Save the Children Philippines honors staff, volunteers for selfless work in protecting children from COVID-19

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On World Humanitarian Day, Save the Children Philippines honors its staff and volunteers as they risk their lives in order to continuously reach out to the most deprived and marginalized children and families to provide life-saving interventions against COVID-19.

Despite the imminent danger of getting infected and threats of hostile environments, Save the Children staff and volunteers work hard every day in Metro Manila, Visayas, and in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao to provide hygiene kits, food packs, water, and hygiene sanitation kits, as well as other essential services.

“It breaks my heart to see my son cry as I leave to conduct humanitarian response,” said Kitty Arce, a mother and staff of Save the Children Philippines. She explained to her son about the importance of her work in providing support to children and families who do not have the means to protect themselves from COVID-19. “We need to do what we have to do to protect children of poor families from the pandemic because this is our duty.”

As part of the global celebration, Save the Children also pays tribute to its founder, Eglantyne Jebb, a teacher and humanitarian activist who took a stand on behalf of children who were bombed, starved, and raped during World War II. She founded Save the Children in 1919 and wrote the Declaration of the Rights of the Child which inspired the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, said the selfless work of staff and community volunteers have been critical to the implementation of programs to ensure children are healthy, continue to learn, and are protected from violence amid the pandemic.

“We take pride in our history of providing humanitarian work in the most difficult and risky situations in the last 100 years in more than 120 countries including the Philippines,” said Muyot. “The legacy of our founder Eglantyne Jebb lives on in our hearts through the unwavering commitment and dedication of our staff, and volunteers.”

Samarudin Samsudin, a 21-year-old volunteer of the Child Peace Movement Council (CPMC), was also inspired by Save the Children Philippines to mobilize his fellow youth in providing educational support to learners in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) who are missing out on school due to the health crisis.


His group also continues to promote the lessons taught by Save the Children Philippines in its Spaces for Peace program in partnership with the Bangsamoro Civil Society in 2017 to strengthen the protection of children from ongoing conflicts in the province of Maguindanao.

“We want to ensure that children and youth in the Bangsamoro areas are protected from all forms of abuse and violence in their communities,” said Samsudin. “As a responsible youth, it is also our duty to help and raise awareness for others, in any way we can. Our volunteer work may just be simple but we strongly believe that it could change the situation positively and save the children.”

CJ Cansino moves on, chooses to join Fighting Maroons

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After his sudden departure from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), UAAP Season 80 Juniors MVP CJ Cansino quickly moved on and chose the University of the Philippines (UP) to be his new home.

The 6-foot-2 guard known for his speed, strength and sweet shooting met with UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) manager Atty. Agaton Uvero and head coach Bo Perasol on Friday, August 21 and expressed his interest to join the Diliman-based squad.

“Unang-una sa lahat, UST is my dream school kaya nalulungkot talaga ako sa nangyari. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ang UST and thankful ako sa kanila na binigyan nila ako ng opportunity, pero I need to move on,” Cansino said.

“Noong natanggap ko na, na hindi na ako pwede sa UST, marami po akong kinausap and kinonsulta. Ang naging pakiramdam ko po ay mas bagay talaga ako sa UP, mas comfortable ako sa UP,” he added.

Perasol welcomed Cansino’s decision to join the Fighting Maroons and assured the incoming third-year guard that he will help him adjust to the new environment.

“CJ will be a great addition to ensuring the sustainability of the program, especially with possibly just one player left from last season playing for Season 84. I will personally help him make the transition to being a Fighting Maroon. CJ will definitely enjoy his stay in UP,” Perasol said.

Team manager Atty. Uvero said the UPMBT is happy to have the multi-talented former juniors star join the squad.

“We wanted him to play for UP when he graduated from UST high school two years ago, but his heart has always been with UST. We are happy and lucky that he chose to be part of the Fighting Maroons this time,” Uvero said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Qatar is Committed to Fighting ISIS Despite Exceptional Circumstances Due to COVID-19

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His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed in a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group, that despite the exceptional circumstances faced by the State of Qatar and the world because of the coronavirus (COVD-19) pandemic, the State of Qatar remains committed to combating ISIS in Iraq and Syria and to the goals of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to create conditions for a permanent defeat of the terrorist group through a comprehensive and multifaceted effort.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani considered that ISIS crimes against civilians and flagrant violations of international law require uncompromising measures and enhanced cooperation across all coalition lines to ensure the protection of civilians and to ensure that ISIS and its affiliates are unable to reconstitute any regional enclave or continue to pose an international threat to peace and security.

HE the Foreign Minister stressed that the State of Qatar is determined to continue its cooperation to achieve the necessary conditions for the recovery and stability of Iraq and Syria and to provide the necessary assistance to legitimate partners on the ground, which are now more important than ever in the context of the pandemic.

His Excellency expressed appreciation for the efforts made by the government of Iraq in the war against ISIS, which the Prime Minister declared is one of the priorities of the new government.
He said that the State of Qatar shares with its partners concern about the emerging threat posed by ISIS affiliates in particular in West Africa and the Sahel region, adding that there is a need for more coordination while addressing the root causes of this threat in those areas.

HE the Foreign Minister underlined that "We cannot fully claim that we defeated ISIS" without strong accountability mechanisms for terrorist crimes and addressing the challenges posed by foreign terrorist fighters in accordance with international law.

His Excellency pointed out that the issue of ISIS detainees and their family members in northeastern Syria is an outstanding problem that needs a comprehensive solution to it.

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani affirmed Qatar's determination to protect the collective security interests through the work of the coalition.

At the beginning of his speech, HE the Foreign Minister thanked HE the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and HE Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio for coordinating the Small Group.