The Zamboanga Bloggers Community officially announces the 4th edition of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit on October 29-31, 2010 in the Asia’s Latin City, Ciudad de Zamboanga.

After a number of meetings, the core group composed of  Ryann Z. Elumba, Yolynne Medina, Grace Sojor, Cedrick Zabala and Jerome Locson decided on the theme – THE MINDANAO PROJECT: Weaving Voices Online. This year’s summit aims to create a venue for  Mindanaoan bloggers to discuss issues affecting them and formulate strategies to help reach their common goal of creating a brighter Mindanao.

The summit will be kicked-off by a Blogging Seminar on October 29, 2010. It aims to give newbie bloggers and blogging enthusiasts tips on how to create successful blogs.

The summit proper will be held on October 30, 2010 at Zamboanga’s finest hotel – the Garden Orchid Hotel. Top blogging personalities and guests have already confirmed their participation as speakers during the summit. Registration fee for the summit proper is P500.

Blogs and bloggers from Mindanao will be awarded on the same day during the Philippine Blog Awards – Mindanao.

Zamboanga City has many sights and things to offer to its visitors. The organizers would like to invite you to visit historical and beautiful spots of the city on October 31, 2010.  Partnering for the city tour are the local tourism department and the Committees on Tourism and Science and Technology of the City Council.

In the coming days, updates on the speakers line-up and their topics will be posted in this site. Details on how to register and participate during the seminar and summit proper will also be released soon. In the meantime, the organizers would like to solicit your support by creating a buzz on MBS 4 through your blogs, twitter and social networking accounts.

El ciudad de Zamboanga ta espera con ustedes! Hasta lavista!

UPDATE (September 2) : Please follow this link for the schedule of activities.

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 irresponsible dumping of electronic waste (junked computers, mobile phones, etc.), is already a global concern.

The proponents of this advocacy are currently campaigning for 10 million signatures. In order for our political leaders to pay attention to the seriousness of environmental problems, it is imperative that an overwhelming number of advocates join the effort. If you believe in this campaign — it doesn’t matter whether you’re from Davao or not — please lend your support by signing the online petition. Please click here to view the petition (you will see a link for signing near the bottom of the page). Leave your mark and be heard!

There is also a community site that details the advocacy, as well as a Facebook page. It would certainly help if you could display the badge below on your own blogs / websites:

Visit 10 Million Movement

If you take a look at the Facebook page, you’ll learn about the upcoming event, Davao’s e-Tapok e-Waste Collection Event, on 24 & 25 April 2010. I hope to see a lot of bloggers there — the venue will be announced on the FB page.

It would be very fulfilling indeed if this initiative were replicated in other cities of Mindanao, as well as the rest of the Philippines!

There were delegates from all over Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, mainland China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Myanmar. Conference participants were bloggers, new media watchers and influencers, even traditional media practitioners. A number of the participants became very interested in the Mindanao Bloggers experience, especially in the area of community building, after I delivered my Peace Initiatives through Blogging presentation (see below).

The gist of my talk was to showcase the fast-growing community of bloggers across Mindanao, and the objectives of the MBC. I related to the BlogFest.Asia audience that the point of our existence was not to help achieve peace, but to show the world that there is peace in Mindanao. That Mindanao is a vibrant place with a variety of cultures, traditions, histories and peoples. Interestingly, it was the process of community building that shone through for the BlogFest particpants.

In fact, community building became one of the birds-of-a-feather discussions on the second day. The Vietnamese delegates, in particular, were very interested in the Mindanao experience because, apparently, the idea of organized bloggers doesn’t seem to sit well with their government. Delegates from other countries also expressed varying degrees of difficulty in building bloggers’ communities due to government repression.

Another salient issue that seemed to be common to many was the problem of censorship, most outstanding of which is the ‘Great Firewall of China.’ Delegates from the People’s Republic related to us how challenging it was for bloggers and users of social networking services to attain freedom of speech in a repressive regime. And yet, China has, according to one of the speakers, millions of bloggers.

I was joined by Juned Sonido and Tonyo Cruz at BlogFest.Asia. Juned and I were recommended to the organizers by the Mozilla Foundation, Tonyo by GlobalVoices Online. Juned was supposed to have delivered an update on the Philippine blogosphere, but due to time constraints was not able to; he was, however, able to contribute during the ensuing discussions. Tonyo gave a very inspiring presentation on the contribution of bloggers to society when Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines.

During my stay in Hong Kong, I was able to touch base with a couple of non-profit organizations that could become partners of the Mindanao Bloggers Community in its endeavor to achieve its goals. Also, I was able to invite them, as well as the BlogFest delegates, to join us in Zamboanga City for the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit. It would really be a welcome and exciting development should our annual Summit become an international event in 2010!

MBC’s presence at BlogFest was, I believe, an opening salvo. There will certainly be more opportunities for us to become involved in more international events. Aside from the recognition that this brings to the Community, our participation in such events brings goodwill to Mindanao, and deeper appreciation of the beauty of our beloved island.

BlogFest.Asia was the first of its kind in the region. Kudos to the organizers and hosts for a wonderful and eye-opening experience! Hopefully there will be a second pan-Asian bloggers conference in another Asian city next year!

The highlight of this year’s Summit was the involvement of the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy, Ms. Leslie Bassett, who delivered an eye-opening and inspiring presentation about the contributions her government has made to the progress of Mindanao. Ambassador Kristie Kenney, who is a blogger herself, graciously sent in a video greeting as well.

There were only about 80 Summiteers who attended MBS3 (not counting the members of the core group, organizers and speakers); however, it was good to see first-timers and bloggers from never-before-represented cities such as Ozamis and Dipolog. It is one of the objectives of Mindanao Bloggers to see more and more places in Mindanao become part of the Community.

Friends from Metro Manila graced the 3rd Summit, as resource speakers and as guests. We are ever grateful to Aileen Apolo and Janette Toral for the high-value content that they have been contributing to the Summit ever since its inception.

In behalf of the Community, we would like to express our grateful appreciation of the warm welcome extended to the bloggers of Mindanao by Mayor Tinnex Jaraula. The good mayor delivered a rousing speech about what bloggers could accomplish towards addressing issues affecting the Philippine South.

There were quite a few politicians who joined the bloggers at MBS3 — this was expected, owing to the upcoming elections early next year. It was good for the bloggers to hear directly from the candidates about their political platforms and advocacies. However, it should be reiterated that the Mindanao Bloggers Community is a non-partisan entity and does not endorse any candidate or political party.

PBA’09 – Mindanao

What made MBS3 unique was the hosting of the Philippine Blog Awards 2009 – Mindanao Region on the same day. This was the first time that the PBA has held a regional awards effort, and we would like to give honor to the Awardees:

• Uniquely Mindanao Blog: Hola Zamboanga!
• Mindanao Destination Blog: GenSan Online News Mag
• Mindanao Advocacy Blog: SOCSARGEN Peace Initiatives
• Mindanao Bloggers’ Choice Award: DavaoBase

Present during the Awards Night were PBA President Juned Sonido, and Coy Caballes, who directed all three Awards Nights (the main event in Quezon City, and the ones in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro). Also attending MBS3 and PBA’09-Mindanao was Jay De Jesus of TitikPilipino.com.

The next Summit

In order to apprise the assembled participants of the latest developments in established blogging communities across the island, four speakers presented the highlights of the past year’s activities in their localities. Dr. Jaime Haw Jr. did the presentation for Davao City; Avel Manansala for General Santos City; Ryann Elumba for the Zamboanga Peninsula; and Edu Ragpala for the host city.

At the conclusion of MBS 2009, the next host city for the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit was announced to a cheering audience. Zamboanga City will be the destination of the bloggers of Mindanao (and friends) in October 2010.

Kudos to the bloggers of Cagayan de Oro! And see you all in Zamboanga next year!

DCM Leslie Bassett

Unprecedented in the Philippine blogosphere, a dignitary of a foreign mission will be taking part in the 3rd Mindanao Bloggers Summit this month. The United States Embassy, whose ambassador has been known to frequent Mindanao on many official trips, will be represented by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Ms. Leslie A. Bassett, who will deliver the keynote address on 24 October 2009.

Originally, U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney had enthusiastically agreed to grace the MBS3. Unfortunately, Ms. Kenney–who had earlier met with the Mindanao Bloggers in Davao–had to beg off due to urgent matters this month. But, we’re very happy to welcome Ms. Bassett to MBS3 and Cagayan de Oro City. According to her office, this will be her first trip second visit to Mindanao.

The newly-appointed DCM arrived in Manila on 26 June 2009, after previously serving as DCM in Mexico. She has been assigned by the U.S. State Department to Botswana, Colombia, Israel, South Africa, El Salvador and Nicaragua. In the State Department, Ms. Bassett worked for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and at the National Security Council. She is a distinguished graduate of the National War College, holds a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and received her undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of California at Davis.

We look forward to a meaningful meeting with DCM Leslie Bassett, and a wonderful experience with all participating bloggers at MBS3 in Cagayan de Oro this month!

The theme of this year’s PBA is One Blogging Nation.

For us in the South, it was decided by the MBC core group, along with the bloggers of CDO, to hold PBA-Mindanao in Cagayan de Oro City, on the same day as the 3rd Mindanao Bloggers Summit. What this means is, there will be special awards exclusively for Mindanaoan blogs (the same is true for Visayas blogs). There are four special awards for Mindanao:

Mindanao Advocacy Blog

In line with the objectives of the Mindanao Bloggers Community, the Best Advocacy Blog is a blog that exemplifies how an online publication can bring a worthy cause to the consciousness of a broad audience. It is a blog that inspires its readers to take action and participate in an ongoing discussion of the issues at hand. Special points go to blogs that promote the best and true images of Mindanao.

Mindanao PhotoBlog

The Best PhotoBlog is one that brings the most beautiful images of Mindanao to the fore. It is a blog that evokes passion and inspiration, and clearly shows the blogger’s love for Mindanao. However, it must not be a site that harbors untrue or doctored images that lie about the true nature of Mindanao’s land and people.

Uniquely Mindanao Blog

This blog, as soon as it is viewed, is clearly identifiable as being from and about Mindanao. It evokes a feeling of belongingness among Mindanao readers, and an appreciation and understanding of what Mindanao truly is among non-Mindanaoan readers. The Uniquely Mindanao Blog champions the objectives of the Mindanao Bloggers Community, and contributes to the realization of these goals.

Mindanao Destination Blog

Beyond being merely a blog geared towards tourism, the Best Destination Blog strongly represents the locale (city, town, region) that the bloggers writes about. This blog is passionate about the promotion of his or her chosen locale for tourism and/or business, and publishes news and opinion articles for a well-rounded view of the destination.

To be considered for the PBA, you must nominate your own blog; or, you can recommend a blog for nomination. The process is quick and painless. Just submit your blog and follow the instructions. (There is one glitch, though: if you want to nominate more than one blog, you must use a different email address for each submission.)

There are many, many deserving blogs out there. Mindanao bloggers can certainly win in the PBA Major Categories, too, but let’s nominate blogs that deserve to win in the special Mindanao Awards categories. This is very much in line with the MBC’s objectives: to bring out blog content from Mindanao out into the open.

The deadline for submission of nominations for Mindanao and Visayas special awards has been extended to the 27th of August 2009.

The event will be on the 24th of October 2009 at Pearlmont Inn, Limketkai Drive. Program starts at 8am to 5pm. Also, this year’s theme is: “Mindanao Bag-ohon ang Panan-aw” or “Changing the way people see Mindanao”, which aims to uphold Mindanao through the nice things and places it has to offer and expunge the negative notions the world has about it.

I bet you the bloggers of Mindanao, wherever you are right now, are all excited about the MBS3! For those who are interested to join, please sign up in our Pre-Registration Form.  Cagayan de Oro is waiting for you!

In attendance were GenSan’s bloggers, both seasoned and neophyte, all under the tutelage of Avel Manansala. It was a good group, coming from various age groups, interests and backgrounds.

I was able to introduce WordPress to the participants, and hopefully, allow them to appreciate the power and flexibility of this awesome blogging platform. Admittedly, at present very few bloggers in GenSan use WordPress. But after that first seminar, I am hoping that the numbers will increase. Especially that more and more bloggers there are getting into niche blogging and content specialization, I am counting on their looking to WordPress as their next publishing medium.

Lyle was “discovered” during the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit last year in this city, when he was asked on the spot to give an impromptu presentation on Google AdSense. He is quite the speaker — very engaging and interesting. And so, I look forward to doing more blogging seminars in tandem with him in the near future.

I’d like to thank Avel for making the blogging seminar possible, as well as Coffee Club 101 for hosting the group for two days. This coffee shop is most certainly a blogger-friendly establishment — and serves quality coffee to boot!

Speaking of which, the bloggers of Cagayan de Oro are also conducting a similar event this week. Kudos to ChiQ Montes and her crew for this effort! Blog on!

When I stood before my fellow bloggers that morning, I felt a swelling of pride and a sense of great fulfilment. MBS1 was a big success because it was the opening salvo. MBS2 turned out to be the affirmation of this fact: the Mindanao Bloggers initiative has become a true community.

Through our efforts as a community, more bloggers are now more aware of their unique role as messengers of peace and truth. Young Mindanaoans and (ahem!) more mature ones alike are all in agreement that there is a responsibility to present Mindanao truthfully and aggressively to the whole world via blogging.

More photos here and here.

In MBS1, it was only a handful of bloggers who carried the torch. Perhaps this was natural, because most of the attendees then were probably still in wait-and-see mode. But with the achievement that was MBS2, more bloggers of Mindanao are firmly on board. Not to mention, a growing number of Metro Manila-based bloggers who support our community. To name a few: Janette Toral, Aileen Apolo, Jay de Jesus, Jayvee Fernandez, and now Pierre Galla, who gave a rousing talk about an observer’s point of view with regards the Mindanao issue.

Aside from the cooler swags and more coordinated movements, what sets MBS2 higher than the previous Summit was the more active involvement of the bloggers. This year, the Summiteers were a lot more participative, and displayed a deeper interest in what the Mindanao Bloggers community was all about. We had a bit more participants, too. And this time, we had a couple of bloggers from Zamboanga, especially Jerome Locson, who was interviewed at length by ABS-CBN. I was also delighted that there was an unexpectedly large number of Dabawenyos who went to General Santos for the event.

Whoever we will appoint to organize MBS3 will be hard pressed to deliver an even better Summit next year! The tour of General Santos that we went through the day after the 2nd Summit was a splendid idea. The bloggers who signed up for the tour went to the fishport, a restaurant overlooking the bay, Manny Pacquiao’s residence, and a tuna store. I’m sure the purpose of the whole tour was to show the visiting bloggers that General Santos is now a progressive city — and I agree!

Many still say that GenSan is still a few years behind Davao City. And yet, there are a number of establishments there that can rival ours. Places like Coffee Club 101 and Grab A Crab can certainly put a lot of restaurants in Davao to shame. Plus, wifi hotspots there are mushrooming all over town, just like here. Many businessmen there are now aware of blogging in particular — and IT in general — as a means to develop their city. Before I and five friends left for Davao, we were invited to have lunch at Sud-an Grill & Restaurant. The owners didn’t want to pass up the chance of getting their place featured by bloggers. The food we were served tasted simply impressive! Check here for one of the reviews.

Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. was with us after the Summit and during the fellowship night. Despite his busy schedule, he made time for our event and was game for some interviews. It is apparent that the good mayor is aware of the power of the blog and what it can do for his town. (Although we now have a few city councilors blogging, I wish Davao City’s local government would be as appreciative of the new media as well.)

At MBS2, I apprised the audience of what we have been up to since the 1st Summit. Highlights of this were the blogging seminars, my participation in Media Nation 5.2, and of course, WordCamp Philippines 2008. There will be more bloggers’ activities in the near future — all for achieving our goal of connecting the world to the reality of Mindanao.

For MBS3, it is necessary that we upgrade the Summit Resolution that we formulated last year. Since we have already begun to realize the original objective, we have to follow through by expanding our view, our reach. Now that we have made waves, it’s time we explored the ocean some more.

My heartfelt greetings to everyone who made their presence felt at MBS2! Three cheers to General Santos City for a very fruitful Summit!!!

UPDATE! (8:15pm, 18 October 2008):  All E-passes will finally be sent to your email address by Kuya Migz on Monday, October 20.  Please refer to his earlier email to you for reference.   Sorry for the confusion.

Calling all MBS2 attendees!

Starting today, October 14 and up to the 17th, the E-pass to the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit in General Santos City will be emailed to the qualified registrants.

Once you receive your E-pass (designed by Mark Aethen Agana), please have it printed.  You need to present it together with your I.D. on October 25th at the summit venue, Family Country Hotel and Convention Center.

After being verified by our registration desk volunteers from AMA-CLCC, you will be given your very own SUMMIT KIT (courtesy of our CO-PRESENTER, the Department of Tourism XII under the leadership of the classy and energetic Director Sohura Dimaampao) with lots of stuff inside (surprise!).

Then, you will be led inside the convention hall by our Reception team, headed by Ms. GenSan 2008 Ivy Cunanan herself and her court.

That is when the REAL FUN begins! 

Watch out for the next MBS2 Update – the Programme.