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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| November 1, 2004 |
Global University, Unit One – Taking a look at Japan from a Filipino perspective |
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| A group of the Global University students out on deck (Photo by Erik Liongoren) |
Since the start of the 47th voyage, the participants joining the Global University (GU) programme have been busy attending seminars, lectures and on land exposure tours. The goal of the GU programme is to help students - through studying various global issues - develop the knowledge and skills to become active in civil society organizations and issues at the grassroots level. Students often join this programme to broaden their horizons, which can lead them to NGO work, post-graduate studies or jobs as teachers. The students on board the 47th voyage come from all walks of life, range from 18 to 66 years in age and will be studying three main global issues: US bases in Asia, HIV in South Africa and landless farmers in Brazil. The curriculum has a three-fold learning syllabus based on seminars to give students background information, exposure tours in the ports of call, and feedback sessions to wrap things up. After each unit, GU students present their findings in unit presentations open to all onboard. |
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| GU students with locals at a street demonstration in the Philippines |
The two onboard GU coordinators, Shigehiro Goda and Suzuki Takashi, began the GU programme with a series of onboard seminars and guest speaker lectures in order to prepare the students for their study and exposure programme in the Philippines. Only ten days into the voyage, the GU students gave their first presentation to the rest of the ship, based on their experiences in the Philippines and seminars by guest speaker Kiyokazu Koshida. Contributing to the presentation were two members from Peace Boat's Asian History Project Team (AHPT), which works to publish history study materials that reflect the diversity of war experiences and suffering across Asia. |
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In the presentation, the GU students focused on what they had so far learnt about US bases in Japan and the Philippines. Before arriving in Subic Bay, the GU students examined information on the 38 US bases in Okinawa in the south of Japan, learning about the resulting noise, water and air pollution on these tropical islands. Despite the opposition of many locals to the serious environmental degradation caused by the bases, the Japanese government refuses to take steps to reduce on Okinawa. Familiarity with the situation in Okinawa helped GU students relate to the problems of the local people in Subic Bay. During the exposure tour, the GU group took part in a press conference organized by 12 local Filipino NGOs and learned a great deal from the testimonies of locals who had once worked at the US base. |
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| A child affected by the local contamination in Subic Bay |
Students were shocked to find that the local fishermen of Subic Bay were not informed of the toxic waste in the surrounding waters and that the Philippine government does not support awareness campaigns to inform local people of this contamination and its dangers. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are toxins which multiply and cannot be broken down. These POPs heavily contaminate Subic Bay's environment and can result in leukemia, cerebral palsy, heart disease and human deformities. It was an emotional time for the students, as they visited the centre of the Alliance for Bases Clean-up (ABC) and learned of the children who have died and are dying from these diseases. |
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| Manny Torres, a worker at the US base at Subic Bay for 17 years |
One of the major questions of GU students in regards to base abolition concerned the employment that military bases bring. However, they learned from the Filipino people they met that day that while there were 40,000 people employed on the former US base, there are now more than 53,000 jobs in Subic Bay. This knowledge gave the students the confidence and evidence they needed to protest against the Okinawa bases on their return to Japan. As they took part in a local demonstration, campaigning for bases clean-up, they were infused with energy and power to make a change back in Japan. "We have a lot to learn from these people who, through people power, were able to free themselves from US military occupation of their land. We must take this spirit back to Japan and the people of Okinawa to show them that urgent action is needed. We can use the local people's testimonies in the Philippines to show them that they must not fear change and unemployment." |
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| Guest educator Kiyokazu Koshida |
Guest educator Kiyokazu Koshida, an expert on the Philippines, was impressed by the hard work and solid understanding of all those involved. He stressed the importance of communicating these findings to as many people as possible. Although sad to be leaving the ship in Singapore, he was happy to have contributed to GU students' understanding of this serious issue.
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