Mapúa MCL’s ASEAN Month Event Launches with Enthusiasm for 2030 SDGs
By: Zoe Grace E. Buergo
Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna (Mapúa MCL) takes pride in the successful two-day event conducted as part of the ASEAN Month Celebration with the Global Festival of Action theme on August 30-31, 2023. The event focused on advancing cross-cultural dialogue, developing community, and increasing knowledge of the ASEAN Sustainable Development Goals among students and professors. The festival promised an educational experience for all Mapúans with various plenary discussions and entertainment.
Last August 30 and 31, 2023, Mapúa MCL conducted a two-day event in celebration of the ASEAN Month with the theme, Global Festival of Action. The activities aimed to advance cross-cultural dialogue, develop community, and increase awareness on the different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The festival’s objective was not only to entertain but to be an educational experience for all Mapúans.
Through this event, the Global Mapúa Malayans who have immersed themselves in new cultures made connections with diverse people and introduced our own culture at Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA and Universitas Esa Unggul (UEU) in Jakarta, Indonesia this 2023 was also recognized. The first day of the ASEAN Month Celebration showcased a series of Sustainable Development Goals Exhibits that highlighted relevant research and projects aligned with the SDGs at the E.T. Yuchengco Lobby, where the Tourism Management Program of E.T. Yuchengco College of Business (ETYCB) students also participated in showcasing their creativity.
During the opening, the Office for External Relations and Global Linkages (OERGL) and the ETYCB recognized the students who actively participated in the immersion programs of Arizona State University (ASU) in Texas, USA and Universitas Esa Unggul (UEU) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Through the Cintana Education alliance, these students were given the opportunity to connect with other cultures and have new global experiences.
The Tourism Management Program Chair Prof. Merle U. Ruiz introduced SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production, that increased personal responsibility so that resources never go to waste but are instead recycled. Prof. Ruiz explained the significance of the SDGs throughout the dialogue by using methods other than the traditional linear economy (reduce, reuse, recycle). The Circular Economy (Design, Production, Retail, Consumption, Reuse and repair, Collection, Recycling), a model of production and consumption highlighted by Prof. Ruiz, raised awareness of how vital it is to become more involved with achieving SDG #12 in the way we live through our everyday choices, which could have an impact on every species living on the planet.
To address SDG #3: Good Health and Well-being, Dr. Maschelle Anne S. Nanit, the Mapua MCL School Physician from the Center for Health Services and Wellness, talked comprehensively about its specific targets as well as the government’s efforts to ensure that the targets are achieved by 2030. Dr. Nanit undoubtedly neutralized the taboo around the open discussion of reproductive and maternal health, which is particularly important for ensuring good health. Infectious diseases were emphasized throughout the session, but more so, the non-communicable illness that people are unaware of is suicide. Dr. Nanit stressed in the end with a message of hope that individuals should maintain healthy lives and utilize available resources.
Inequality persists in today’s world in all areas of life. Prof. Nathan Daniel V. Sison, a Faculty Member of the College of Arts and Science, shed light through SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities on this persistent social problem by identifying inequality’s underlying causes and categorizing it as a long-standing problem also prevalent in history. Inequality has many forms, conditioned on how it affects us physically, financially, or even our social standing. But the fundamental question he raised in his remarks was, “Can we achieve equality for everyone?” He boldly responded, “Yes,” but only if economic, political, and social policies are created globally, focusing on the needs of marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Prof. Nathan further pointed out that to minimize inequality, we must empower what we currently have through access to information.
Even though the Global Festival of Action has just started, it has already developed into an invaluable opportunity for professionals to educate students on the Sustainable Development Goals, which promoted action to be a healthy, empowered, and sustainable consumer. After all the sessions the students attended, they were encouraged to visit the ETY lobby to write and think of their SDG Commitment Goal.