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MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – On the sixth month of the bloody Mamasapano clash, journalists on Saturday, July 25, gathered at a cornfield in Barangay Tukanalipao to reflect on their role in the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Father Jonathan Domingo, editor of Catholic newspaper Mindanao Cross, led the prayer: “We remember the 5 civilians. We remember the 14 MILF fighers. We remember the fallen 44. We ask the Lord to bless this ground. On this ground, the blood of the martyrs may become the blood of peace.”
About 50 journalists from Mindanao and Manila gathered in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao this week for the forum, “Beyond Mamasapano: Reporting the Bangsamoro Peace Process.” It was organized by the Mindanao Media Forum.
Stakeholders asked for a more responsible media, and highlighted their role in wider acceptance of the peace process that had been challenged by the tragedy that turned public sentiment against the MILF.
The activity was held as Congress prepares to resume session on Monday, July 27. Senate President Franklin Drilon said lawmakers will prioritize the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the next 6 months, before the election fever distracts them.
Cotabato Archbishop Cardinal Orlando Quevado lamented the bias of some lawmakers and members of the media against the BBL, the law that will create a new entity that will fill in the deficiencies of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
“The BBL expresses the result of 17 years of negotiation. Some people want to change it after 4 months of consultation,” Quevedo said, addressing the journalists.
“Media and lawmakers expressed prejudices of Christian majority against Moros in general and against BBL in particular,” he added.
Mindanao State University sociology professor Rufa Cagoco-Guiam highlighted the role of the media in the peace process. “It’s not only soldiers and the MILF fighters who can spark war. You can trigger a war by senseless and irresponsible reporting,” she said.
She asked the media to study the provisions of the BBL first before they oppose it.
Stakeholders also asked lawmakers to honor the agreement between the government and the MILF as detailed in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Development projects have been pouring into Barangay Tukanalipao since the Mamasapano incident on January 25. – Rappler.com
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