Being present at the Fourth Mindanao Media Summit

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 [...]

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Kalilang in a hotel under renovation, and identity in Mindanao

It was a bit awkward for me and Omar, a reserved Maguindanaoan who tried to be informative, as we took a peek at the wedding of a couple from two big Maguindanaoan families in Cotabato City.
We were looking through the window from our side of the conference hall— we looked like kids wanting to gate [...]

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What?

I can’t delay this. Perhaps there is no other time.
I have due respect for the competent people at Reuters, but I have to raise this one.
Reading the news below have disturbed me as a resident in Mindanao and as a citizen relating to many decent Muslims everyday.
There is clearly bias here and stereotype —working to [...]

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Transparency in peace negotiations

Those who are familiar with peace negotiations could understand the nature of talks being held there. Important but confidential, these are only two of the important considerations.
Any point being brought up or agreed upon bears impact to people —the respective constituencies of each negotiating party.
In the case of the government negotiating peace with the Moro [...]

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Nur didn’t make it to Jeddah meeting: report

According to this report by MindaNews’ Carolyn O. Arguillas, detained Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Nur Misuari, was not able to leave for Jeddah to attend the Tripartite Meeting of the MNLF, the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

“Misuari was supposed to have left with his [...]

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Muslim-Christian interfaith dialogue could be a lesson in school

Leaders and educators in Mindanao of the world’s two leading faiths should not stop educating their followers on interfaith understanding “to remove the clutters of misconception” from even among their followers.
“The effort should be vice versa, on both sides,” Aleem Jamal Munib, an official of the Davao City Madrasah Development Program, told MindaNews.

“This is very [...]

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Mindanao in dark eve of elections

Residents in nearly all of Mindanao’s 27 provinces and 33 cities experienced power outage between 1 p.m. and  7 p.m. Sunday, eve of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, but officials of the National Transmission Corporation (Transco)  ruled out “terrorist attack” and instead blamed the brownouts on “major system trouble.”
“The system experienced major system trouble [...]

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Mindanao biz speak up on government’s anti-graft focus

Mindanao traders are keen on seeing government putting up systems to prevent corruption rather than seeing suspects charged and convicted, an official of the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) said.
Vicente Lao, MinBC chair, told a press conference for the road show here Friday of the multi-sectoral National Anti-Corruption Program for Action (NACPA), that businessmen have [...]

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Thinking ‘out of the box’ in Mindanao

Thinking out of the box should be easier in Mindanao.
Here, you will be forced to choose to be open-minded, to be culturally-sensitive, and to keep in mind a collective viewpoint rather than just a small village “I” or “mine” outlook.
Everyday will be an exposure to various learning experiences including in unlikely places. (more…)

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ARMM traders: immediate peace agreement, please

The business community in conflict-affected areas are sounding off their stand: enough to conflicts, sign the peace agreement and start developing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Datu Haron Bandila, chair of the ARMM Business Council, said the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) must stay focused on the peace process for an [...]

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Traders as peacemakers in Mindanao

Business that is more responsive to the peace process in Mindanao is among the key issues to be discussed in the 6th Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Business Congress next month, an ARMM Business Council official said.
Bai Sandra Basar, president of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kutawato (Cotabato), [...]

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The search for energy power in Mindanao

The Department of Energy is looking at both small and big scale new sources of  power around Mindanao to reduce the demand from fossil-fuels, a DOE official said.
Tony de Guzman, chief science research specialist of the DOE Mindanao office said a nine-member team called the Energy Resources Development Utilization Division was tasked [...]

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