Dann, Kublai, Kunta, Elia, Joji, LJ, Maan, and Eli: We spent our vacation together like one family.
Kublai Millan builds Peace, shares Love, and expresses Joy through his visual arts. He is a respected sculptor in Mindanao. He is known for his giant sculptures like the 50-foot high “Kampilan” (the sword of Sultan Kudarat) which is the center piece of the municipal park in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. He also designed and built the 50-foot high “The Risen Christ” at the Catholic Church in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. More local government leaders and corporate executives are commissioning him to design their city halls, parks, corporate centres, and other tourist areas. Kublai is also an art photographer, a painter, digital artist, and a performance artist.
Maan Chua is a composer, guitarist, percussionist, and vocalist. She is the youngest member of a popular group called Mebuyan. Maan is also a multi-instrumentalist. She played the lead in EarthMusic Foundation’s concert-theater play “Salima.” She won Best Solo Artist in Musika del Sur’s 2007 Music Awards, first place in Global Cooling: Mothers for Peace Singout and Songwriting Competition for her “Dahon, Puno, Ugat, Lupa”, and Best Interpreter in the same competition. Also a craftswoman, Maan produces works of art during her free time, and is a folk singer.
Kublai and Maan are a beautiful couple and are blessed with two young sons, Kubing and Kunta.
Maan and her younger son, Kunta: Our family vacation at Lake Sebu
We are blessed and enriched as persons to be considered as friends of Kublai and Maan. Joji and I have been fans of Kublai and Maan years before we met them. We were introduced to them by friends from the Talaandig First Nations. Since then, we have shared our dreams, our journeys, and our shared visions. They have become like a family to us.
For the past two years, Kublai has been leading the university students serving as volunteers at PeaceBuilders Community in the production and publication of a set of children’s coloring book on Love, Joy, and Peace. It was finally launched last Monday, February 13, 2012, at Davao’s biggest, brand new shopping centre–The Abreeza Mall.
This is a giant billboard displayed along Sandawa Bridge, one of Davao's major traffic routes. A smaller billboard is also displayed at the Davao International Airport, seen by arriving passengers.
This set of coloring books will be sold to popular book stores, to the Department of Education as values formation materials, and to business corporations who want to advocate values formation among children.
Kublai hopes that peace-building will happen in our homes, where children are learning fundamental values that will affect their lives as individuals and as communities.
Kublai and Maan bring fresh, positive and creative energies affecting our lives and the life of PeaceBuilders Community. Together, we will advance Peace and Reconciliation in our land with renewed joy and strength from the Spirit of God!
