mayor, he rallied with his people and worked to regain what was lost from the hostilities. Datu Toto also became one of the founding members of the Philippine Business for Social Progress in Mindanao.       At his passing, the establishment of Datu Ibrahim Paglas Memorial College (DIPMC) strengthened the people's resolve to constantly seek peace and prosperity through education.       "He really desires that people in Datu Paglas will be given equal opportunities like the rest in the country and he believes that it is through education that common good will be achieved," recalled Mrs. Badria Talembo, volunteer and college dean at DIPMC.       Operating a community college like DIMPC is not easy as Talembo disclosed. "We survive from the minimal fee paid by our students. The spirit of volunteerism is very prominent but the need is still big," she said.       An elementary teacher only receives 3,000 pesos a month as honorarium while a college instructor gets 65 pesos per hour. According to Talembo, another concern is the internet connection. Students conducting internet research still have to travel to Tulunan, North Cotabato (about 10 kilometers away from Datu Paglas) just to access the web.       DIMPC hopes that the mission which Datu Toto had started will gain more support from concerned individuals and organizations.                                                                                                                                       - Grace Muncada and Danny Escabarte *** *** L to R: Klaas Oreel, PBSP Chief Executive Advisor; Rafael Lopa, PBSP Executive Director; Jose Ma. Lim, MPIC President and CEO; and Melody Del Rosario, MPIC Vice President for Media and Corporate Communications. MPIC STEPS UP WITH PBSP TO REDUCE URBAN POVERTY. The Philippine Business for Social Progress> and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation recently signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the ManPower Infrastructure Cooperative Development Project. This enterprise project will benefit at least 15 poor urban households in PBSP’s STEP-UP communities in Ana Maria, Quezon City.       STEP-UP stands for Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction Program which aims to improve the quality of life of poor neighborhoods in Metro Manila.       MPIC will donate a grant of PhP435,600.00 to PBSP for the implementation and management of the project. The assisted community will then be organized into a homeowner association that would soon be an enterprising group.       MPIC Development Project includes capability building, community investment, employee volunteerism, and livelihood opportunities. ********* ********* ********* PBSP Intro      1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10      11      12      13      14