Two-pronged Minimum Participation
By Ed Aurelio C. Reyes
Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan
From Health Alert Issue 194
MODESTY ASIDE, the four-year-old Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan, also called KAMALAYSAYSAYAN, for short, is the biggest network promoting and coordinating the commemorarion of Sentenaryo '96. This campaign network embraces organizations, institutions and other entities of all colors, sizes and shapes, along with hundreds of individual volunteer campaigners, in a number of subnetworks
and special project task groups.
Although no formal papers of affiliation were signed for officiality, the Health Action Information Network, or HAIN, has been an active participating institution, participating by maintaining since 1991 this section of Health Alere that seeks to enhance its readers' sense of history. Other participating entities include the National Federation of Women's Clubs of the Philippines (NFWC), the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), Pidrophil Copr. (makers of Pidro T-shirts), Institute fur Political and Electoral Reforms (IPER), Labor Education Assistance for Development (LEAD), Alternative Horizons Media Cooperative, Philippine News Agency (PNA), Andres Bonifacio Music Foundation (ABMF, led by Jerry Dadap), and Viajes Filipinas (engaged in heritage tourism).
KAMALAYSAYAN has been straining all efforts to attain a bold goal: to turn the Filipino people into active participants, not mere spectators, in this historic commemoration. Averse to using the term "the people" loosely, the network is targetting to mobilize, one way or another, at least a simple majority of the population, or roughly 35 million Filipinos here and overseas.
"One way or another here refers to the two-pronged minimum participation by each of about 35 million Filipinos, within the centennial year which | runs from August 1995 to August 1996.
Here are the two prongs for minimum participation:
1. Familiarize yourself with the contents of the Kartilya ng Katipunan, solemnly promise to live by at Ieast one of its 14 lessons, and share this knowledge, experience and commitment with some relatives or friends who are closest to you.
2. Show to many others in the community, school, or workplace that you are an active participant in the Sentenaryo '96 celebration by wearing a pin or putting up a poster saying so or by hanging a red flaglet or strip of ribbon or crepe paper at your front gate or front door, throughout the month of August 1996.
Emphasis on the Kartilya is based on the conviction that a deeply-significant commemoration of Sentenaryo '96 should be one that goes beyond the cerebral and galvanizes a unity of will among Filipinos, and erects spiritual monuments within their hearts. This underscores the moral and spiritual dimension of the 1896 Revolution, an aspect that has been almost completely unknown to most of our compatriots.
The conspicuous display of physical signs of participation calls the attention of the majority of the people to the broad participation base of the Sentenaryo '96 commemoration and leads them to complete their minimum participation. Thus, they would seek out copies of the Kartilya and seriously study its 14 lessons up to the point of vowing to live by at least one of these lessons and of passing on the word to many others about this noble legacy from the Katipunan.
KAMALAYSAYAN has been networking and mobilizing various government and nongovernment entities, including religious orgamzatlons, for the realiization of this two-pronged minimum by the end of August 1996. A solemn ceremony centered on the
Kartilya is now being held on the 7th of every month, at 7 p.m., in a seminar and retreat facility of a Catholic religious order (Order of the Carmelites), in the national cathedral of the Philippine Independent Church, and in the baranggay hall of Loyola Heights, Quezon City. A city museum has been targetted as the next additional venue.
The local government units and the churches have their own networks among their respective grassroots constituencies Ñ like the respective Ieagues of governors and of the mayors and the baranggays of the government, as well as the parishes, the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and Basic Christian Communities (BCCs) and the prayer groups of the churches Ñ that can combine in potent effect and push the two-pronged minimum participation in Sentenaryo '96 to overwhelming success arnong tens of millions of our people by August 1996.
The non-government and people's organizations have their own widespread networks throughout the archipelago, which would, hopefully, combine readily with government and church entities and with one another, for the sake of a high-impact and widescale commemoration of the centennial of the 1896 Revolurion.
It now remains to be seen whether KAMALAYSAYAN can convince all these entities to throw their full support behind this historic undertaking. Although the basis is there for all these entities to decide to help, just reaching them with the appeal appears to be an insurmountable goal in itself. Still, the people behind KAMASYSAYAN have not been known to shiver or run in the face of difficulties. Their favorite quote: "Hope springs eternal."
And, so far, this hope is being vindicated. The SENTENARYO 96 campaign continues, and marches ever closer to its climax which will be in August 1996. Already, KAMALAYSAYAN has formed sub-networks for various sectors, and working groups for thc various projects.
We might have that unforgettabic commemoration of the centennial of the birth of this nation after all!
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