Teodoro’s take on peace: be practical

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro wants to approach peace with a “strong dose of practicality, pragmatism and political realism” as he questioned the approach of solving the root causes of conflict” because “has any society been able to solve the root causes of conflict?”

He told the 8th Mindanao Island Conference of the Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines on Wednesday night that the first lesson he learned in approaching the problem of peace and order is to do it with “the backing of some values and some idealism and with strong dose of practicality, pragmatism, and political realism”.

Inihanay sa:ARMM, Access to Information, Blogging and Bukidnon, Blogging and Mindanao, Bukidnon, Economy, Freedom, Governance, Justice, Local Governance, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, Peace Process, People Power, Philippines, Politics , 8th PBMLP Mindanao Island Conference, Bukidnon, Malaybalay City, MILF, Mindanao, Mindanao conflict, NPA, PBMLP, Peace Process, Philippines, PRovincial Board Members, Republic of the Philippines, Sec. Guilbert Teodoro

A paper fighting for survival

Cut-throat and new competition, lack of reliable marketing personnel, and the “global crisis” hit Bukidnon’s local newspaper over the past months.

To survive, a series of austerity waves splashed our small newsroom and over the past months it has affected operations.

Until one day, the publisher announced retrenchment or downsizing or whatever.

We will be forced to squeeze limited resources, go the extra mile, bid goodbye to some close colleagues just to stay alive.

This is the best time to do “magic” from little resources to big dreams.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Bukidnon, Human Rights, Malaybalay City, Mindanao Media, Philippines

Rethinking campus journalism

The better way to teach journalism in campus is to train them to write for life.

Perhaps, that’s a motherhood phrase.

What I really wanted to say is to go beyond competition mode.

The holding of competitions to test the skills of school children on campus journalism might have worked to a certain point.

But making the students practice campus journalism more might do miracles and fish more youth to the craft of factual reporting.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Blogging and Bukidnon, Bukidnon, Education, Freedom, Life in the Plateau, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, People Power, Philippines

In Bukidnon, medicine supply woes traced to price

The lack of medicines in Bukidnon provincial hospitals and health stations has been blamed on failures in the bidding process, more specifically to the Capitol’s low approved budget for contract (ABC) or price index.

It was reportedly pegged at 2004 rates, a provincial legislative inquiry has discovered.

This seems a simple problem of public policy. But what could be the reaction of every Jose, Caring, and Juana when they are told about this in the front lines, say, in the out patient department of public hospitals?

The public, especially the indigents, are repeatedly being told of the “no available medicines” situation despite the province’s supposed “award-winning” flagship program on health.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Bukidnon, Business, Economy, Food/Health Related, Governance, Health, Life in the Plateau, Local Governance, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, Philippines, Social Security

The Outsider

Traveling to communities have brought me to many experiences —mostly encounters of acquiantances.

You just don’t get to meet a person or group of people, you get to meet and have a chance to be in touch with their culture, their history, and their varying experiences.

The different-ness and uniqueness at the point of my contact with them result to dialogues (and sometimes when less fortunate about it, insightful frictions). It makes for wonderful insights, some of which figure in some of my writings/ reports.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Bukidnon, Every Day Mindanao, Governance, Human Rights in Mindanao, Life in the Plateau, Lumads and Mindanao, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, Nature and Environment in Bukidnon, Philippines

Blogging the Mindanawon Consciousness

When I first heard of the theme of the up and coming Second Mindanao Bloggers Summit I felt it is something worth blogging about.

It is indeed a practical topic in a time when blogging is already considered a force to reckon with.

This is especially true in a time when Mindanao continues to experience unpeace and is misunderstood in many ways.

Mindanawons blogging about Mindanao is but just natural and is right about the perfect energy needed.

There is a need to blog about the voices of peoples rooted in Mindanao.

It might not be enough, however, that there are Mindanao bloggers who discuss on Mindanao from their online platforms.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Blogging and Mindanao, Bukidnon, Davao, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Philippines

Bukidnon tribe seeks endorsement from city for ancestral domain claim

The Bukidnon tribe is seeking endorsement from the city government of Malaybalay for its Daraghuyan ancestral domain claim over at least 4,700 hectares inside the Mt. Kitanglad Range and Natural Park. Bae Inatlawan Adelina Tarino, head claimant, said the city government’s endorsement is the last requirement for the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to process their application.

“We hope you will help us in this requirement, which is the last document we need for the application,” Tarino’s September 23 letter to Mayor Florencio Flores, said. Tarino’s letter was written in Cebuano.

Flores endorsed the request to the city council on the same day. The legislators have calendared it for October 7, Tarino said, adding Councilor Manuel Dinlayan, the council’s committee on indigenous people’s chair, assured here it will be tackled this week.

She noted the tribe’s great difficulty in acquiring an endorsement from the barangay government in Dalwangan village, where the tribe is based.  Read full story here.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Art and Culture in Mindanao, Bukidnon, Burma, Business, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Governance, Human Rights, Indifgenous Peoples, Life in the Plateau, Local Governance, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, People Power, Philippines, Women

Plagiarizing just to be ahead

I feed on words and the elements of composition. Writing news is my bread and butter. And I go to the field spending my meager resources to get the facts myself in an effort to get it right.

I may not be the best in what I’m doing, but I have always tried to do and give my best in every story I cover.

When I get to file my articles, I draw my motivation in the thought that I have reported about something that is useful to the community.

Sometimes, the effort is not well-rewarded. It can be called labor of love, nah, maybe labor of the stubborn-headed journalist who choose a more complicated job over comfort.

I’m cool with this as this is a life choice.

But it bleeds my heart to find some of my articles appear in other peoples’ sites and publications without attribution.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Bukidnon, Business, Mindanao, News, Philippines, Security

Matigsalugs revive plan to create own town

A plan in the 1990s to create another municipality for the Matigsalug tribe to be carved out of Kitaotao town is being revived, an official said.

Board member Roelito Gawilan, president of the Bukidnon Federation of the Association of Barangay Captains, confirmed they have started “at the grassroots level” in initiating the process to create a new town for the Matigasalugs.

Gawilan is President of the Federation of Matigsalug-Manobo Tribal Councils (FEMMATRICS) and also the elected barangay captain of Sinuda.

Gawilan said they are now conducting a study on the land area, population, and income of at least 15 of Kitaotao’s 35 barangays. Read full story here.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Bukidnon, Environment, Freedom, Governance, Human Rights in Mindanao, Indifgenous Peoples, Life in the Plateau, Local Governance, Lumads and Mindanao, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao's communities, Philippines

The never ending story of war —right in our backyard

Waking up to a broadcaster howling against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front one morning, I was tempted to turn the radio off.

 

The grain of his voice has pestered me in my space in that corner of the house.

 

“Maayo ng girahon sila kay gusto man diay nila og Independence!” Gusto pa gyod nila iapil ang tibuok Bukidnon aron mohimo sila og regional government!” (It’s good to go to war with them since they wanted independence. They also like to cover the whole Bukidnon in a bid to form a regional government!).

 

I was really forced to get on my feet even if I only had three hours of sleep yet and dialed the radio station.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Art and Culture in Mindanao, Business, Economy, Education, Every Day Mindanao, Governance, Human Rights, Indifgenous Peoples, Justice, Local Governance, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao Media, Mindanao's communities, Peace Process, People Power, Philippines, Politics, Safety, Security

Being present at the Fourth Mindanao Media Summit

Participants take time to smile and relax for a date with posterity (Photo by Skippy Lumawag courtesy of Mindanews)

The formal sessions of the 4th Mindanao Media Summit just concluded early afternoon today, 09 August 2008.

The theme: “Mindanao 2020: The vision begins with us”, is placed in an imposing tarp at the back draft. It was a reminder to me as a member of the group who took on “drafting” the vision from the participants. “Where are the other members of the styling committee?” I asked myself.

I ate a late breakfast today as I stayed late for my recent attempt to write a narrative report. So when I entered the summit hall, I have to do some catching up on who did what the night before.

I caught up on the secretariat who were busy calling the rest of the group for the picture taking.

Meanwhile, I picked the shiniest plate on the buffet table and proceeded to feast on hotel breakfast. In my peripheral vision and hearing I could hear Jocan talking me to drop the breakfast for a moment and smile it out in the photographic firing squad.

I managed some sips of brewed coffee and few scoops of the one-serving steamed rice and the hard-boiled egg and beef curry sud-an. I have to or I couldn’t move a muscle to say “cheese”. Oh, I went there seconds later as I have to squeeze in my summit shirt. I went there to see if the pool was really tempting enough for some laps of swimming, to regret I didn’t plunge when I could last night.

The last day of the three-day gathering of Mindanao media’s “decision-makers” started with quaint picture taking by the poolside of the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Lanang, Davao City.

It was supposed to capture for the future the faces of the news professionals who participated in the summit in a step to improve capacity as stakeholder to peace and development in Mindanao.

Inihanay sa:ARMM, Access to Information, Blogging and Mindanao, Bukidnon, Davao, Education, Elections 2007, Elections in Mindanao, Freedom, Governance, Malaybalay City, Mindanao, Mindanao Media, Mindanao's communities, The World from Davao

Negotiating for local content

This is another attempt to return to up-to-date blogging.

First and foremost, thanks to those who are behind the Top 100 Mindanao Blogs of 2007.

Nakatunga nalang ang 2008, ayha pa ko naka comment ani. I’m trying to convince myself that it’s “Better late than never!”

I am glad that Istambay sa Mindanao was included in the list, despite being stagnant most of the time.

Blogging has good prospects but my new work terrain here in Bukidnon required realigning priorities.

After publishing 32 issues of our weekly local newspaper Central Mindanao Newswatch, I have mixed reactions.

Inihanay sa:Access to Information, Blogging and Bukidnon, Blogging and Mindanao, Bukidnon, Malaybalay City, Mindanao