“Young Filipinos Shout for World Peace” poster-making and poetry-writing contest

The Peace poster-making and poetry-writing contest was organized as a Peace Day Event by the Jr. Greenwatchers Club MustLOVEtrees Network, a group of high school girls from St. Scholastica Academy in Bacolod City, Philippines, as their way of celebrating the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21.

Here are the winning entries and the names of the young Filipino poets:

1ST PLACE
To Fight a War
Shayne A. Exito

What is hope?
Dreams left dead and broken
What is peace?
Unreachable...forgotten

He hears the ring of gunfire
And sees the bloodied skies
The wake of chaos
The truth beyond the lies

She walks across the battlefield
Silent, lone and proud
Yet with a will so strong and clear
Louder than a crowd

They meet among the fallen
And she reaches for his hand
Clasped, they raise it to the sky
And in victory they stand

What is hope?
The light of tomorrow's sun
What is peace?
It is freedom hard won.

2ND PLACE
The Optimist
Alyssa Jade Sandoval

Many a year ago, in this land filled with darkness,
A father once believed, that one thing would put an end to this madness.
But as weeks and months had gone by,
This father who believed, began to cry.
For he saw his dreams dying before his eyes.

The father had gone old, thus, telling his son,
"I am to die soon, something must be done."
"What is it father? What is it that you want?"
"Live the dream - for me and for your fellowmen,
and for you, too, take caution for the road uncertain."

The father had passed, leaving his son.
Will he give in? Will he give up?
Is his father's guidance enough to get im to that mountain's top?
The son is determined, strong-willed, and driven
He is preparing and planning for the risks to be undertaken.

The world is getting gloomy, darker, and dreary.
The people in here are so cold and stinky!
Our world, oh sweet nibblets, don't you see it falling?
The peace and the love, I see them both fading.
The youth, right now, I hear them crying!

One secret I bequeath to you,
Is that, I am the son, the son of the dreamer
With no wealth, no shoes made of leather!
All I have are dreams, dreams that reach the sky.
Losing nothing at all, I think it's best for me to try.

Give love! Give love not just on Christmas Day.
Give it to anyone, on every, and any day!
I'm sure it'll help those who drown in dismay.
Smile and love! These are antidotes that can promote world peace.
Try it. You'll see. It's just easy and so worry-free!

I am the son, the dreamer-slash-believer.
Believing that achieving world peace, won't take forever!
"Imagine" - that's what John Lennon said, and "DO" - is what I'm saying now.
For tomorrow, we shall wake to that peace we've all been waitng for.
-Lingering in the depths of eternal happiness and yore.

3RD PLACE
Young Filipinos - Shout for World Peace!
Reyzelle Marie B. Realista

I am but a child, so small and so weak
Peace. love and tranquility is what I seek
A young, innocent youth is what I am
But respect and dignity is what I demand

The world we live in is changing before our very eyes
In every dark corner, we hear pleads, sorrow, yells, and cries
The war and torment,
Illusions are what they may seem
In every fired gunshot, a child loses his dream

Bombs of black, bombs of gray
They ignite the fire, the fuel and the hate
Hate is what's going on day by day
How much longer will we have to sit and wait?

How long until we see a rainbow in the sky?
How long until we'll be able to spread our wings and fly?
Can we still even endure this pain thrust upon us?
Or is there still hope to find somebody to trust?
Someone who has the courage to chase the shadows away
So we can live our lives peacefully night and day

Why not now? Why not us?
To fight for our freedom, for our rights we must
Instead of doing nothing and wondering what could have been
If we put our minds and hearts together and live the Filipino dream

So stand up young Filipinos and shout for world peace!
Stand up, and let your voices be heard!
Stand up, and shout to the world!
We are Filipinos, so brave and so proud
In an ocean of fear and a sea of torment, we will not drown
If we fall, we'll get up once again
To protect this land our forefathers gave their lives,
We will fight till the very end.