Movement News:

Student Christian Movement Philippines (SCMP)

2008 November

EASYNet in the Philippines

November 27, 2008 WALK FOR PEACE – EASYNet Davao attended the walk for peace initiated by Archdiocese of Davao. Youth from the YMCA, SCA, SCMP and ecumenical partners joined the said event. It was the start of the dynamic involvement of EASYNet-Davao in the Minadanao Peace issues.

November 28-30, 2008 – EASYNet Youth and Coordinators Peace Workshop held at the YMCA Campsite Landing Darong Sta. Cruz. This is inline with the celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace with the theme “Integrity of Mind and Heart: A Way to reconciliation and Peace” of the Bishop-Ulama Forum.

The EASYNet-Davao was the only youth organization that was given recognition by the Achdiocesan Ecumenical And Inter-religious of Davao (ACEID) and Archbishop Fernando Capalla to be part of this momentous celebration.

2002 December

SCMP is conducting a massive petition signing for the immediate Resumption of the Formal Peace Talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front (GRP-NDFP) on the basis of The Hague Declaration and other mutually acceptable agreements, and the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

As a convener of the Pilgrims for Peace, the broad alliance of parliamentarians, individuals, people from the academe, churches, church people and people’s organisations advocating for just and lasting peace, SCMP calls for the “Arroyo government’s sincerity and sobriety” amidst its war talk. SCMP denounces its connivance with the governments of USA and the European Union in including the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (both organisations member of NDFP) and Prof. Jose Maria Sison (chief political consultant of NDFP in the Peace Talks) in the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Persons, in view of its dire effect to the negotiations.

In the SCMP National Council Meeting held on 8-11 November in Baler Aurora, all the chapters and formations resolved strongly to carry forward the call “Resolve the root causes of the 33-year armed conflict! Resume the Formal GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations Now!” This demand will be written on the SCMP’s simultaneous “streamer hanging” on 2 December and will be the central campaign on SCMP’s Education, Media Advocacy and Ecumenical and International Solidarity.

2002 November

National Council Meeting

The SCMP held a National Council meeting on 5-7 November at the Palaui Island, Cagayan province in Northern Luzon, and the theme was “Planting the Seeds of Grassroots Ecumenism”.

The theme was inspired by the revitalised involvement of the local chapters to different member organisations of the Kalipunan ng Kristiyanong Kabataan sa Pilipinas (Philippine Christian Youth Federation or PCYF) and Ecumenical Asia-Pacific Students and Youth Network (EASYNet).

In less than a year, six new Regional Ecumenical Youth Assemblies, the regional formation of PCYF, was established nationwide. Meanwhile, SCMers in Davao City in Southern Mindanao Region took the initiative of forming the EASYNet-Philippines in Davao, the very first local formation in the region. Ecumenical cooperation, where SCMers take the initiatives, is not only being felt in the national and regional level but also at the university level.

As poverty and injustices in the Philippines continue to worsen, Christian students and youth organisations will always find a reason to cooperate and contribute in the realisation of Shalom.

2002 March

Ecumenical Youth Forum

SCM-Philippines launched the Ecumenical Youth Forum (EYF) that aims to serve as venue of Christian students, workers and church youth to tackle issues encircling “terrorism”. The EYF is a network of young people that oppose the Sept 11 terrorist attack in the US, uncovers some myth like the justness of US-led war of retaliation in Afghanistan and the underlying reasons on US presence and military involvement in the Philippine soil in the guise of fusing out the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The EYF has launched two major activities: the first is the ecumenical sportsfest called “Anti-Balikatan Exercises”, a parody of the current “military exercises” between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and US forces last March 2, 2002. The second is the all-leaders forum-dialogue of the EYF-initiating organisations last March 9.