Participants to the World Press Photo’s Press Freedom 2.0 program in the Philippines have agreed in principle to launch two projects that will support efforts to improve the quality of media and promote civic participation and greater accountability of democratic institutions. The proposed projects are targeted for implementation in Aurora province and the Mindanao region in 2012.
Twelve NGO representatives from Aurora province and the Mindanao region participated in the Philippines’ Partners Meeting at the Ateneo de Manila University from 16-17 September 2011. They discussed these projects and agreed to further refine their various components before implementation. ACFJ conceptualized these projects following discussion and feedback from participating NGOs.
The World Press Photo and Mensen met een Missie (MM) organized the two-day meeting with support from ACFJ.
The first project involves a training workshop on communication and media for NGOs based in Aurora province. The first phase aims to provide participants knowledge and skills for responsible and ethical communication. They will design effective and sustainable communication strategies in advocating key social issues. They will also learn the principles, techniques and approaches in engaging with mainstream media on the dissemination of local issues.
The second phase is a media production workshop to teach participants how to produce and implement communication tools and intervention, and create communication materials that adhere to professional and ethical standards.
Jaime Manuel Flores, a faculty of Ateneo’s Department of Communication, will serve as project consultant for the first project.
The second project aims to set up a visual journalism network in Mindanao that will profile issues identified by the participating NGOs in the local and national media, disseminate stories on the themed issues in targeted areas in Mindanao and strengthen the capacity of photojournalists working on Mindanao issues.
This Mindanao project will cover a one-week workshop with DJ Clark, Ph.D, director of ACFJs Visual Journalism program, serving as the project consultant.
Participants will include mainstream media editors and the network of photographers who will discuss story ideas . They will receive additional training in photography. From April to December 2012, these photographers will generate 40 stories, which will be shared with the NGOs. Their photos will form part of a series of touring exhibition in the region.
During the two-day meeting, Lisandro Claudio, national chairperson of Akbayan Youth, spoke on civil society and good governance in the Philippines . Participating NGO representatives also had the opportunity to view the “Asian News in Pictures,” a photo exhibit of compelling news images of social development issues and events, culled from the works of the students of ACFJ’s photojournalism program, many of whom are among Asia’s most talented photojournalists. They also saw ” Shutter Stories,” a photo exhibit highlighting diverse experiences of Korean and Indian migrants in Manila.
