HAPI Celebrates 8th Year of Advancing Humanism

By Joshua Villalobos
HAPI Scholar

Manila, Philippines / December 25, 2021 – While others are celebrating this day as the birth of the Christian God, Jesus Christ, folks from the Humanist Alliance Philippines, International celebrate its successes, milestones, and growth as this is also the date it was founded eight years ago.

Since its founding on December 25, 2013, by Marissa Torres-Langseth (fondly called Ms. M), HAPI has pursued various advocacies in different fields. Particularly, its main tenets are reflected in its logo that can be summed up as “SHARE”:

• S – Secularism of the state
• H – Humane treatment, freedom from discrimination and equality of human rights
• A – Advancement of reason, logic and sciences
• R – Respect for individuality and the democratic process
• E – Environmental humanism

As per its own description, HAPI is a not-for-profit community of progressive secular humanists from all over the world, united with common goals for the greater good of humanity. We work on an international basis but with a primary focus in the Philippines as the beneficiary of our services, possessing a vision of a happy world lifted from ignorance, chaos, and poverty.

When asked what the biggest achievement of the organization has been on its eighth anniversary, Javan Poblador, the current HAPI Chief Executive Officer said that its mere existence and presence despite the pandemic is already an achievement by itself. Moreover, he said that he takes pride in the establishment of new chapters in different parts of the country.

“The fact that HAPI was able to persist amid a global health crisis is a huge feat all on its own. While we did a lot of this year, I am most definitely proud of having the organization extend its operations to five more chapters this year: Zambales, Camarines, Sorsogon, Cavite, and Caloocan, thanks to the dedication and commitment of our new lead convenors,” said Poblador.

“It’s great to see how the organization managed to adapt to this pandemic,” he added. “Despite all the challenges thrown at us – from the cancellation of plans to limited interactions – HAPI’s enthusiasm to advance humanism never waned.”

For Ms. M(arissa) on the other hand, the biggest achievement for HAPI this year was the continuation of her HAPI Scholarship program. The scholarship provides a monthly living allowance to bright-minded young humanists. Tasked to write articles and maintain the organization’s online platforms, the Scholars are vetted and handpicked by the Founder herself.

Humanism Persisting Despite the Pandemic

While HAPI has been doing a lot of on-ground initiatives after its operations officially launched on the first day of 2014, it is mainly an online community so it didn’t need to do major adjustments when the pandemic struck. However, its offline and on-ground engagements faced challenges.

“It was definitely difficult having to strategize our plans in 2021 because of lockdowns and the emergence of new COVID variants. Resorting to online interactions was also an obstacle for us, as not everyone has stable internet connections,” Poblador recounts.

For better or worse, the pandemic also opened opportunities for HAPI; it didn’t stop the organization from doing many of its online and offline activities. “We still [managed to] conduct several online events with prominent international guest speakers; initiated a community pantry in four locations around the country; continued the secular education of children; won international grants; and more,” the CEO shared.

Overcoming challenges

Just like any other organization, HAPI also has its fair share of challenges, problems, and setbacks.

“Thankfully, HAPI is a pool of very enthusiastic and talented community leaders. It was through their enthusiasm and passion that we were able to get through these challenges,” Poblador said when asked how the organization responded to the challenges and problems it encountered.

“It took long hours [across] many nights in front of our computer screens and brainstorming how we are going to revise our plans and still deliver in 2021. And we did,” he further shared.

The present and what lies ahead

Poblador shared that he is proud of how HAPI is performing at the present. “Right now, I’ve seen HAPI not only being active in the national scene but also gaining traction internationally,” he said. “I’m excited to see what bears fruit when we collaborate more with other humanist organizations in other countries.”

As for the plans and hopes for the future, he said that they are also hoping to open more HAPI chapters, especially in Visayas and Mindanao.

Asked about the future of the organization, he said that nothing much will change and HAPI will continue to “stand true by its humanist values.”