I Am Blogie

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 talk that blogging could become an instrument for achieving peace. This time in Zamboanga, it was for a multicultural group of high school students.

Blogging workshop in Zamboanga City

The group of 20 students were invited from different high schools, with a few out-of-school youths as well. They were a good mix of Christians, Muslims and lumad (or indigenous peoples). They were all talented, eager to speak out and ready to learn. It was a pleasure talking to them about blogging and showing them how to go about creating their own blogs — although, as I expected, about half of them were already blogging on their own.

This activity was part of the seminar-workshop on The Use of ICT in Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas, organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism & Communication and funded by UNESCO. It was held at the National Computer Center in Zamboanga City, from 3 to 5 August 2011.

Before my workshop, each participant was asked to write an essay on peace: their own take on it and how they thought it could be achieved. I then asked them to post their essays on their blogs — here are some of them:

buildpeacethroughict.blogspot.com
peacetayodito.wordpress.com
soupforthebrain.wordpress.com
blastedbananas.wordpress.com
joan-pangan.blogspot.com
zcgirl.wordpress.com

A few of those young people certainly had unique and very thoughtful ideas. Listening to them, I felt that our future isn’t so bleak after all, what with future leaders possibly from among that group.

I do hope that more of such seminar-workshops would be held, and in other areas of Mindanao.

After the event in Zamboanga, I went to Tawi-Tawi. Although I had a different objective there, I had hoped I’d get to meet bloggers there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to. Still, I did get to meet a handful of college students who were knowledgeable in blogging. None of them blogged, however, because they said they didn’t have internet connectivity at home.

Going around Tawi-Tawi’s capital, Bongao (which can be reached via Air Philippines from Zamboanga City), I noticed quite a few internet cafés in town. Some of the locals told me that, sadly, those places were used more for computer games than anything approaching educational. (This problem sounds really familiar…)

On the other hand, I saw a number of academic institutions on Bongao Island. Mindanao State University has a campus there, and there is also the Notre Dame of Bongao College. There’s even a computer school, called the Abubakar Computer Learning Center.

My wish is to be able to go to more places in Mindanao and spread the word about blogging and the power it holds for promoting peace.

It’s my goal this year to travel to as many places as I can in Mindanao. That’s why I did not resist the desire to see Basilan once I set foot on Zamboanga City last weekend.

Going back to Davao, I left Zamboanga with a heavy heart, because my trip was way too short and there were still places I wasn’t able to see (like the Tree House in Pasonanca Park and the beaches of Sta. Cruz). And because I had a restful — and yet invigorating! — stay in Asia’s Latin City. Don’t you just love their city’s tagline?

Flying to Zamboanga last 17 October, it turned out I was on the same flight as Yolynne Medina and her husband. Upon landing in her city, she immediately set the wheels in motion to have my stay as pleasant as she could manage. I owe it to her — as well as to Ryann Elumba, Jerome Locson and the other bloggers — that I enjoyed my first trip to their beautiful metropolis.

What you’ll notice immediately is the city’s clean streets. The early morning of last Sunday, I strolled a few kilometers around the downtown and port areas, and I saw no garbage piled up anywhere. Oh, another thing I noticed: they have many Mister Donuts outlets!

Of course, I didn’t pass up the opportunity to try the famed Alavar Restaurant. There used to be a branch in Davao, but unfortunately they’ve long closed shop. When you go to Alavar, don’t make the mistake of missing their curacha in alavar sauce. It’s a deep-sea crustacean and the dish is to die for! Looks like a crab but the meat is much tastier.

OK, something more dramatic this time: el pueblo boasts of having the oldest bank in the Philippines outside of Metro Manila, and it’s the 2nd branch of Banco de las Islas Filipinas, otherwise known as BPI. (I have a photo somewhere in the album embedded here.) What historians will surely appreciate in Zamboanga is their drive to preserve their heritage. This is evident in their local tongue, which is a mix of Tagalog/Cebuano and Spanish, and in the surroundings.

For example, there’s Fort Pilar, home to one of Mother Mary’s many representations. It is maintained as a monument and as an open church. It’s interesting to note that both Christians and Muslims revere this place, because they all believe that the blessed Mother once protected the city from devastation from the angry sea. Too bad I wasn’t able to see the inside of the museum behind the fort. Next time!

Zamboanga City does have all the modern amenities, such as wifi access in many restaurants and coffee shops, HSDPA Internet connectivity via mobile, all the major banks and other financial institutions, air & sea linkages to and from a good number of domestic & international destinations, etc. Amid the modern, vestiges of the bygone eras are yet deeply rooted in the present.

Here are photos of my first-ever trip to Southwestern Mindanao.

The day trip to Basilan was a very welcome change in pace for me. Idyllic, fresh, quiet, peaceful — those were the words that came to mind the whole time I was there. People who’ve never been to Basilan hold the notion that it’s a perennially dangerous place. Well, we can’t deny that there were incidents in the past that have tainted the island’s reputation. So, I went there to experience the place and try to dispel this notion.

Thanks to my new friends, RJ Ian and his former student Faye, I was able to do a 5-hour tour of Isabela City and the outskirts of the town of Lamitan. The roads were cemented and well-maintained so the motorbike ride was not unpleasant. The views during the ride were breathtaking. There were the orderly rubber-tree plantations, the cool waterfalls, the mesmerizing undulating hills and valleys.

It was my first time to be in a place whose population has more Muslims than Christians. Contrary to popular perception (outside of Mindanao anyway), life in Isabela is harmonious. Christians and Muslims live together in the same space without any visible sign of conflict. There’s a church and a mosque less than a stone’s throw away from each other. There are murals showcasing amity among peoples of different religions.

To visit Basilan, it’s a good idea to have someone local to show you around. For inquiries, please call the City Tourism Office on these numbers: +63(918)945-7316 & +63(906)767-5735. E-mail address: isabela07_tourism@yahoo.com.

I’m so pleased I made these trips. I hope that, through my eyes, more people will come to appreciate that Zamboanga and Basilan are amazing and peaceful places. I’ll definitely be back there very soon!

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 in their own milieu was most gratifying.

The Zambo bloggers started becoming active and participatory in the Mindanao Bloggers Community around last year. They even sent tentative feelers to the MB core group as to the possibility of their hosting MBS3. This is a clear indication that they could very well be prepared for the opportunity to host the 4th Summit next year…

Present during the meet-up at the Country Food & Tea House (excellent choices of loose-leaf tea, by the way) were Yolynne, Ryann, Jerome, Pics, Jet, James (aka “John Lazy”), Cedric, and others. Some of those who came had never before met their fellow Zamboangueño bloggers. And this is why I found the meet-up gratifiying: because there is an apparent willingness to strengthen the local bloggers’ group in Zamboanga.

I was also able to meet a couple of Tausug bloggers, and they told us that they have a very active group of about 50, and they blog about Moro and Muslim topics, among others. Getting to know them, especially Nur Danial, was an eye opener for me, and has made my resolve to broaden the scope of the Mindanao Bloggers Community even stronger.

We’ll hear more about what’s been going on with the bloggers of Zamboanga Peninsula from Ryann Elumba, who will deliver a report at MBS3. Ryann is the blogger behind Hola Zamboanga!, and the one who designed the creatives for MBS2.

Last 19 October, I also went to Isabela City, Basilan. Another first for me! I’d like to express my gratitude to Yolynne for introducing me to RJ Ian, who took the entire day off on a Monday to show me his beautiful city. Thanks to RJ, I was able to visit some schools in Isabela and encourage high school and college students to take up blogging. We certainly need more man-on-the-street accounts of what’s really happening on the much-maligned island of Basilan.

I’ll certainly make a trip to the Zamboanga Peninsula again soon and, God willing, for a much longer stay. I’d love to be able to visit Pagadian and Ipil, as well as other places in Basilan Province. I’ve visited Dapitan and Dipolog back in 1996, but going back to those places to get acquainted with the bloggers there is on my priority list.

Muchas gracias, amigos de Zamboanga!

Arrived in Zamboanga City this morning. It’s my first time here, so I’m really excited about seeing the city. Fortunately, on the plane with me was fellow Mindanao blogger, Yolynne Medina, who has offered to take me around later in the afternoon. Also on the plane was the owner of the hotel where I was already planning to stay, Jardin de la Viña Hotel.

The weather right now is beautiful, a bit on the warm side, but the blowing wind from the sea is quite invigorating. Awhile ago I had a very engaging conversation with Yolynne and Mr. Eric Laviña II (the hotel owner) about developments in their city. A piece of good news is the establishment of their first contact center, e.AXS Communications, which is an entirely Zamboangueño investment.

This trip was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I’d long wanted to visit Zamboanga City, but had never gotten around to planning the trip. But last month, upon learning of an airline’s airfare promo, I decided to book my flights. And now I’m here!

As an amateur linguist, what’s immediately interesting for me here is their local tongue. Although they also speak Tagalog and Cebuano, among themselves they use Chavacano (pidgin Spanish). I can somehow make out what they’re saying, but the fun part for me is hearing them talk and listening to local love songs on the radio — the words and the accent are so different from what I’m used to in other areas of Mindanao.

I’m looking forward to meeting up with Ryann Elumba, Jerome Locson and other Zambo bloggers. That’s actually part of why I’m here — to help grow the Mindanao Bloggers Community.

More here and here.