The National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF), led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), conducted a forum in celebration of the International Day of Families on Saturday, 19 May 2012, with the theme, “Ensuring Work-Family Balance”.
Over 200 family advocates representing the different sub-committees of the NCFF participated in the forum which was held in the cultural hall of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provident Village, Marikina City. Undersecretary Alicia R. Bala of the DSWD welcomed the participants and emphasized the role righteous parents play in the rearing up children who will become good citizens in the country and the need to strengthen the traditional family--a basic unit of society.
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Ms. Rosario B. Dela Rosa of Kaisahang Buhay Foundation presented the theme. She mentioned that the word, family, stands for “father and mother, I love you”. Then she encouraged everyone there to tell parents often that they love them.
The International Day of Families is observed annually on the 15th of May as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in a 1993 resolution. This year’s theme emphasizes that “work-family balance lies at the core of the ability of the family to provide economically and emotionally for its members.” The UN calls on States to “share knowledge about good practices in work-family balance being implemented and advocated for by Governments, private sector, civil society and academic institutions.”
Elder Benson Misalucha, Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presented a message on the topic of balancing work and family life. He mentioned three ways to help achieve success in balancing your life. He felt the best way to accomplish this was to:
- Commit to what matters most
- Dedicate time and attention
- Say “NO” as needed to things of lesser importance
As part of his explanations, Elder Misalucha encouraged those present to take time to play with their families, have daily family prayer, regular scripture reading as a family, and hold weekly family home evenings. He referred to the Proclamation on the Family and the special Philippine edition of the Family Enrichment Manual, both of which were offered to those in attendance. Every copy was taken.
The Philippine Constitution recognizes the family as the foundation of the nation, and this nation is known for giving importance to strong family ties. The National Committee on the Filipino Family is encouraging all sectors nationwide to conduct activities to commemorate this international event aimed at strengthening families worldwide.
NCFF is composed of representatives from government agencies (DILG, DepEd, DOH, NEDA, NYC, CWC, CHED and PIA); faith-based organizations (The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints); and non-government organizations (the Kaisahang Buhay Foundation, NorFil, and Pro-Life Philippines). United in advocating the Filipino value of strong family ties, the NCFF supports measures promoting, protecting and enhancing the quality of family life.