Speech at the Globe Media Excellence Awards Appreciation\nLunch<\/p>\n\n\n\n
23 October 2015, N Hotel, Cagayan de Oro city<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you very much for that kind and generous introduction.\nIt actually made me seriously reflect on the power of media, and of my own\nidentity which I have begun to lose, since my son, Karlos, began working as a\nphotojournalist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Rappler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let me share with you some personal experiences that\ndemonstrate the power of media. After Typhoon Pablo, I got a call from the\noffice of a Cabinet member. After some exchange of niceties and after relaying\nto me the greeting from the Secretary, the caller finally told me the reason\nfor the call – pwede daw ba ceasefire na muna? It was then that I realized that\nthey mistook me for my son who had been writing about the issues on emergency disaster response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Very recently, after the kidnapping incident in Samal\nIsland, I got a call from the Norwegian\nEmbassy. I got excited because I thought they were interested to support our\npeacebuilding work. It turned out that they wanted to ask me for some details\nand off-the-record info about the kidnapping!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of my favorite anecdotes is my close encounter with\nMayor Duterte in Davao. We accidentally met one night at his favorite hangout.\nAfter I was introduced to him and after a perfunctory handshake, he started to\nleave. Then somebody told him that I am the father of Karlos Manlupig. After\nhearing this, he joined us again to have a longer conversation with me, and a\nlonger singing session that lasted until way past midnight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such is the power of media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seriously now, let me begin by sharing with you some of my\nearlier romances with media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first “media work” (if we call it that) was as\na newspaper boy selling The Mindanao Cross in the streets of Cotabato in the\n1960’s. I eventually became its ghost editorial writer (yes, ghost, not\nguest) in the 1980’s. When the\npublishers, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, would be too busy to beat the\ndeadline, they would call me to write for them. To me, my most memorable\neditorial that saw print in The Mindanao Cross was the Pastoral Letter that I\nghostwrote for the Archbishop of Cotabato Philip Smith stating the Church’s\nposition to participate actively in the snap elections called by Marcos,\ncontrary to some calls for boycott. I think it significantly shaped not just\nthe outcome of the elections but our future as a whole. If those of you here\nwho are old enough can recall, the first military reinforcement from Mindanao\nthat flew all the way to Manila to support the rebel soldiers in EDSA came from\nCotabato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were also some forgettable flings with media in the past:\nI used to be a stringer for the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in the early 1980s. My first news article\nthat came out in national dailies was about the pilgrimage of Muslim Filipinos\nto Mecca. It was also my last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was a newsreader in the only TV station in Cotabato for a\nmonth. I also used to host a radio program over two radio stations of NDBC\n(DXMS and DXND) called ” Ang Simbahan Ngayon” or Church in the Modern\nWorld. It stopped airing after about a year as I noticed that even my friends\nwould not listen to it. They would tease me to change the title of my radio\nprogram into “Ang Sementeryo Ngayon” making fun of my boring\nsleep-inducing monotone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first real training and experience in journalism came\nwhen I was chosen to be the Editor-in-Chief of our high school organ in the\n1970s. I now find it quite ironic (and embarrassing) that I once admired then\nMartial Law Information Minister Kit Tatad, after listening to him talk about\nthe true, the good and the beautiful in the so-called New Society, as a keynote speaker during the National\nSecondary Schools Press Conference. I was so inspired that I wrote a feature\nstory with the title: “Smells like hell. Tastes like heaven” which\ngave me that year’s Feature Writing Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More seriously now, I would like to sincerely acknowledge\nand thank you, our friends in media, for your accompaniment through the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Balay Mindanaw began its journey about 20 years ago,\nyou have been with us…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we worked in solidarity with the Lumad farmers of\nBukidnon in their struggle to take back the farmlands that righfully belong to\nthem,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we picked up the advocacy work for Federalism which was\nstarted many years ago by great Kagay-anons and Mindanaons such as Canoy and\nPimentel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we began our mission of living and working with the\nfarthest rural barangays in Mindanao, journeying with the people as they pursue\ntheir own mission of transforming themselves into empowered, sustainable and\npeaceful communities,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we began treading the unfamiliar path of peacebuilding\nthrough peace process mediation, working with both the government and the\nrebels, helping create safe spaces for dialogue in areas affected by violent\nconflicts, and as we promote peace education and peace journalism,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we began to help each other in the aftermath of Sendong\ndevastation, eventually emerging from the disaster with a deeper and more\nurgent sense of mission as we get inspired by our mantra – We refuse to be\nvictims. We choose to be resources – as we now work with the disaster-hit\ncommunities in Davao Oriental, Agusan Sur, Surigao Sur, Bohol, Leyte, Samar and\nPanay, and recently in the evacuation centers and lumad communities hit by\nviolent killings and the subsequent displacements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– as we continue to constantly reinvent ourselves to be\nalways relevant and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through all these, we are fortunate to have earned your\nsupport. We are particularly grateful for your help in spreading the good news\nof the transformative victories of peoples and communities working and helping\neach other, and of our efforts at exposing, opposing and transforming\ninjustices and structural violence in our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We continue to invite you to hold our hands as we pursue of\nvision of achieving Equity, Development, Peace and Resiliency in Mindanao, the\nPhilippines and the World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daghang salamat… <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maayong adlaw…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Through all these, we are fortunate to have earned your support. We are particularly grateful for your help in spreading the good news of the transformative victories of peoples and communities working and helping each other, and of our efforts at exposing, opposing and transforming injustices and structural violence in our society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[187],"tags":[],"series":[],"speaker":[],"class_list":["post-4000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-peace-stalk"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/balaymindanaw.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Kaloy-Manlupig-PeaceKonek.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/balaymindanaw.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/BM-Podcast-Logo.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"acast":{"key":"acast","url":"","label":"Acast","class":"acast","icon":"acast.png"},"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"anchor":{"key":"anchor","url":"","label":"Anchor","class":"anchor","icon":"anchor.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"blubrry":{"key":"blubrry","url":"","label":"Blubrry","class":"blubrry","icon":"blubrry.png"},"breaker":{"key":"breaker","url":"","label":"Breaker","class":"breaker","icon":"breaker.png"},"bullhorn":{"key":"bullhorn","url":"","label":"Bullhorn","class":"bullhorn","icon":"bullhorn.png"},"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"castro":{"key":"castro","url":"","label":"Castro","class":"castro","icon":"castro.png"},"clammr":{"key":"clammr","url":"","label":"Clammr","class":"clammr","icon":"clammr.png"},"deezer":{"key":"deezer","url":"","label":"Deezer","class":"deezer","icon":"deezer.png"},"downcast":{"key":"downcast","url":"","label":"Downcast","class":"downcast","icon":"downcast.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"laughable":{"key":"laughable","url":"","label":"Laughable","class":"laughable","icon":"laughable.png"},"libsyn":{"key":"libsyn","url":"","label":"Libsyn","class":"libsyn","icon":"libsyn.png"},"listen_notes":{"key":"listen_notes","url":"","label":"Listen Notes","class":"listen_notes","icon":"listen-notes.png"},"miro":{"key":"miro","url":"","label":"Miro","class":"miro","icon":"miro.png"},"mixcloud":{"key":"mixcloud","url":"","label":"MixCloud","class":"mixcloud","icon":"mixcloud.png"},"overcast":{"key":"overcast","url":"","label":"Overcast","class":"overcast","icon":"overcast.png"},"owltail":{"key":"owltail","url":"","label":"OwlTail","class":"owltail","icon":"owltail.png"},"pandora":{"key":"pandora","url":"","label":"Pandora","class":"pandora","icon":"pandora.png"},"patreon":{"key":"patreon","url":"","label":"Patreon","class":"patreon","icon":"patreon.png"},"plex":{"key":"plex","url":"","label":"Plex","class":"plex","icon":"plex.png"},"pocketcasts":{"key":"pocketcasts","url":"","label":"PocketCasts","class":"pocketcasts","icon":"pocketcasts.png"},"podbay":{"key":"podbay","url":"","label":"Podbay","class":"podbay","icon":"podbay.png"},"podbean":{"key":"podbean","url":"","label":"Podbean","class":"podbean","icon":"podbean.png"},"podcast_addict":{"key":"podcast_addict","url":"","label":"Podcast Addict","class":"podcast_addict","icon":"podcast-addict.png"},"podcast_republic":{"key":"podcast_republic","url":"","label":"Podcast Republic","class":"podcast_republic","icon":"podcast-republic.png"},"podchaser":{"key":"podchaser","url":"","label":"Podchaser","class":"podchaser","icon":"podchaser.png"},"podcoin":{"key":"podcoin","url":"","label":"Podcoin","class":"podcoin","icon":"podcoin.png"},"podfan":{"key":"podfan","url":"","label":"Podfan","class":"podfan","icon":"podfan.png"},"podkicker":{"key":"podkicker","url":"","label":"Podkicker","class":"podkicker","icon":"podkicker.png"},"podknife":{"key":"podknife","url":"","label":"Podknife","class":"podknife","icon":"podknife.png"},"podtail":{"key":"podtail","url":"","label":"Podtail","class":"podtail","icon":"podtail.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"rssradio":{"key":"rssradio","url":"","label":"RSSRadio","class":"rssradio","icon":"rssradio.png"},"radio_public":{"key":"radio_public","url":"","label":"Radio Public","class":"radio_public","icon":"radio-public.png"},"redcircle":{"key":"redcircle","url":"","label":"RedCircle","class":"redcircle","icon":"redcircle.png"},"soundcloud":{"key":"soundcloud","url":"","label":"SoundCloud","class":"soundcloud","icon":"soundcloud.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1WgTPDZ3BClhrRlEILk0Wt?si=gdlnWU7zR3OsVSqSs2jYtQ","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"spreaker":{"key":"spreaker","url":"","label":"Spreaker","class":"spreaker","icon":"spreaker.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"the_podcast_app":{"key":"the_podcast_app","url":"","label":"The Podcast App","class":"the_podcast_app","icon":"the-podcast-app.png"},"tunein":{"key":"tunein","url":"","label":"TuneIn","class":"tunein","icon":"tunein.png"},"vkontakte":{"key":"vkontakte","url":"","label":"VKontakte","class":"vkontakte","icon":"vkontakte.png"},"yandex":{"key":"yandex","url":"","label":"Yandex","class":"yandex","icon":"yandex.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"},"custom":{"key":"custom","url":"","label":"custom","class":"custom","icon":"custom.png"},"iheartradio":{"key":"iheartradio","url":"","label":"iHeartRadio","class":"iheartradio","icon":"iheartradio.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"},"ivoox":{"key":"ivoox","url":"","label":"iVoox","class":"ivoox","icon":"ivoox.png"},"mytuner_radio":{"key":"mytuner_radio","url":"","label":"myTuner Radio","class":"mytuner_radio","icon":"mytuner-radio.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/balaymindanaw.org\/main\/feed\/podcast\/balay-mindanaw","embedCode":"
Some Thoughts on Media Work<\/a><\/blockquote>