Peace Talks Amid Renewed Violence in the Philippines

Talks which began on April 18 between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are being flagged as a ‘breakthrough' in the eight-year bid to put an end to decades of guerrilla warfare in the southern Philippines, but are coming at a time when attacks from another Islamist formation, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), appear to be on the rise.At the end of a three-day meeting in the Malaysian city of Port Dickson delegations from Manila and the MILF sounded upbeat over the issue of rights to an ‘ancestral domain' on the island of Mindanao, where the Islamist group has been fighting to establish an independent Islamic state. For the first time, as reported by the Manila Times, the discussions extended beyond cessation of hostilities to major issues such as how much of Mindanao is to be controlled by the MILF. Formal peace negotiations are to begin within months.
However, continued conflict between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and MILF guerrillas is complicating progress on the ground. Right up to the inception of this latest round of talks the AFP attacked MILF forces in Maguindanao in the face of attempts to defuse violence, in a targeted attack on members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), considered to be hiding in the area. On an April 17 posting on the MILF website the group's leaders described the attack as an attempt to sabotage talks, denying that there were JI members in the area.

COMMENT
The Philippines is one of those countries which did not scape the violence and like Colombia fight every day to create spaces and processes to achieve peace. As Colombia Philippines suffers an internal problem of armed conflict generated by the guerrillas that hole in the country and become increasingly innocent lives. Unlike the case of Colombia, as in most countries in East conflict filipense lies primarily in religious disputes and territorial not discriminate ages or conditions.

Armed illegal groups: Philippines and Colombia aren't so differents in this topic

Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)
Image: kerrycollinson.net


FARC (Colombia)
Image: talcualdigital.com



The origin of guerrilla is different, it is politician in Colombia and ideological in Philippines but the process of peace, the actions against people and somethinks like that are similar.

Actually United States of America is helping to Philipin and Colombian army to fight against this armed illegal groups.

Guerrilla

In Phillippines:

1. The Moro Front of National Liberation: This group was created in 1969. The objective is obtain the independence of Mindanao island.

2. FMLI - The Moro Front of Islamic Liberation: This organization want the independence of the Moslem minority in the south of the country (also in Mindanao island) and it's has approximately 13.000 armed men.

3. Abu Sayyaf is a extremist Islamic group, it's very bloody . This group was created by Iranians and USA say that it's linked with Al-Qaeda.

In Colombia:

1. FARC - The Revolutionary armed forces of Colombia was born in 1964. Who belongs to this group say that they are the army of the people and the objective is obtain the social, economic and political equality. However, for some actions, many people think that it's a terrorist group.

2. ELN - The armed of national liberation was creted in 1964. This organization follows the ideology of Che guevara.

In Colombia and Philippines this groups usually do attacks, criminal assaults, murders and kidnapes. The philippine gerrilla kidnap to tourist and colombian guerrilla kidnap rich people and important people into society like Politicians.

All actions of this groups were forms for obtain many money.
Other interesting think is that many many people, in Philippines like in Colombia, have to gou to other places to live and the principal cause is the violence, the fear and the threads.

Process of peace

Philippines like Colombia the government did a intent for obtain an agreement of peace with the armed groups but in two casesthe process was a unsuccessful attempt.

Radio Tubajon, a broadcasting station of Tambuli Radio Network

Tambuli Radio Network

Tambuli is a community radio network founded in 1990. It cover twenty (20) remote communities in Philippines.

These communities didn’t know a broadcasting station about daily problems and solutions with help of community before Tambuli radio network. Others services are: present messages about local reunions, marriages, deaths, lost cattle, children lost, information about political decisions, agriculture services, etc. Tambuli Radio Network was the first broadcasting stations in Philippines where the government has had the control on many media for long time.

UNESCO: "Tambuli represented an important effort to develop rural, independent and pluralistic communication in the isolated regions of the Philippines. This project had promoted appropriate communication facilities that stimulated the exchange of information among community members. Tambuli radio provoked major changes in Filipino local community life, in particular the elimination of gambling and the improvement of social life in communities."

Radio Tubajon FM 95.8

Radio tubajon is in Tubajon, a small town in a island called Dinagat.
Radio Tubajon is only 3 or 4 hours “on air” , however, as time goes by the community radio is more important for region’s people.

But, the principal problem of Tambuli Radio Network is the difficult communication betwen all broadcasting stations of radio network, because many of them don’t have phone line and don’t work like a really network for the geography ubication.

Objectives:

1. Facilitate the local access to information.
2. Allow to people express opinions.
3. Establish communitarians bonds.
4. Strengthen the community’s identity,
5. Transform to audience in participants and managers of a communication system.

In others words, strengthen the community using communication like tool.

Working for democracy

Usually, to Radio Tubajon arrive six (6) commentaries leaders (of different religions) for speak with the radio Tubajon’s manager, Kiko Magnaye, a Catholic priest. They discuss about contents and programming of the religious program “Langit Sa Yuta” (in English: the sky in the land), It is a surprising example of democracy.

If you want know the information used to do this text click here

MASS MEDIA IN PHILIPPINES

The group of media in Philippines is form for: news papers, reviews, radio, television and internet. The population doesn’t speak only one language then in the island you can find all kind of media in different languages.

Some media in english are:

NEWSPAPERS

The most important newspaper in the island is "SUN STAR" , it's a network of local newspapers in the Philippine. Is very important because it has great covering for example, you can read different Sun Stars's vertions in places like:

Bacolod
Baguio
Cagayan de oro
Cebu
Davao
Pampanga

However, also exist more newspaper like:

Manila bulletin on line (Manila)

The Daily Tribune (Manila)

Manila Times (Manila)

Mindanao Times (Davao)


REVIEWS

SUN STAR also has reviews and uses the same system of covering, but it can't compare with the newspaper's covering because Sun Star in review version only covers four (4) places, this reviews are:

Sun Star Aklan (Kalibo)
Sun Star Antique (San José)
Sun Star Capiz (Roxas)
Sun Star Sunday Magazine (Davao)

Other reviews in english are:

Malaya Sunday Magazine (Manila)

The Mindanao Cross (Cotabato)

Mindanao Scoop (Iligan)

The Negros Chronicle (Dumaguete)

Negros News (Dumaguete)

The Pagadian Times (Pagadian)

Palawan Sun (Puerto Princesa)

RADIO

FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company)
This radio station also broadcasts via shortwave and satellite.
FEBC was founded in 1945 and it's a Christian radio listen in many countries around the world.
FEBC-Philippines

ABS-CBN News (Quezon)

DZMM (Quezon)

TAMBULI Community Radio

PhilRadio International
It’s the original source for Filipino radio programs broadcasting worldwide

TELEVISION

Batibot
Is a channel produced by the Philippine Children's Television Foundation and is the principal educational channel of television with many series for children.

ABS-CBN

GMA Network

Discovery Channel Philippines

TVBS Philippines

Philippines tourism

An advertisement produced by the Department of Tourism

General information

Republic of the Philippines

• The Republic of the Philippines is an island nation located in Southeast Asia, and Manila is the capital city.
  






• It was was a colony of Spain during centuries and the name was given in honor to Felipe II de España.
  






• About the climate, In Pilippines March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 25°C to 32°C.

• According last national census (mayo 2000) the population is 76,5 million of Filipinos approximately, and the largest island group is in Luzon, it has more than half of the entire population.

• The official languages are Filipino and English, however, exist other languages inside some provinces but these aren't considered officials, for example, Bikol, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan and Waray-Waray.

• The catholicism is the most predominant religion between the population, but also is possible to find Muslims, Buddhist and other small religious groups.
  
  



Hymn of Philippines