LEADERS of industry, gurus of civil society and key education officials got together on February 17 for “Lead the Change 2010,” a forum organized by Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) with guest of honor Peggy Dulany Rockefeller. The event aimed to collectively arrive at a plan of action to help fight worsening poverty in the Philippines.

KCFI president and executive director Rina Lopez Bautista offered Knowledge Channel, the first all-educational television channel on cable, satellite and new media, as a tool for leading the change necessary to arrest poverty through quality education.

Support for ETV Citing the continuing deterioration of the public educational system which threatens the source of workers and managers, Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML) meanwhile called on his colleagues in business to continue to invest in education and people for “better dividends through better productivity.” At “Lead the Change 2010,” guests were divided into groups which tackled discussions on education, environment, governance, health, peace and population over a sit-down dinner with members of KCFI’s board of trustees and prominent members of civil society sector facilitating. Each group came up with recommendations on how to best utilize Knowledge Channel to help solve issues related to the event’s themes— education, environment, governance, population, and poverty.

Improve math, reading programs
Bankers Roberto Panlilio of JP Morgan and Simon Paterno of Credit Suisse sat at one of four education tables facilitated by ex-Undersecretary and KCFI trustee Mike Luz. They agreed that programs aired over Knowledge Channel should be more entertaining, interactive and focused on learners’ needs. The group also recommended that good values such as respect, integrity and honesty, and right conduct should be more prominent in its programs and proposed to concentrate on improving programs in reading and math.

ICT in conflict areas
The peace group, led by Fely Soledad, executive director of the Philippine Council for NGO Certification, and Atty. Eric Puno for their part actively espoused the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in conflict areas to enable warring factions to get to know each other deeper and build trust amongst themselves. Citing PeaceTech, an ICT program used in Serbia years ago to wage peace, the group agreed that ICT could be used effectively to bring down the walls between people, so to speak. Specifically, the group recommended the following: present programs, characters and situations that Moslems can relate to; produce educational programs highlighting peacekeeping efforts and humanitarian issues in Mindanao; and feature a benevolent datu, a role model who embodies the values that KCh wants to promote. Partnering for change In closing, Lopez-Bautista reiterated her offer of partnering with Knowledge Channel for change.

“We offer a partnership that could reach not just a growing population of 20 million young Filipinos, but their parents, their siblings, and their communities as well. An opportunity to help our young educate themselves, and have their families involved. An opportunity to help them develop competitive skills and the right values to equip them in facing a fierce world. An opportunity to do all that in a large systematic way,” she said.