Journey of Success
Joseph Morong:
Staying in the Story By Ysh Cabana
H
e described the beat as boring and not sexy. Stories for peace, or what he considered were stories for peace. A wavy-haired, sturdy man of mid-thirties, with legs crossed tightly, he fashioned his talk on communicating the message of the marginalized.
A decade and a half had passed since he graduated with distinction from the State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. From that period onward, he has reported a formidable history of the people’s struggle in the southern parts of the Philippines. The newscasts may be specific to the regions predominantly comprised of Muslim provinces but they have a wider meaning providing an invaluable resource that describes not just the language of domination, but also the nature of peace negotiations, including bias, prejudice and hatred against the Bangsamoro. For him, it is important for media to provide the context so voices can be heard other than that of the popular ones. Since conflicts arise out of a series of incidents, reportage on Mindanao are better understood when history is given. So goes his lecture.
World
Context is King: On Mindanao’s History - 14th century Islam arrived in Mindanao, 200 years before the colonial Spanish Catholics and a number of Sultanates were able to resist attempts of external dominance - 1898 Philippines was annexed by US which started to promote the settlement of Christians from the other islands to the fertile lands of Mindanao - 1960s Moro Islamic Liberation Front was formed after the Jabidah massacre. Note this is the biggest group composed of Moro and Lumad people - 1969 Armed separatist group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was formed under the leadership of Nur Misuari - 1976 MNLF and the government of the Philippines (GPH) signed Tripoli Agreement with the assistance of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to broker a ceasefire - 1987 MNLF accepted GPH’s offer for self-autonomy MNLF Tripoli Accord implemented in 1996 during Fidel Ramos administration with the creation of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao under MNLF leader Nur Misuari - 2000 Then President Joseph Estrada declared all out war against MILF, MNLF - 2003 Davao airport bombing, suspected by GPH to be MILF plot - 2006 Continued conflicts among clans - 2008 Supreme Court suspended extension of ARMM, then militant Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters was formed after breaking away from MILF group - 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, the single deadliest event for journalists in history - 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) was signed for the creation of an autonomous political entity named Bangsamoro, replacing the ARMM - 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed between MILF and GPH - 2015 Mamasapano fiasco took place where 44 Special Action Force troops were killed
8 Kubo Magazine Spring 2016