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Philippines Study Tour Report

2012年9月8日更新

（Talking to workers at the nongovernmental
organization San Pablo）

From Sunday, September 2 to Saturday, September 8, 2012, a group of nine undergraduate and graduate students took part in an international study tour in the Philippines. The tour, centering on the National Capital Region around Manila and the Province of Iloilo, was carried out as part of the activities of the Global Collaboration Center’s special project “Developing an Intercollegiate Network for Peacebuilding in a Global Society.”

Prior to departure, participants took part in a series of study sessions in which they acquired a basic knowledge of the history, society, and culture of the Philippines, as well as issues that are linked to their own fields of study and personal interest. As a group, participants reviewed the background literature on the organizations and sites on their itinerary and gained a general picture of the situation on the ground. Armed with this information, the group traveled to the Philippines and visited a variety of organizations and programs involved with public health, social participation by persons with disabilities, and poverty in the Philippines. Highlights of the trip included the University of the Philippines; the Philippines office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific; collaborative projects involving JICA, the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, and the Iloilo Provincial Government; a project involving Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers; and the Philippine-Japan NGO Love Our Own Brethren (LOOB).

（Briefing on the activities of the NGO LOOB）

Each stop included a briefing on the organization’s major activities, a question-and-answer session, and an on-site tour. Dedicated, knowledgeable Japanese energetically working in the front lines of international cooperation and cheerfully and passionately working people of the Philippines offered us helpful explanations and numerous questions were raised by participants. Among the more memorable sites we visited were Smokey Mountain, a huge garbage dump and where many people live and eke out a living, and a barrier-free public facility designed to encourage social participation by local people with disabilities. These visits provided opportunities to directly observe the living environment of the residents.

（Tour of the Calajunan garbage dump）

We were also deeply impressed by the way former tuberculosis patients and disabled individuals had been empowered and encouraged to play an active, voluntary role in their projects, as peers, thus becoming valued members of their community. Watching them in action gave each of us important food for thought on what it means to “live together in a global community.” The international aid officials and workers we met spoke from a variety of perspectives, but the lesson we learned from all of them is the importance of finding something that each of us can do and taking action. The tour itself was of short duration, but we are eager to build on this valuable experience by deepening our understanding of the issues as we move on to the next phase of learning, research, and action.

（Satomi ONO, first-year master’s student, Human Developmental Sciences,
Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences ）