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| SGI Around the World |
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[Courtesy, October 2004 SGI Quarterly] |
| Philippines |
| Empowering Youth in Philippine Society |
| By Manuel Urrutia |
Soka Gakkai International of the Philippines first took root in Philippine society in early 1959, and the organization takes as its starting point a brief visit by SGI President Ikeda in 1964. It facilitates the faith, practice and study of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings throughout the Philippines. It exists to support and empower each member's faith, thereby enabling each person to attain his or her individual happiness.
At present the organization has a total of 11,000 members with "activity centers" or culture centers located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with a total of 35 chapters nationwide.
Based on a desire to help and assist humankind to overcome suffering caused by the ills of our society, the members of SGI-Philippines have engaged in activities centered on the Buddhist belief in the sanctity of life.
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| Youth for Peace |
The youth members are very active in their endeavor to promote peace activities based on the ideas of SGI President Ikeda. Every Sunday evening they have a radio program on the local radio station which is entitled "Let's Talk About Soka." In this one-hour program they introduce the various dialogues that SGI President Ikeda has had with noted scholars, as well as Buddhist perspectives on such issues as education, medicine and politics. The show frequently receives positive feedback from listeners.
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| During the "Let's Talk About Soka" radio show |
Furthermore, the youth have joined other cause-oriented organizations every year to commemorate "Earth Day." They have been holding activities such as grassroots-level exhibits and distributions of reading materials to educate their fellow citizens with regard to the benefits of preserving the environment.
In Mindanao, the young men of SGI-Philippines have planted numerous trees in response to an appeal for reforestation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. In recognition of their efforts, the North Mindanao Region has assigned a two-hectare site in the Malasag Hills to SGI-Philippines, designating it "SGI Hill."
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| Earth Charter Activities |
In order to promote the values and principles for a sustainable future in the Earth Charter, our members have been holding dialogues with various groups and individuals at the local level, working with local and national institutions supporting the Earth Charter in the Philippines. The launch of this activity took place at the Grand Culture Center in Tagaytay in January 2000 with key figures in the Earth Charter movement in attendance. Members active in the men's and women's groups have established a strong foundation in these activities.
SGI-Philippines has also made donations of SGI President Ikeda's books, including his dialogues, essays and children's books, to the National Library, other government agencies, universities and colleges and also to small public schools.
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| Children's "Anime" |
In recent years Philippine television has been showing anime (animated films) from Japan dubbed in the Pilipino language that expose children to high levels of violence. Worried about the influence of violent animes on young children, SGI-Philippines decided to dub one of SGI President Ikeda's children's animations in the Pilipino language and promote it. We chose The Prince and the Sea of Corals, which has a touching message about the importance of caring for the sea and the creatures that live in it.
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| A banner publicizing the "Happy Tales" series |
When this anime was shown to our members, they expressed sincere approval for the values that were taught in it and the positive impact it would have on children, as it teaches the need to treasure life and the environment.
In November of 2002, Edgardo Roces, president of the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children's Television, a foundation promoting creative television for children, and Mag Cruz Hatol, secretary general, visited Shinano Video in Japan and viewed various animes written by Mr. Ikeda. They were impressed by the values taught in these videos, and proposed that they be shown in the Philippines.
The premiere showing of The Prince and the Sea of Corals was on April 8, 2003, when guests from the government, television and other media together with educators viewed the film at the SGI-Philippines culture center.
Various newspapers wrote about the premiere, and the response of guests and the media was highly favorable.
A number of television stations then expressed interest in broadcasting the animes. In cooperation with the SGI, Shinano Video and the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children's Television, a bidding was held for the broadcast rights to 15 of Mr. Ikeda's animes with six major TV stations participating. GMA 7, the second largest television network in the Philippines, won the bidding and then undertook the translation of the videos into Pilipino.
The airing of the video series, entitled "Happy Tales," took place from July 14 to July 30, 2004, from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM daily. The ratings received were very high, with audience participation at 56 percent. Due to the positive response of the audience and the high ratings it received, a rerun of the series took place immediately, and the last episode of "Happy Tales" was shown on August 20.
Arrangements are underway to promote these videos in various schools all over the country.
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| Young Women's Seminars |
The young women members' activities are centered on empowering each member with a strong character and good health. For this reason they have undertaken a series of "Soka Seminars" held at the SGI-Philippines culture center. In March, in a seminar entitled "Let's Talk About Beauty and Fashion," very well-known guest speakers were invited to give a series of lectures and interviews. The audience were both members and their guests, and they were given tips on cosmetics and fashion, but it was stressed that the most important factor behind beauty is the inner resolve of the individual, whether she or he is truly experiencing joy within her or his life. It was stressed that the practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism could be a source of this joy.
In May, the second series was conducted, entitled "Let's Talk About Health and Fitness." This seminar introduced the necessity of maintaining good physical health through exercise and regular medical checkups. It also introduced the experiences of members who have overcome physical sickness through the power of their Buddhist faith.
In November of this year the series of seminars will be concluded with "Let's Talk About Financial Independence" wherein noted experts on finance will be guest speakers. They will discuss the present economic situation of the nation and give lectures on how individuals or families can survive in today's financial situation. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of accumulating spiritual good fortune in one's life as the basis for maintaining good financial stability for oneself and one's family.
The series of seminars highlights the importance of one's own inner reformation in terms of accumulating what Buddhism calls "treasures of the heart," ultimately more valuable than treasures of the body and material wealth. |
| Moving Forward |
This year marks a significant moment for the SGI-Philippines movement of contributing to the peace and flourishing of Philippine society and the preservation of the natural environment, as it commemorates the 40th anniversary of its efforts toward these goals. It hopes for more active progress from now on in order to realize the founding spirit of the SGI in the Philippines.
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| The view from the SGI-Philippines Grand Culture Center in Tagaytay |
Website URL: http://www.sgi.org.ph
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