I have due respect for the competent people at Reuters, but I have to raise this one.

Reading the news below have disturbed me as a resident in Mindanao and as a citizen relating to many decent Muslims everyday.

There is clearly bias here and stereotype ---working to anticipate a public notion.

If its the hideout that is suspected to be of the terrorists, where is the connection to "Islamic militants?" as presented in the first paragraph? Is terrorism = Islamic militants? Are we sure the government has learned to distinguish between an Islamic militant and a law-abiding citizen?

I couldn't speak for even a Muslim (a believer of Islam), but I can sense the discomfort it will cause in our charged and diverse communities.

You have to look at the last paragraph to see where's the catch.

"The Philippines, a largely Catholic country, is battling Muslim rebels in its southern region. The last time Muslim militant group the Abu Sayyaf targeted the capital was on Valentine's Day 2005 when six people were killed in a bomb attack."

The use of protagonist-antagonist (Catholic-Muslim) has been arranged in such as a way that it would look like we have a religious war going on and that its the entire Philippines vs. the Muslim rebels.

And yet we wish we could have peace in Mindanao?

It feels like its feeding more fire to the furnace --- an unlikely road farther from peace.

FULL TEXT

"MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine police seized a cache of explosive materials during a raid at a suspected hideout of Islamic militants in an agricultural town south of the capital, officials said on Wednesday.

The national police chief said officers searching for a suspected Islamic militant hiding in the province of Laguna, around 60 km south of Manila, discovered hundreds of blasting caps and other bomb-making materials.

"These materials could be used for future bomb attacks in the capital," Avelino Razon told a news conference, displaying an unspecified amount of chemical compounds, detonating cords, time fuses and blasting caps.

The suspected militant fled the hideout minutes before the raid, Razon said.

The Philippines, a largely Catholic country, is battling Muslim rebels in its southern region. The last time Muslim militant group the Abu Sayyaf targeted the capital was on Valentine's Day 2005 when six people were killed in a bomb attack."

"Misuari was supposed to have left with his delegation and the Philippine delegation headed by Undersecretary Nabil Tan at 12:20 a.m. November 9 on board Emirates Flight EK 335, but was not allowed to leave for failing to submit a "sovereign guarantee" from Saudi Arabia that he would return to the Philippines immediately after the November 10 to 12 meeting in Jeddah," the report said. Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.

The meeting, according to the report, would push through despite Misuari's absence. The meetings, postponed several times since last year, was scheduled to review (and correct?) the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the MNLF and the government.

The group was one of 12 from the Philippines that competed in various categories in the competition.  According to the competition's website, the group was conducted by Aldwin Curambao and Alvin E. Aviola.  

The other Mindanao-based group in the competition is the Xavier University Glee Club from Cagayan de Oro City.  Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.

Better late than never. I'm tempted to add a few takes on this.

I had searched for her original texts, to no avail. Instead I found in the world wide web hundreds of threads on her.

Her columns that depicted her view of overseas Filipino workers enraged OFWs around the world. Try these comments here on a special blog.

Fernandez have reportedly resigned from MST, according to this story amid calls to fire her. My initial reaction was to ban the magazine, too, for running that story.

Manuel Quezon III even suggested a more direct way of getting even in this post.

Fernandez said she was only being true to herself even if she loudly sounded to condescend. Kung sa Binisaya pa, Naka minus gyud siya! She sounded as if Filipino workers were pests loitering her peripherals. What was her concept of "self"? Something that is devoid of identity and sensibility?

Did the writer feed a bashing-hungry audience who shared her views on OFWs? I think there is a greater need to search for relevance, using this case as a wake-up call.

I wish I could take her side. Unfortunatly, I will not come near her. I belong to the hoi polloi, the common people which makes her slash her wrist.

The announcement came four months after a 14-member DTI-led trade mission from Mindanao went to Saudi Arabia to promote trading between businessmen and investors from both areas.

The DTI, in a press release Thursday, announced two products produced by Davao-based Sagrex Foods, Inc., which received positive response.

Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.

Michael Christian Kho, DFP general manager, said they have opened at the Davao
airport for the first time because of the bright prospects of the
local tourism industry.

He said Davao City's tourism has notably increased and DFP considered
the comeback after careful feasibility studies. DFP opened two small
shops within the airport, at the departure and arrival areas selling
liquor, tobacco, confectioneries and chocolates, fashion and
accessories, and perfumes.He said they also planned to open another shop outside the airport
come August to offer additional products for electronics and a
supermarket such as groceries.

He said they saw a lot of development in the city aside from the
thriving tourism industry. He cited the notable arrival of three
flights of Korean tourists as they were preparing for the opening.

Kho said DFP pulled out its shop here twice, in 1998 and 2000, over
reasons he did not disclose to reporters in an interview after the
blessing and opening ceremonies Wednesday at the airport.

Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.

In March, the news was disclosed by the Department of Tourism signaling the city is receiving more tourist arrivals.

There are other shops that will also open in the airport's arrival area. I can post more details later as they have organized a press conference after tomorrow's opening ceremonies.

If I am not mistaken, the duty free shop at the Grand Regal Hotel was closed after the March 2003 bombing and for other reasons.

Now that it will be reopened it should signal better environment for tourists to come, and hopefully for more better things to come to the city and the rest of Mindanao.

I braved all odds to a Saturday coverage and attended a presentation by Dr. Fe O. Dimayuga of the University of Kentucky on "The benefits of mangosteen's Xanthones" at the Grand Men Seng Hotel this afternoon.

Dimayuga was brought in by Dr. Alfredo Villarico of Dr. Alfred's Essences , Inc. which has marketed a line of food supplement and beauty products derived from mangosteen.

It was actually a diverse audience. I saw many members of the academe, government service, businessmen and from civil society.

The scientist, however, spewed ballistic language (at least for me) on the result of her research that focused on Xanthones, an organic compound referred as anti-oxidants with beneficial effects on the body.

My head was spinning and I have exclaimed "My God, where did I come from? Why can't I make sense of this expert's presentation?"

My seatmate showed signs he was catching up but before I could manifest some self pity, he explained that he attended a similar presentation a month before. I was then told to try remembering the lessons of my college biology and chemistry, which I didn't dare.

Dr. Dimayuga was able to communicate her worth, of course, especially at the open forum when one of the participants asked how to explain to a layman what Xanthone is and how it could help curb imflammation of the body's cells as indicated in some common illnesses.

It was actually an eye-opener for me, again, to go back to an old pasttime --- reading. While I was told jargon couldn't be easily written for the public's digestion, I was also warned I should try to untie the confusion knot. For the nth time, my editor reminded me it is my job to make gobbledygook simple and understandable to our readers.

At the end of the session, I decided it was just a way of challenging my comfort zone because my sanity proof was stretched to the limit.

I approached some friends from the academic community after the presentation and I felt comforted hearing theirs was also an afternoon of head spins, just like mine.

In a press statement Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza read to MindaNews, he said Mercado’s chairmanship “will ensure a seamless transition and a continuity in the efforts to move forward the peace negotiation with the MILF.”

Read more here. Read Fr. Mercado's piece on his acceptance here and reactions to his appointment here.

Somehow, I wondered why he didn't include "all of the above" to refer to the first three. But I thank that survey for causing me to reflect on why I blog.

Actually, I intended to go on a blog leave today. I caught the flu virus which, fortunately, I quickly nipped at the bud. But when I saw this unfinished post that I have sidelined since many months ago, I have to blink.

I know this was coming.

How to sustain and upscale Istambay sa Mindanao is a concern I would soon confront. For two weeks I have seriously considered how to improve this as I anticipate some changes ahead.

My first motivation to blog was just to test the waters. In 2004, I heard people were into blogs so followed suit as I said on this post.

But I also realized I should be able to use it for a greater end and it should go beyond my own conquest of technological itch or curiosity.

It was easy putting it up in 2004. I started tinkering on a Blog Spot account one day in November that year, then eventually migrated to Wordpress because I had 24/7 internet access.

I started blogging by “blogging”. I mean I wrote about my views and takes on anything under the sun. Now I have decided to keep it, at most as a journal of the news stories I wrote and those, which I found are interesting (in my opinion) for readers on Mindanao.

It has caused some frictions, too, especially when this blogger steps on issues journalists confront on sourcing. I have tried to be faithful as my editors would always remind me I'm a reporter first before a blogger. ('coz there is an ocean of difference between the two.)

When I started drawing a small crowd of visitors, I found out Istambay was beginning to fill a tiny void about current events written on Mindanao. Thanks to those few who returned after they bumped in to my blog.

Everyday, however, is a study of sensitive choices. And sometimes there are wrong calls.

As a general beat reporter, I get to cover oftentimes the bad news and I have grown uncomfortable about it landing on my blog, too (or even writing about it in the first place).

Bad news is bad news. And no matter how you put it into context it remains one even if you write it to influence impact towards good news.

But I realized that Mindanao ---the wide and vast field I choose to blog about --- is so complex, diverse and potent of news and the bad news oftentimes outnumbers the good.

I don't blame it entirely to what is really happening in the field since I could choose not to report it or probably blur about it by taking another angle. But I think the reason it’s out is because it is out and happening. I must admit, it is easier to gather information about bad news because its there and you can't ignore it. Besides it is hard not to write about what is glaring.

It is not easy to search and weave though good or bad news in the sea of Mindanao realities.

Ideally, I thirst for good news that’s true, reliable and sensible. (And not those fraught with the bearer’s self-flagellation.)

The feeling persisted up to this posting that I have tried to develop a simple balance formula.

Whenever I post a negative entry I must post something positive after it. No matter how I felt it is re-creative, if not “fantastic” I tried to put that mode on. Maybe things will improve in due time because I blogged about it.

For now, I have decided to keep this blog patiently as I expect it to evolve on its own.

But I have already resolved to upscale and go pro-blogging in the future. What, how and why, I’ll soon post about it.

In relation to that, Dr.Domilyn Villareiz of the Davao City Anti-Smoking Task Force shared to me over a chance encounter at the 911 operations center Tuesday, that the World Health Organization is choosing which between Davao City or Thailand's capital, Bangkok is the rightful model city for its anti-smoking advocacy campaign.

Dr. Villareiz said Davao City was nominated by the Southeast Asian Tobacco Control Alliance, which is also based in Bangkok.

Ooops, when I saw that on their website, I thought Bangkok would win it as WHO announces the winner sometime tomorrow. So what if we win? Well, Dr. Villareiz said we won't really get any direct reward but our local efforts here will be showcased around Asia. So what (part 2) --- we get exposure for probably more tourists or retirees? Nah, that's only my guess. 

The city council approved the Comprehensive Anti Smoking Ordinance No. 0423 in November 2002. About a year later, the city government enforced the city ordinance with the making it the only city in the country strictly implementing the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act 9211, said Dr. Domilyn Villareiz, who heads the task force.

She said the city is only one around the country that has fully enforced the anti-smoking law.

Hmm...let's see if, shall we say,per capita consumption of tobacco declined in the city aside from the statistics showing reduction in tobacco related cases in hospitals or out of it.

I'm just curious if insects like this land on dining tables in Mindanao's restaurants and even fast food joints or karenderyas.

I learned that in Thailand some insects figure popularly as gastric treats. My host, Shan (Burma) journalist Khuen Sai, ordered this food for me when I was in Chiang Mai in September 2005.

I know exotic food from insects are popular in some rural areas, but do we get to see them on the menu?

I was reminded of this when I found the photo and three others in a folder I thought I deleted in transit. It left me traveling back to memory lane.

I was later told its silkworm cocoon. The Hunan (China) restaurant we went to prepared it stir-fried. It was a delicious addition to the Chinese food in the menu for dinner. This exotic food tasted like my all-time favorite 'lemon grassed' fried chicken!

My hosts also ordered ice-cold Beer Chang (elephant), which I think easily became the best companion for my newly discovered food.

That was in the welcome dinner so I didn't tell them how I felt about Beer Chang. San Miguel pale was far better, of course. In that part of Thailand, though, SMB is not yet available.

But I saw Red Horse beer in the cooler. I think it was in that dinner when every body else ordered RH while I paid respects to the Thai beer industry (Yabag!). They sold six bottles of RH that night, while they got a bottle of Beer Chang from the Mindanawon. The farang (foreigner) was trying to pay a courtesy call at the Siam brewery, so to speak.

I liked food that night. But when I found out the silkworm serving good for five cost us Thai Baht 450.00 ( PhP630.00), that's when I wondered if we have these food in Mindanao.

Do restaurants in our cities serve exotic food? I really want to know what and where in Mindanao is exotic food served.

After dinner, I got so curious about how they sold silkworm cocoon in the market.

So when I went to Mae Hong Son city around seven hours of land trip northwest of CM, I took those silkworm shots. I'm glad I did.

In October 2005, I spent around a month of fellowship with Shan people from Burma exiled in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai (CM). It was a month of learning and realizations. A trip to a South East Asian country gave me an exposure to international issues such as on Burma.

My role would be to help Saengjuent, an intern from the CM-based Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) to apply or at least help process the things he learned from MindaNews when he went to Davao City in August 2005. The SHAN director, Khuen Sai, (middle, 2nd photo) asked me to help him train the younger members of their news agency on news writing.

I had four students in the workshop each of them played different roles in the agency. There is Arn Tai ("Ahn Tie"), the most senior who writes news in Thai language. There's Harn Mueng ("Hahn Moong") the translator to English from Shan language. Also, we had the guy who writes Shan language news, Noom Korn ("Noom Kohn") and the agency's internet guy "Muengjuent".

They were a bunch of young and telented Shan news workers, very much eager to learn.

If we have no classes and meetings, they would encourage me to go out of town and explore the countryside. I spent time visiting areas where SHAN have contacts with communities.

They also brought me to tourist attractions in CM, like the Doi Suthep (as shown in the photos). That's a mountain resort ran by the Kingdom of Thailand. The Thai King spends his summer time there.

Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) are neighbors. I heard they have a love-hate relationship through centuries. Now, Burma is under a military regime. The Thai government is using moderate diplomacy towards the military junta: they have close economic ties but from time to time Thailand joins the international community in pressing Burma for democracy.

As a result of internal hostilities between Burma and several rebel groups from ethnic states of Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the country and find their way along the Thai-Burma border through the years. The border is closed to passage in most points, but still a big number of refugees cross, largely in Northern Thailand via undisclosed routes.

The Thai government has designated "refugee camps" in selected areas. However, they are not refugee camps, in toto based on international standards---according to groups helping refugees.

According to some sources in the camps, the refugees from Burma's states are considered by the Thai government as economic migrants, not refugees. Apparently, they lack support for livelihood inside small camps and have to look for informal jobs in proximate Thai towns along the border without identity.

I talked to many of these "migrants" in the camps I visited. I visited three but allowed entry only to two: in an area near Piang Luang and in an area north of Fang. They told me stories of violence, persecution, rape, extreme poverty and "culture of fear" in their homelands under the strong hands of the military.

I would have wanted to enter the third camp, near Mae Hong Son, which is a tourist city where Kareni (from Burma) women are shown to tourists like a "human zoo." If you could remember photos of women with very long necks clad with some kind of a neck apparel, that's it.

I did not enter that "tourist spot". I agreed with my Filipina colleague in the internship program, I don't want to add to their "commercialization" even if I know that they have consented the attention.

Back to the third camp. I could not enter because journalists were barred from entering these camps. Our guide, Si Moon, who works with a Shan NGO in the area, brought us to a quasi-camp, just beside the no-journalist refugee camp.

I was told that it would be dangerous for journalists to come in because the Thai authorities would "make it difficult for you". I have insisted on a more logical explanation, but shut my mouth when my hosts showed some reluctance. I did not insist at all. What are they hiding there?

Well, at least we entered the "quasi-camp". It is called so for a number of reasons. I could remember perhaps two: one, although I'm not very sure about it this time -- that's where candidates for political asylum live; and two, that's where the disabled were taken cared of.

In that camp, I met and heard the sad but brave stories of the ex-soldiers in the first photo. Oo Reh (right) and Saw Teru (left) both 35 when I met them on 18 October 2005 along the Thai-Burma border near Mae Hong Son, (eight hours drive from Chiang Mai). Chiang Mai is almost two hours away by plane north of Bangkok.

Both of them are victims of landmines planted by the Burmese military and also by their own army. Oo lost his arms and one eye. Saw lost his sight. They both admitted ignorance about landmines when their commanders ordered them to clear their way of the mines.

In the Burmese war zones, military leaders, according to the two victims, use forced labor to clear areas from landmines. Many innocent people died because of these 'illegal' war weapon.

As we spoke, I hesitated to continue interviewing them because our presence and our questions seemed to have opened wounds that were about to heal from their tragic past. Oo expressed deep sadness of missing his family across the border. Saw said he did not know if his parents are still alive in Daw Tau Ka a village across Mae Hong Son, where landmine exploded and injured him.

But Saw also corrected us. He said their wounds won't heal anymore. "If you see us in pain, there is not much we can do to take away that experience from us". He said he also could not help from being "sad" about his ordeal. Instead, he appealed for journalists to help them help others. "There should be no more additional victims of landmines," he said.

"Please write about us. Please tell them to remove all the mines around the world," he said. "You do not know how painful it is. It is not like a bullet that could kill you in an instant. This one we bring all our lives. It has to stop!" (Oo and Saw spoke in Kareni and Burmese, while Si Moon translated it for us.)

It was indeed a depressing moment. I know the situation has not improved across the border. Both of them and tens or perhaps hundred of thousands more had been displaced from their homes because of hostilities and continuing tension between military forces of the Burmese junta and the rebel groups.

But I know I was there for a reason. I remembered both Oo Reh and Saw Teru when I came face to face with Myanmar's tourism minister who told the press during the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Davao City in January 2006 that there is peace in Myanmar and that people there are happy.

Both victims, like the good soldiers that they said they are, told us also about the things that make them happy. Saw listens to music while Oo finds time interacting with the other residents in the camp. Both are taken cared by a small foundation helping victims of landmines across the border.

It was indeed a learning experience for me. It made me resolve to become a journalist who works for peace and to give voice to those who find themselves ignored. I saw and felt no difference between these people and those I met back in Mindanao who had been continuously plaged with evacuation, hostilities and poverty too. All of these are problems of human insecurity, prevalent everywhere.

When my Shan friends gave me a unique send-off dinner, where we squatted around spicy and exotic Shan and Thai food, in Chiang Mai on 21 October 2005; I felt the camaraderie among neighbors refreshed in my mind. I might have entered a "collective" that is different from mine because of cultural, historical, racial, economic and other divides; still I think we just belong to one neighborhood in Asia. I still think there are more similarities than differences.

Asians are divided in many respects, but are common in many things too. That trip made me see further, beyond my constructs of myself and the world. It opened my eyes to an interconnected world where there are local manifestation of global problems. And perhaps, local solutions too that have bearing across borders.

(The internship program was sponsored by the South East Asia Press Alliance or SEAPA based in Bangkok, Thailand)