The visit of Ukrainian war correspondent Nataliya Gumenyuk to Cebu this week was a powerful reminder of the importance of understanding, dialogue and international solidarity, Ukraine’s local partner Curtis Go said, after students and media heard first-hand accounts of Russia’s invasion.
Go, who planned and co-organised the programme, said he was committed to advancing those values in Cebu and called the engagement “deeply fulfilling” as it showed how much more aware and engaged students had become about the war in Ukraine and global geopolitics.
“Seeing a respected Ukrainian journalist and war correspondent speak directly to Cebuano students is something I could only have dreamed of a few years ago when I was still a student myself. It is deeply fulfilling to witness how much more aware and engaged the students in Cebu have become regarding the situation in Ukraine, and the invaluable opportunity they were given to deepen their understanding of current geopolitics and the global challenges we all share,” Go said.
Gumenyuk, a prominent Ukrainian journalist and war correspondent, spoke at a special lecture titled “The Strength of a Nation: Resilience Through Democracy” at the University of Cebu’s main campus on Thursday.
The event, hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine, gathered civic leaders, journalists, academics, student reporters and youth leaders.
Cebu is one stop on a nationwide Philippine tour that also includes Manila, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga.
Gumenyuk described documenting war crimes in Ukraine and explained how communities were coping with the conflict while defending democratic values and keeping institutions functioning.
She said civil society, government bodies and the private sector had worked together to maintain essential services during the war.
She told participants she was struck by the Filipino concept of “bayanihan”, or communal cooperation. “It’s this idea of the community, and this word resonates a lot to me because that’s how we live,” she said.
After the lecture, Gumenyuk met Cebu-based journalists and said she felt “a genuine level of curiosity and openness and eagerness to learn” from students.
Organisers also briefed her on recent calamities that hit Cebu, including a Sept. 30 earthquake and Typhoon “Tino” on Nov. 4. Gumenyuk said such events showed the importance of collective responsibility, noting that in the face of a major typhoon “you can’t protect your house on your own” and that people are “part of society”.
Go thanked the Ukrainian embassy, partner institutions and local media for supporting the visit, saying he hoped it would mark the beginning of more joint activities between Cebu and Ukraine.
Cebu Business News
