Tag: joji pantoja
The Davao Regional Coffee Expo 2025 (DRCE 2025) has left me deeply moved—not only by the knowledge shared, but by the spirit of unity that flowed through every session, exhibit, and conversation. I witnessed farmers embrace new tools for climate resilience, women take their rightful place as leaders in the coffee value chain, and researchers bridge science with the lived realities of rural communities. What struck me most was how coffee became more than a crop; it became a story of culture, resilience, and collaboration. Listening to farmers, entrepreneurs, baristas, and academics share their hopes and innovations, I saw a vision of a future where coffee sustains both livelihood and community. For me, DRCE 2025 was not simply an event—it was a movement planting seeds of empowerment, sustainability, and peace, with ripples that will continue to transform lives across Davao and beyond.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/09/05/from-farm-to-future-the-transformative-impact-of-drce-2025-on-mindanaos-coffee-sector/
The National Social Entrepreneurship Conference (NSEC) 2025, held on 29-30 April 2025 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, was a transformative gathering of over 500 changemakers—social entrepreneurs, government leaders, academics, grassroots advocates, and impact investors—committed to building a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through social enterprise. It was spearheaded by four remarkable institutions—the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSEnt), the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), the University of the Philippines Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI), and the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PReSEnt) Coalition. The conference highlighted both the urgency of our nation’s social and ecological challenges and the powerful role that over 164,000 social enterprises across the country are playing in response. With its theme, “Scaling Change: Advances of Social Enterprises in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development,” the event served not only as a platform for sharing solutions and innovations, but also as a celebration of resilience, collaboration, and our shared responsibility to center people, planet, and purpose in economic life.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/05/05/scaling-change-from-the-heart-my-reflections-on-the-national-entrepreneurship-conference-2025/
Over the past decade, significant efforts have been made to promote gender justice and economic empowerment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), with Bangsamoro women playing a crucial role in peacebuilding and development. Oxfam and The Asia Foundation (TAF), supported by the Australian Government, have implemented programs that provide marginalized women with training, mentorship, and access to financial resources to help them thrive as entrepreneurs. These initiatives culminated in the Bangsamoro WEE Learning Exchange in 17-19 February 2025, which highlighted policy support, Islamic Finance, and inclusive growth strategies. As a panelist at this event, I shared insights from my work with Coffee for Peace and PeaceBuilders Community, reinforcing my belief in the transformative power of inclusive economic growth as a path to lasting peace in the region.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/02/20/building-peace-through-empowerment-the-role-of-bangsamoro-women/
Last 15-20 November 2024, Rev. Norman Dyck led a Mennonite delegation on a Partnership Appreciation Tour in Mindanao. The tour featured a series of impactful activities aimed at strengthening relationships and celebrating shared commitments to peacebuilding. Our itinerary: (a) dedication of the Malipayon Peace Hub in Davao del Sur, led by Bagobo Tagabawa and Talaandig tribal elders; (b) Sunday worship service at Managa Alliance Church; (c) reflective visit to the Bagobo Tagabawa Peace Shrine; (d) learning tour of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government center; (e) dialogue with the commander and leaders of Camp Darapanan, headquarters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and finally, (f) bonding with the Baraguir Clan of the Maguindanao Sultanate. This Partnership Appreciation Tour deepened companionships and highlighted the importance of collaboration in advancing peace, justice, and reconciliation in Mindanao, Philippines.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/11/22/canadian-mennonite-delegation-joins-mindanao-peace-workers-to-strengthen-partnerships/
21-22 September 2024, Davao City, Philippines. The Davao Regional Coffee Expo 2024 (DRCE24) welcomed local coffee farmers, industry leaders, and enthusiasts, marking a pivotal moment in Region 11’s rise as one of the Philippines’ top Arabica coffee producers. Organized by the Davao Regional Coffee Council, the expo, held in the heart of Davao City, brought together key players in the coffee sector to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and strategize on improving the quality and competitiveness of the region’s coffee products. In her opening remarks, Ms. Felicitas “Joji” Pantoja, President of the Davao Regional Coffee Council and Chair & President of Coffee for Peace, Inc., emphasized the vital role coffee plays in the local economy. She called for continued efforts to elevate production standards, aligning them with global demand.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/09/23/davao-regional-coffee-expo-2024-empowering-local-farmers-and-elevating-coffee-standards/
The Department of Sociology and Developmental Studies at Ateneo de Davao University has extended an invitation for us to collaborate as a partner in their Sociology Practicum Program. This program is designed to enrich students’ understanding of the social world by offering them hands-on experience through work with real communities, organizations, or institutions. The Sociology Practicum Program bridges academic learning with structured, supervised work experience, allowing students to apply classroom theories and principles in real-world settings. Through this integration, students are not only trained in the practical use of research and project management but are also guided in developing problem-solving skills rooted in sociological concepts.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/07/29/coffee-for-peace-accepts-ateneo-de-davao-universitys-sociology-students-as-interns/
Last 12 October to 12 November, Joseph “Boyet”Ongkiko, Tala Alngag Bautista, and I went through a cross-Canada tour, sharing the story of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) and Coffee for Peace (CFP). It was a time of face-to-face visits with our friends and supporters, celebrating our accomplishments together as partners in the work of PBCI and CFP. It was also a time to share the vision of establishing a permanent home of PBCI and CFP in one location we refer to as Malipayon Peace Hub. We started in Eastern Canada, then westward to Central Canada, and concluding the tour in British Columbia. Our message as a team is threefold: I presented the journey of PBCI-CFP from 2006 to the present. Boyet shared the new vision of educating young leaders from Indigenous Peoples’ communities through IncluDev. Tala shared her vision for the next generation Peace and Reconciliation initiatives framed in decolonization.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2023/11/15/our-speaking-and-meeting-tour-across-canada-was-mutually-enriching-and-energizing/
