Are you in Davao City, Mindanao? Or will you be in Davao City this month? Looking for events in Davao City?
There’s a month-long photo exhibit that you might want to check out.
Dubbed “My Davao, My Mindanao,” this photo exhibit showcases the works of photojournalists Jojie Alcantara and Rhonson Ng. The exhibit will show the beauty and grandeur of Davao City and Mindanao through the eyes (and camera lenses!) of Jojie and Rhonson.
The “My Davao, My Mindanao” photo exhibit can be found at Museo Dabawenyo.
My classmate in Ateneo and Sarangani provincial governor Miguel Rene Dominguez is asking for trouble. Not a few eyebrows will surely be raised after he reportedly blamed the Mindanao media for “always highlighting all the bad things that are happening in Mindanao.” Same goes with Lt. Colonel Edgardo de Leon, commander of the 73rd Infantry Battalion, who also blamed the media.
Dominguez said that the “insurgency and other conflicts in Mindanao is actually just a game of perception. And I blame the media for that!” He reportedly then said that the culture of the media today, except for a few who are practicing peace journalism, is not very commendable.
De Leon, on the other hand, said that the rest of the country’s and the world’s perception of Mindanao at present is also the work of the media. “The image of Mindanao can be blamed on the media,” he said. De Leon even went on to claim that his battalion had once invited the media to cover the peace rally the 73rd IB had organized but none covered it. Instead, he got a very disheartening news from the media: “Pa-pogi lang yan. Huwag n’yo
nang puntahan yan.” (I would really, really love to know who said this, if ever this is true!)
“Most my battalion members is not from Mindanao and we are doing everything to improve the image of Mindanao, but media personalities, media workers from Mindanao hindi man lang naisip to improve the image of Mindanao,” he lamented.
As a Mindanawan peace advocate and journalist, De Leon’s last statement really burned my ears. Hindi man lang naisip, he says! Colonel, please, don’t generalize!
Truth be told, there are just so many things to say about this news item. In fact, there have been so many debates over this. Officials tend to blame the media because it’s easy for them to do so.
While it’s true and unfortunate that there are fellow Mindanao media practitioners who do need to be more cautious in their reports about Mindanao, I think there’s no need to put the entire blame on us. Dominguez’s claim may be correct at some level but to put the blame entirely on the hands of the media is unnecessary.
Truth be told, I think Mindanao-based media practitioners would love to report the good, the beautiful and the exciting side of Mindanao. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Who wouldn’t want to tell the rest of the world just how fascinating Mindanao is and just how warm and friendly the people here are?
BUT…it wouldn’t be fair to sugarcoat things. As much as we all want to project the image that Mindanao is a peaceful place to live in, the truth of the matter is Mindanao has its problems, just as Luzon and Visayas have their own. Just as Honduras, Iran and North Korea have their own. And yes, Mindanao’s problems aren’t caused by just one thing. Mindanao’s problems are deep and long-standing.
It’s true that the media plays a critical role in the peace efforts of the country, not just Mindanao. The media has the responsibility to show the world that Mindanao and its people value peace and harmony.
However, let’s do away with the finger pointing. Putting the blame on the Mindanao media will only discourage media practitioners…and will only show the world that indeed there are conflicts, even between officials and the media.
Mindanaoan recently received an email from Ms. Yasmin Mapua-Tang, Executive Director of the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. She’s inviting all Mindanao journalists to apply for the Mindanao Media Fellowship: Reporting on Children.
Just a little background — I had the privilege to attend one of Probe Media Foundation’s trainings a few years ago. (I met Ms. Yasmin and she was a very familiar face — I later realized that she was one of the reporters of Probe not so long ago 
) It was a training on how to face the media, how to deal with the media, how to answer questions from the media etc. Our speaker for that one-day affair was no other than Ms. Cheche Lazaro, one of the very few media practitioners I so admire.
Anyways, here’s a snippet of Ms. Yasmin’s message:
Greetings from the Probe Media Foundation!
Together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Probe Media Foundation invites the journalists and media practitioners in Mindanao to apply for the Mindanao Media Fellowship: Reporting on Children.
We hope that there are people interested who would apply. Thanks!
http://www.probefound.com/news.php?newsid=24
You can also visit our website (http://www.probefound.com) then you will see the invitation for the Mindanao Media Fellowship there.
It would be wonderful if we get to work with you again.
I checked out the link she sent. Here are a few details about the fellowship. The rest of the requirements can be found here.
HOW TO JOIN
Media practitioners working in Mindanao who belong to print news publications and broadcast (radio and TV) news and public affairs departments must fill up and submit the MMF application form, proposal form and provide latest sample work (article, script, report, etc.) Editors, Photojournalists, Reporters, Directors, Segment Producers and writers below 50 years old, who have been with their agency/network for at least three years are encouraged to apply. Selection will be based on eligibility and creativity of proposed topic.
Selected participants shall undergo the following activities:
• 3-day workshop in Mindanao on reportage on children’s issues and media techniques (Sept 2009)
• Coverage and publishing/airing of stories on the issue. (Oct to Nov 09)
o For radio/TV- at least a total of eight (8) mins airtime (e.g, Eight- 60-sec reports, Four 2-min reports or one 8-min piece)
o For print – a total of at least 1700 words with photographs (e.g. 2 to 3 short articles or 1 long piece, etc)
• 2-day Closing Workshop to present and evaluate the published and broadcasted segments (Nov 09)
Participants of the fellowship shall be provided with round-trip travel to the venues in Mindanao for the two workshops, accommodations and meals, training including materials, and a sub-grant for the production/reporting costs for the delivery of the proposed journalistic pieces.
So to my fellow Mindanao-based journalists…please don’t hesitate to check out the requirements for this UNICEF-funded fellowship…and good luck to all of you!
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List of journalists killed in the brutal Ampatuan massacre
November 26, 2009
Commentary, Crime, Headline, Maguindanao, Media, Mindanaoan Artists, Mindanaoan Update, Musings, News, Opinion, Personal
1 comment
First of all, we should not call it “Maguindanao Massacre” anymore. We should now call it “Ampatuan Massacre.” Ampatuan is the specific place where the mass graves were found. Maguindanao is the province here in Mindanao.
Maguindanao IS NOT Mindanao.
Mindanaoans like myself have been doing our best to help keep our place peaceful and safe. Unfortunately, like any other area, there are people who refuse to obey the law and think that they are above it. These people do not represent the entire island of Mindanao.
One tiny yet misleading description of our island can result in so many negative effects. So please…if you can…don’t look at Mindanao as if it’s the most dangerous place in the world.
Thirdly, I would like to encourage all of you to please say a prayer for all of my fellow media practitioners who have become victims of such heinous crimes.
They went because they believed in peace. They went because they believed in freedom. They went because they believed in fair play and honesty. Sadly, even with those beliefs, they still suffered such gruesome deaths.
Please pray for these media men killed in the Ampatuan massacre. Thanks to CenterLaw, I got this list of the names of journalists killed in the brutal Ampatuan massacre last November 23, 2009. So far, the list consists of a total of twenty seven (27) media practitioners who were killed at that massacre including vernacular weekly Periodico Ini’s entire staff pool. Reports say that there may be more than 35 media men.
May God bless their souls and may God’s healing hands touch their bereaved loved ones.
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