"If you give me a challenge, let me have the children of the Abu Sayyaf," declared Mrs. Soliven, founder of the Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center in the Philippines, the largest Montessori center in the world, at the Gusi Peace Prize awards the other night. She is also secretary-general of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.
"We have helped poor preschoolers in seven poor districts of Manila. In the past 20 years, their absorbent minds were easily conditioned to love work and order, to be independent and friendly. They will learn to believe," Soliven said, pointing out that child education for the poor could change the children’s outlook in life in the future.
A non-stock, non-profit foundation, the Gusi Peace Prize hopes to approximate the honor and respect accorded to the Nobel Peace Prize of Norway as the foundation continues to recognize, honor and bring pride and dignity to deserving peacemakers and achievers worldwide.
It was started by the late Capt. Gemeniano Javier Gusi, the father of Barry Gusi, chairman of the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation.
Four Filipinos were among the 13 awardees this year — singer-composer Jose Mari Chan, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn, newspaper executive Ma. Alexandra Prieto Romualdez and child welfare crusader Regina Paz "Gina" Lopez.
The awards were conferred in jam-packed rites at the Tejeros Hall of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Theater at Camp Aguinaldo Quezon City Tuesday night. Mrs. Soliven delivered the keynote address.
The awardees received their awards from Gusi and his wife Dr. Evelyn Tantamco-Gusi and STAR chairman and publisher Max Soliven, a Gusi Peace awardee in 2003.
"I will receive this award on behalf of the Filipino songwriters who are struggling against piracy," Chan, a haciendero (large landowner) turned musician-composer from Negros Occidental, told The STAR in an earlier interview.
"Music is like medicine, like physics, like economics… it touches the lives of people round the world. It is indeed an honor that I am one of the awardees," he said.
For his part, Hagedorn said he was honored that his efforts to protect the country’s western frontier from environmental degradation merited international recognition, including the Gusi Peace Prize award.
As mayor of Puerto Princesa City, Hagedorn, a college dropout, transformed the city into one of the cleanest and greenest in the country. To achieve this he launched a crackdown on illegal logging operations and put up sustained environmental programs to protect the forests and seas of Palawan.
Under his term, Puerto Princesa City became the recipient of 40 environmental awards, including the 500 Roll of Honor Awardees of the United Nations.
\Aside from Chan, Hagedorn, Lopez and Romualdez, this year’s Gusi Peace Prize awardees included Dr. Anthony C.H. Wong, of Hong Kong for economics; George Dovellos of Greece for business and humanitarianism; Sister Arlene Riccio and Sisters of St. Mary of Providence of Italy, for social services; US Rep. Madeline Bordallo for governance and legislation; Akbar Kha of India for cinema; Archbishop Nikitas Lulias of Greece for religion; David Bussau of Australia for humanitarianism; Suvedra Natarajan of India for medicine; Prof. Li Qi of the People’s Republic for China for visual arts; Maria Coop of Australia for Women’s Rights; and Malcolm Prowse of Australia for human rights.
Foreign dignitaries from across the globe and local key personalities graced the event and were welcomed by Gusi and his wife Evelyn.
The ceremony began with the entry of colors by cadets from the Ateneo de Manila, followed by a presentation of native tribal dances performed by Pangkat Kalinangan Dance Troupe.
Making the event more meaningful was the presence of people of different views and leanings: former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Bishop Teodoro Bacani, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, former censorship board chief Manoling Morato, "Asia’s Queen of Songs" Pilita Corrales, to name a few.
Actor Mat Ranillo III, along with Marilynn Tan, emceed the ceremonies.
In her keynote address, Mrs. Soliven issued a call for everybody to continue working to uplift the welfare and education of underprivileged mothers and children around the world.
Looking after the largest Montessori school operation of 5,000 students around the world, Mrs. Soliven is deeply involved in working to educate children and address the welfare of underprivileged mothers and children.
One of her invaluable contributions to Philippine education is the instilling of "independence" in Filipino children from early childhood to adolescence using the Montessori system of learning.
She also made Montessori learning affordable to village mothers by establishing a post-literacy course known as the OB Montessori "Pagsasarili" Literacy Twin Project.
These literacy programs were initially conducted in depressed areas in Manila and are now in full swing in the Angeles Pulong Bulo public school in Central Luzon.
Buoyed by the result of this endeavor, Mrs. Soliven declared that even the young children of rebels who are placed in the Montessori Pagsasarili "prepared environment" could be transformed within a month.