The day was beautiful and sunny as the huge tarpaulin was laid out in the middle of the oval ground on February 15, 2010 that signaled the grand opening of the Global Peace Festival UMak-2010. The theme of the Festival was, “UMak for Peace – One Family under God”. The activity formally commenced with the ribbon cutting led by Dr. Edita I. Chan, Executive Vice-President, University of Makati.

The plan was to have ‘Human Hand Printing’ on the gigantic tarpaulin. The activity was called “Thousand Hands for Peace”; a weeklong endeavor to complete the formation of the Global Peace Festival (GPF) logo in consonance with the GPF UMak’s campaign for the promotion of peace, unity and harmony through arts on the campus level. The human hand printing itself was accomplished 3 days earlier by the school officials who made the first handprints, encouraging the student body to take ownership of the GPF’s vision of building “One Family Under God”. The fact that this was completed very quickly only further signified the unity and commitment of UMak’s faculty and its student body. GPF-UMak also aims to impact other colleges and universities to do the same and to proudly be the first to establish this powerful peace initiative.

This gigantic piece of art was also created to celebrate the National Arts Month and in preparation for UMak’s 38th Foundation Day on March 1, 2010.

The appealing message of the huge canvass on display captured the attention of faculty and students alike. At first, one could see hesitation of involvement, yet as people took steps towards it, they would begin to feel the project’s value. As they read and understood the captions on the banner, they began to grasp the purpose and became excited. Initially, individuals came one by one, and eventually they came in groups. The outpouring was unusual. There are 2,000 students and professors who signed up to participate and printed their hands on the gigantic piece of art logo. They came from the eight (8) colleges and centers of the University.