It had been quite a spell since I was first invited to talk about “blogging for peace”, so I was happy to have had the chance again two weeks ago in Zamboanga City. The first time was in Hong Kong in November 2009 — it wasn’t really my assigned topic, but I emphasized in my [...]
It was in Mindanao that an unfathomably huge case of marine poaching occurred last month. Off the coast of Cotabato, in the Sulu Sea, coral reefs five times the size of Manila were plundered beyond imagination, robbing the Filipino people of natural resources that we’ll most probably never see again in our lifetimes. Precious black [...]
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Edsa Revolution, Davao City joined the nationwide effort to keep the spirit of People Power alive through a “freedom run”, which happened early this morning. The event kicked off simultaneously in Manila (on Edsa, of course), Vigan, Zambales, Clark (Pampanga), Legaspi (Bicol), Cebu City, Dipolog City, Davao [...]
Today, Filipinos celebrate the 25th anniversary of the EDSA REVOLUTION, which brought the Marcos regime to its knees. On 25 February 1986, Filipinos peacefully won freedom from oppression and neglect by the conjugal dictatorship perpetrated by the Marcoses for two decades. Today, Filipinos can be proud of a legacy of revolution by peaceful means through [...]
The new ambassador of the United States to Manila, His Excellency Harry K. Thomas Jr., hosted an Iftar reception last night at his official residence in Forbes Park. I was fortunate to have been invited to be among Filipino and foreign dignitaries in an Islamic tradition that has long been held by the American government. [...]
The most underrepresented sector of society is, undoubtedly, the youth. Even though the youth are hailed by many as the future of our country, very few actually take the time to listen to them. On the other hand, one reason for this might be the perceived apathy among the country’s high school and university students. [...]
Early this month, civil society delegates from all over Southeast Asia converged in Hong Kong to attend and contribute to the 1st Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). The purpose was singular: to be heard in the global multi-stakeholder forum where there is an ongoing discussion on issues surrounding the Internet. The civil society group, [...]
ICT Davao Inc. (IDI), the umbrella organization of all information and communications technology associations in Davao City, is spearheading a truly worthy endeavor to help protect the environment. Recognizing that its particular industry is a huge contributor to e-waste, this organization has mounted this campaign to hopefully stave off environmental damage. Such damage, caused by [...]
The Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) organized last 26-27 November in Davao City a forum for government, media and citizen communicators, for peace initiatives in Mindanao. This was done through Medco’s Mindanao Information Network for Development and Peace, or MINDPeace. It was a well-represented group of concerned parties: there were delegates from mainstream media, non-traditional [...]
The hideous event yesterday in Maguindanao Province has proven yet again how power corrupts the weak and the cowardly. It corrupts people to their core. The Mindanao Bloggers Community condemns the perpetrators, those criminals, and their masters who allowed the massacre of innocent people. The bloodshed, we are all too aware, was meant as a [...]
BlogFest.Asia, the first-ever pan-Asia bloggers’ conference, became a venue for introducing the Mindanao Bloggers Community to the world. Put together by the DotAsia Organisation (the registrar for .asia domain names) in Hong Kong from 6 to 8 November 2009, 3 Filipinos were present at BlogFest.Asia to provide the audience with primers on the Philippine blogosphere. [...]
The 3rd Mindanao Bloggers Summit, held in Cagayan de Oro City last 24 October 2009, despite a rather poor showing in the number of participants, was another feather in the cap of the MB Community. The CDO Bloggers group displayed their cohesiveness and enthusiasm and unfailing energy to pull off the event quite admirably. The [...]
I was very happy to have visited — at long last! — Asia’s Latin City (from 17 to 20 October), and to have touched base with the bloggers of Zamboanga. I’d already met some of them online (and two of them ‘offline’ during the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit last year), but seeing them all together [...]
At a time when Manila is rocked by controversies surrounding the questionable declaration of some personalities as National Artists, a Davao-born art talent quietly carved a niche among history’s greatest surrealists. His stuttering childlike speech, incompatible with his towering 6-foot height, sometimes amuses people. But today, Bienvenido Banez, Jr., towers all the more for achievements [...]
The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), through its Southeast Asian regional secretariat, Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), has launched a worthy program that is very much in line with what the Mindanao Bloggers Community stands for: iBlogforPeace. “iBlogforPeace seeks to broaden the discourse on peace by providing an online platform for [...]
