“Building a Culture of Peace: Shaping the Vision, Living the Dream” Media, Technology and Peace

1. “Building a Culture of Peace: Shaping the Vision, Living the Dream”Media, Technology and Peace Carolyn O. Arguillas MindaNewsCatholic Educators Association of the Philippines2011 National Convention 22 September 2011

6. Basicsdata from www.nscb.gov.ph ProvincesPhilippines Mindanao % 80 26* 31.25 Cities138 33 23.91 Municipalities1,496 355 23.72 Barangays42,025 8,178 19.45

7. Population(as of Aug 1, 2007)Philippines Mindanao % 88,542,991 21,582,540 24.37 Registered Voters (as of 2010)48,275,594 11,365,385 23.54

8. Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Philippines Mindanao % 1,365 270 19.78 Member-schools

12. CEAP Mindanao schools are not just in the cities but also in Moro and Lumad areas CEAP Mindanao schools have produced governors, mayors, doctors, nurses, engineers, generals, priests, nuns, revolutionary leaders, journalists, etc..

13. How many CEAP member-schools are offering mass communications courses?

14. How many journalists* have been produced by CEAP member-schools? * Graduates of Mass Comm or other disciplines

15. Top 15 networking sites

16. Internet, social networking sites, Youtube, etc. have changed our lives We can watch the uprising in Libya right in our own bedrooms We can comment on issues anytime We can connect with friends worldwide We can correct misconceptions, errors in fact quickly, etc..

17. The reality is: not everyone has access to the internet and social networking sites, especially in rural areas in Mindanao and other rural areas in Luzon and Visayas But in rural areas, you can be sure that no matter how limited their access is or how few the copies are, there are textbooks in schools and they can listen to the radio or television stations

18. Internet, Social networking sites, Youtube, Mobile phones, 24/7 news, etc… But what is the message? How where these messages shaped by schools, by media?

19. Keynote address of Fr. Alejo Textbooks and Posters used Grade 1 to 6; 1st year to 4th year High School Based on Social Studies/Sibika textbooks studied(authors mostly from Metro Manila) Dominant images of Mindanao: war zone land of conflict predominantly Muslim

20. Dominant images of Mindanao based on textbooks studied: no heroes no tourist spots no economic contribution to the country no contribution to the protest movement under martial law, etc.. Errors in fact Taosug in Lanao Maguindanaons in Davao del Sur Maranaos in Sulu, Tawi-tawi, etc..

21. Alejo’s keynote address:“ Is it possible that in our ordinary school life we are actually hurting other groups?” “Is it possible that in the midst of our classrooms, we are engaged in violence? This textual violence is hurting the sensibilities of our brothers (and sisters)”

22. Alejo’s keynote address: “ How can schools contribute to peace?” “How can schools contribute to unpeace?” “Can we admit that we are part of the problem?”

23. Teachers can pass on their ignorance to at least 40 Grade school and High School students per schoolyear or about the same number of college students per semester Journalists can pass on their ignorance to millions of people every day, every hour, every second

24. Wittingly or unwittingly we are part of the problem But can we be part of the solution, too?

25. Mention “Mindanao” and the word evokes images of

26. war Abu Sayyaf kidnappings bombings evacuations terrorism Massacre militarization Violence

27. Mindanao is- home to more than half of the country’s armed forces;- home to all Moro liberation fronts (MNLF, MILF)- home to the largest concentration of communist guerrillas (CPP-NPA-NDF now referred to by the Aquino administration as C-N-N)*- home to the Abu Sayyaf- home to private armies**- breeding ground for military rebels * CNN is nationwide** also nationwide

28. Mindanao is- richest in natural resources (vast agricultural lands, mineral resources such as gold, silver, nickel, copper, uranium…)- home to so many peace-building initiatives (NGOs and POs, church, media, academe, military, business, etc..) - paradise for its 21.5 million residents

29. Who lived where in Mindanao 1894. Areas shaded in red are rich in gold and high-value minerals

30. 1898 Through the Treaty of Paris of 1898, Spain sold what is now the Philippines (including areas in Mindanao it failed to conquer in its three-century reign)to America for 20 million dollars .The Bangsamoro Sultanates in Sulu and Maguindanaoand the Pat a PangampongkoRanao (Confederation of the Four Lake- based Emirates) in Lanao del Sur which had their own governance systems, as well as the Lumads (indigenous peoples) were taken over by American laws and decrees Subsequent land laws pushed the Bangsamoro into the margins and as more settlers came from the Visayas and Luzon islands, the Moro and Lumads were also minoritized

31. 1968(founding of the Mindanao Independence Movement and Moro National Liberation Front) 1898 to 1968=70 yearsBangsamoro, Lumad marginalized, minoritizedLand laws favored settlers and corporations

32. Martial Law 1972-1986( “paper lifting” of martial law in 1981)newspapers, radio and TV stations closed in 1972; only government-owned and government-controled papers and stations operatedImagine Mindanao in the 1970s? Telephones as of 1986: easier to drive/commute to Tagum City (56 kms away) than to call

33. 1976Afraid of an oil embargo, Marcos opened peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under chair NurMisuari n 1974, culminating in the Tripoli Agreement of 1976.Despite the MNLF’s protest, Marcos managed to set up two instead of one autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. They were “autonomous” in name only. Late 1970s, Early 1980sMNLF vice chair SalamatHashim break away, forms Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)

34. 1986Marcos ousted; Democracy restored; Corazon Aquino is President (among the first things she did was to meet with Moro rebel leader Nur Misuari in Jolo, Sulu, against the wishes of her military; but no peace agreement was signed under her administration)Under her term, a Constitutional provision granted “autonomy” to Muslim Mindanao, purportedly to implement the 1976 Tripoli Agreement 1996 Sept. 2Final Peace Agreeement between government and MNLF signed (as of June 2011, implementation is still under review) 1996 November Bishops-Ulama Forum (now Conference) established; first meeting in Cebu 1997 Peace Process with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) starts

35. 1988Workshop on Reporting for Peace in Mindanao El Corazon Hotel, Cotabato City, September 8-10National Conference-Workshop on the Role of Communication in Christian-Muslim Mindanao, Zamboanga City

36. 1988 - 2011 23 years of conferences and workshop on peace reporting ……and three major wars later (2000, 2003, 2008)

37. Why are the problems on reportage persisting?

38. “The victims in Pikit were victims of a calamity decided by fellow human beings. As a man-made calamity, it belongs to humans the decision whether to stop it or to continue it for the sake of the civilian victims. I could have wished that the media had played an adversarial role, as it always claims it (does) in challenging the decision of the government to break the peace by waging another war while the peace talks were going on and while the ceasefire was holding.” - Fr. Roberto C. Layson, OMI Parish priest, Pikit, 2003

39. “The most tragic story of the 2000 and 2003* wars in the southern and central parts of mainland Mindanao is that both wars, having been waged in the midst of peace talks, could have been prevented if only the public were not kept ignorant by media.” - Carolyn O. Arguillas, 2006*the same could be said of the 2008 war

40. The truth is -most Filipinos, the media included, do not know the history of the Bangsamoro and the Lumads of Mindanao; that a major historical injustice was done to them; the history that was passed on to us was history written by the “victors” who taught us the Lumads were “uncivilized” and that “a good Moro is a dead Moro”-over the decades, the Moro has been referred to as “them” and the predominantly Catholic majority as “us”-in the earlier stages of the Moro struggle, vested interest groups made it appear religion was the cause of the problem; it is not

41. The truth is -those who learn the history of the Bangsamoro and the Lumad understand the need to rectify the historical injustices- findings from a series of consultations nationwide (KonsultMindanaw in 2009 and Dialogue Mindanaw in 2010) showed people are sick and tired of war and want peace, and are willing to do their share as stakeholders of peace- findings also showed that people are interested in learning more about the peace processes

42. Challenges (External/outside Mindanao)1. International wire agencies dictate what IS and what is NOT news for the rest of the worldManila, seat of all the national newspapers, radio and television networks, dictates what IS and what is NOT news for the rest of the country (although thanks to the internet, mobile phones, social networking sites, this is slowly changing)2. For Manila, Mindanao is just a “defense beat,” the source of headline or front page stories: war, bombings, terrorism, kidnapping, etc.

43. 3. When major story in Mindanao breaks out, networks send over their reporters instead of rely on their Mindanao-based team4. Reporters sent, like soldiers deployed to Mindanao, are generally not briefed on, say, the government-Moro conflict; no briefing, too, on the peace talks. Some do research but many don’t. 5. Mindanao gets caught in a crossfire between warring networks; who gets to put “exclusive” first, not necessarily who gets it right first; reporters issued memo when rival network gets “exclusive”

44. 6. Mindanao assignment for Manila media is a much-coveted assignment. Like military assignments, a Mindanao assignment can be a source of promotion; more money (read: “racket” or “sideline”; read: new car, new house, etc..), fame (read: war correspondents are popular)7. Majority of the population unaware of what Prof. Rodil, the expert on Moro and Lumad history, is talking about8. Majority of the population ignorant of roots of the government-Moro conflict; biases/prejudices high[Mindanao’s state u presidents met in early January 2010 in Penang, Malaysia]9. Martial law carryover. And more…

45. In fairness, there have been some changes in the last decade among the Manila-based mediaGlenda M. Gloria cites factors behind these changes:1.) Intense focus on Mindanao2.) Opening of the public sphere to diverse views3.) Global scrutiny of the media4.) A more discriminating audience

46. Challenges (Internal)1. Journalists are not briefed on the roots of the GPH-MNLF, GPH-MILF conflict. Few bother to research because of deadlines2. Media culture in one’s area not conducive3. Media culture is reflective of the prevailing culture in the area

47. 4. The issue is too complex5. No briefing either on the peace processes (GPH-MNLF, GPH-MILF, GPH-NDF)6. Very few Mindanao-based media have regular staff 7. Many Mindanao branches of Manila-based media radio/TV rely on public officials’ “blocktime programs” for survival

48. 8. Martial law carryover (Mindanao = military/defense beat)9. Very few media practitioners are Moro10.Very few media practitioners are Lumad, etc..

49. Mindanao in the National Media Who is telling our stories, our narratives, our pains, our struggles, our triumphs? From whose perspectives are our stories told? From whose framing?

50. so many noble efforts undertaken but.. tired of complaining we decided to do something