REACHING out to the kids of conflict-torn Marawi City will be among the goals The Children’s Games.
And this will take place next week when the Philippine Sports Institute holds it in Iligan City.
Children who were evacuated with their families when conflict between the military and rebels erupted in Marawi last month are the participants.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said this before he went into a meeting with Caroline Baxter Tresise, UNESCO’s Consultant on Youth and Sport Social and Human Sciences.
“Excited on this journey. It’s one of the important elements of the grassroots sports program,” said Ramirez, who attended the PSC Coordinators’ Meeting which will map out the direction of the Children’s Games.
Now that the Games are finished in Davao City, and is set to be held in Benguet, organizers are bracing for its more challenging staging in Iligan City.
“It happened that we have a problem in Marawi City. It’s conflict area. It’s just timely, and perhaps, this is one prescription where we can bridge the gap between Christian and Muslims,” said Ramirez.
Officials of the PSC are set to discuss the Children’s Games in next week’s Ministerial Conference for Sports to be held in Kazan, Russia.
Tressise said their initial meetings with the PSI through national training director Marc Velasco have been fruitful.
She said the Unesco is ready to work for the development of peace projects across the country with the PSC.
“It is our expectation to reach a global consensus on key themes and policy areas that are shaping sports for development,” Tressise stated.
She said the UNESCO will use the Philippines as an example on how it should be done.
They are hoping to align the UNESCO program with the national sports policy of the PSC.
