Power Crisis in Mindanao--- " Deprived Host"

Deprived Host

"Deprived Host"

Kidapawan City in North Cotabato Province is one of the worst hit by Mindanao’s power crisis with at least eight hours to 10 hours of daily power curtailment in the first quarter of the year.

Small and medium traders in North Cotabato expressed dismay over the eight-hour daily rotating brownout like the case of auto repair shop operator Gregorio Tuburan.

Tuburan said, almost half of the day is wasted, as they are dependent on electricity. The situation has resulted in the decrease of his income due to low productivity.

During cut-off times, business establishments, government offices and other commercial buildings use generators.

At nights supermarkets also rely on generators. Vendors pool their money to purchase mini-generators to continue trade inside a dark supermarket.

But those who cannot afford to buy generators have survived only with the use of battery trucks, chargeable LED lights, and candles and even improvised oil lamps.

Feeling the suffering of the people from the power curtailments, Kidapawan City officials have demanded the Department of Energy to appropriate energy share from the total generated energy.

Energy Act of 1992 states that energy-generating facilities in the country like the Mt. Apo geothermal plants is obliged to allocate 25 percent of the total daily output to the host town and provinces.

But this demand has not been granted yet, resulting in the filing of civil suit  against energy officials and power operators.

During the height of power shortage, Cotelco has only 15.4 megawatts of daily load dispatch from the Napocor.

Cotelco needs a regular 32 to 36 megawatts power load to continue a stable operation.

At the moment, Mindanao Grid has a shortage of 400 megawatts of power supply.

But several officials and progressive groups have claimed there is no actual power crisis in Mindanao.

According to them, power cartel sectors that privatized the industry are behind the “artificial” power crisis to compel local cooperatives in buying power from much more expensive power barges.

On the second week of May, Cotelco has managed to buy an additional 8 megawatts of power supply from the private power barge supplier, Therma Marine Incorporated (TMI) to augment power shortages in North Cotabato.

Cotelco now can maintain 28 up to 30 megawatts of power load which is now expecting fewer hours of brownouts.

Purchase of power load from diesel fuel-powered power barges like TMI is three times of the price from that coming from hydro-power generated energy, this would mean an increase in charges to power consumers.

End.

MMJ 192 Maguindanao: Security, Politicians and People (a video teaser)

A look on Oblate Media Convergence

Will Oblates Media go into convergence?

By Ferdinandh Cabrera

The year 1948 saw the humble birth of Mindanao Cross, a weekly newspaper founded by Bishop Gerard Monque, a few years after Oblates of Mary Immaculate congregation came to Cotabato and Sulu archipelago in Mindanao.

Known to be “a little paper with a big cause”, Mindanao Cross now considered the oldest running newspaper in the region that is being operated for the past 64 years in Central Mindanao by the Oblates Media Communications.

Since then, various ways to provide information, such as radio came into being. Some nine years after, the ministry established another media format initially aimed at evangelizing Christians through broadcast media. Hence, in 1957, the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation (NDBC) radio station was born.

Today, the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation has grown to two AM stations and three FM sister stations all over Central Mindanao that serve as independent news and public affairs radio station.

Just like the Mindanao Cross, the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation has earned its reputability, integrity and distinction.

In the wake of the challenges confronting the digital media in reaching out to the communities, the i-Watch Media was established as a television arm of the Oblates Media Communications. It has evolved into being a multimedia site producing relevant stories that aims to awaken, inform, educate and inspire people and target entities through video documentaries and other multimedia productions.

The produced materials are shown for specific audience in far-flung communities or indigenous peoples as social mobilizing tool.

Realizing the wide scope of Internet in reaching out to the target audiences, the OMC has  embraced social media by posting documentaries and other materials on their own website and other social media sites like YouTube.

Though housed in one building located on Sinsuat Avenue, Cotabato City, Mindanao Cross, Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation and i-Watch Media are independently operated.

A move to merge and unify the operations of the three media outfits, which was planned in 2010, is yet to be realized pending the decision of its Board members.

This short documentary will tell us how local media in the Central Mindanao, Philippines like Oblate Media Communication embraces and responds to the fast paced demands of the new media.

VOICE INTRODUCTION SCRIPT

Its typical Wednesday for Mindanao Cross editorial staff --- today is the production day for the weekly news.

Inside the newsroom everyone is busy. The office of Mindanao Cross is located at the right wing of Oblates Media Center.

The stories and columns pour in. The staff edits and lay out the stories. Everyone is focused.

 Supervising the entire operation is Fr. Jonathan Domingo.

He is Chief Executive Officer of the oldest running English newspaper in the region now on its 64th year.

Father Jonathan recognizes new media will affect the future of local print newspapers.

That is why aside from the hard copy, Mindanao Cross-also maintains a website.

But not all stories are uploaded immediately.

Mindanao Cross editor-in-chief Eva Tan says only certain stories go online.

She says stories make their way online after they are released on the printed version.

This ensures that printed copies maintain its sales target.

As editor in chief, Eva oversees the editorial content and production of the  3,500-copy circulation.

On the left side of the building is NDBC office, the broadcast radio arm, an institution at the forefront of delivering news to the Mindanao region.

Airwaves hit the busy day with news, commentaries, music and viewer reaction through social media.

Embracing new media, NDBC operates a Teleradyo seen on a local cable TV channel and streamed live on the Internet.

They also have a fan page on Facebook.

NDBC operates AM and FM stations in Cotabato City with three sister stations in nearby provinces in Central Mindanao.

The i-Watch Multimedia Center is home to volunteer mobile journalists of the Oblates Mission. They produce video documentaries and other multimedia materials for their social advocacies.

As a non-profit news organization, i-Watch survives through the funding of sponsors who support these goals.

What's in store for tri-media news in region?

Executives and staff of each of the three media outfits of Oblates Media Communications tell us about the future of convergence.

MMJ 191 WEEK 8-9

Social media working best to convergence journalism.

The need for adoption of social media and delivery to multiple mobile devices is increasingly becoming essential for retaining and attracting audience in convergence journalism.

Social Media Network Rappler in the Philippines is one ideal.

News Organizations like this is taking a holistic approach to branding and delivering content to various platforms such as video documentary, photos, online breaking stories, other social media sites, print and other channels.

Good content shared on multiple channels is becoming a valuable asset for them.

Social news organizations like this  that leverage social networking, content and knowledge assets will be those best positioned for future success.


They believe the people now has the control of the news unlike the traditional practice of agenda-setting from the news editors, publishers and media elites.


Targeting around 27 million of Filipinos on Facebook. This number has surpassed the 15 million households that own a television sets which they see as the biggest audience market to cater relevant stories.

Year 2011 saw a surge in mobile users, but 2012 is the year when smartphone owners become the majority of users, currently hovering just below 50% of U.S. mobile phone users. Tablets, too, take center stage with a near 24% in adoption according to a research.

The smart phone is the next content platform.  It’s a powerful touch point and a highly personal channel.

We could think about all of the events leading up to this moment today and the role your smartphone or tablet played in helping your discover, share, communicate and learn. You might in fact, be reading this on your mobile device now.

This is an important moment in the evolution of mobile as it no longer simply about smart communication.

Mobile is causing a fundamental shift in society where consumers are evolving into connected consumers. This connected mindset is empowering as people take advantage of on-demand access to not just information, but other people, opinions, shared experiences, and help make more informed and efficient decisions than ever before.

HALAD FESTIVAL

Midsayap celebrates its yearly patronal fiesta every 3rd Sunday of January in honor of its patron saint, Santo Nino (child Jesus).
“Halad” means offering. 

As part of people’s thanksgiving, a festival to express one’s gratitude to their Lord was established in 1988 through street dancing parade.
Hand held radio owners who called themselves REACT MIDLAND GROUP was the first group who spearheaded the annual festivity.

Since then, they received strings of awards and recognitions as one of the country’s tourist destination and best of local festival merry making.
Halad festival gathers the potential of its town in terms of friendly people, rich culture and traditions, talents and skills. This boasts the town’s culturally and socially involved citizens since almost everybody is participating.
The celebration showcases also the image of Midsayap as a peaceful place with hospitable citizens.
With the confidence and influx of visitors, the economy has expected to gain.

MMJ 191 Week 7

In Convergence Journalism, smart phones rules

On the go journalists like me engaging into multimedia journalism and works in a convergence zone requires sophisticated gadgets to complete a task on time.

Thanks to the technologies present nowadays, which from time to time, revolutionizes its products (so long we could afford to buy).

An iPhone4 is one example gadget tested and proven as digital convergence tool based on experience.

Afternoon of July 15, 2011, a powerful car bomb went-off in Tacurong City in Central Mindanao targeting a convoy of politicians, this was captured by my iPhone seconds after the explosion.

Instinct for a journalist, I ran to the crime scene, which is 200 meters away, took action-packed scenes of the incident, conducted interviews and broke the story with exclusive enthralling footages.

I was in a travel that time and have not brought with me my laptop, the iPhone has served as my all purpose communication, from calls, texts messages for the script advisory, photo, video, audio recorder and serves as PC to the story submitted for national TV newscast of GMA network.

Aside from that I have the chance to tweet my story since I was connected with a 3G signal on the web.

The iPhone 4 is one of the varieties of tools that work for convergence. In fact, I’m using it as a back up for my DSLR camera with video and audio capturing features, digital audio recorder (zoom) and a MacBook Pro laptop, which are the ideal and present tools I use for processing news stories and multimedia projects.

Integrating the story in content management systems for news operations works great on blogs and storify.

In blog, you can package the story with all the pictures, video and texts, just like the storify where you can curate also the contents based on the opinions from other social media sites like Facebook and twitter.

MMJ 191 Week 6

Citizen journalism invites more people participation but is it fading the role of journalists?

Citizen journalism is not yet the answer; we still need professional journalists who follow standards in the news making. However, citizen journalists can help bolster news content since we are getting closer to the audience and they tell personal accounts of what they witnessed, observed or wish to call for an action.

Media companies, which embrace convergence, are reaching out now to the audience by inviting them to share their stories as citizen journalists like the Youscoopers of GMA Network and Bayan Patrollers of ABS-CBN Network(Philippines).They treat the audience as part of the story.

Although news organizations used their stories for free, they are credited for videos and photos shared. And acquiring of this kind from citizen journalist is happening by coincidence or very seldom.

So if the issue is about ethics to take free or cheap content from the audience and not paying them, my idea is its better to give them a token from to the company or a recognition plaque, unless the citizen wish to ask for a payment.

It is understood that they are fan of a certain news company or an avid reader of their online, which is why they share to them the story.

Somehow citizen journalists also threaten the job of many news people or stringers. I had a case learned once from my fellow, he rushed to a tragedy site, shot better video with all of his equipment, spent time to write, travelled too far, and only to find out the visuals sent by a citizen journalist was the one picked-up by the producers for a TV newscast.

User-generated content and the changing news cycle like the mushrooming number of bloggers is seen as the future news.

Coming from the community and using technology to really engage with other people than doing the jobs of journalists is agreeable that traditional media would have to change because “moblogs” or v-blogs were the next major step in publishing.

The battle soon is seen more on a “personal media revolution” but will the audience rely on their credibility, balance and accuracy of the story?

"Kamindanawan" Women, Seriously

In its first decade of existence, the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW) based in Davao City honored 11 Mindanawon women and one man who have “broken silences, barriers and new ground for women.”
The Mindanawon achievers for MCW’s 10th anniversary given last December 8,2011 in Kamindanawan event were Mindanews founder and editor Carol Arguillas; Islamic scholar Prof. Hamid Barra; renowned Moro woman leader Hadja Bainon Karon; and peace activists Raissa Jajurie, Myla Leguro, and Obo-Manobo tribal chieftain Bo-i Era Espana.
The other honorees are national artist for dance Agnes Locsin; Davao-based obstetrics-gynecology specialist Dr. Regina Dela Paz-Ingente, and Betty More who is executive director of the Kababayen-an Alang sa Teknolohiya nga Haum sa Kinaiyahan ng Kauswagan, Inc. (KATAKUS).
Also recognized were Major Rosa Ma. Cristina R. Manuel, the first female battalion executive officer of the 10th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Chief Inspector Grace Taculin of the Davao City Jail.
Director Zenaida Hadji-Raof Laidan of the Department of Science and Technology in Region 12 was also among the Mindanao achievers. Laidan initiated the establishment of the only existing halal laboratory in the country.
According to MCW, the recognition was based on the achievements of the honorees from the three categories set by MCW.
The categories are: those who broke the silence (i.e. spoke of issues not openly discussed), barriers (i.e. engaged in fields traditionally dominated by men), or new ground (i.e. introduced innovations and breakthroughs).
MCW chair emerita and chief executive officer Irene M. Santiago said, “MCW believes that it is only fitting that we give recognition to these persons at this year’s Kamindanawan.”
Santiago said that the occasion has centered on the theme “Women. Seriously!,” anchored on MCW’s slogan and goal: “for women to be taken seriously.”
Santiago said that MCW has “tremendously advanced the status of women in Mindanao since it was established on December 8, 2001.”
She admitted though that “much still needs to be done.”
Maria Ressa, author-in-residence of The International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, was the keynote speaker who discussed the new media, the "Social Media Evolution for Social Change.”
She was formerly head of the ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs.
Another resource person is executive director of Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) Jean Enriquez who tackled on “The Scourge of Human Trafficking.”
Program manager Myla Leguro of the Catholic Relief Services Peace and Reconciliation Program has talked also on “Peacebuilding from Below” during the event.
The celebration started its opening rituals at at the People’s Park in the morning of December 8, 2011.
This was followed by a short parade to the Royal Ballroom of Royal Mandaya Hotel for the formal opening and recognition ceremonies.
Aside from Santiago, MCW chair Margie Moran Floirendo and MCW vice-chair Dr. Melchora Ambalong has taken the lead in the occasion.
Minister counselor for Development Cooperation Program Titon Mitra of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) honored the celebration.
MCW was formed and institutionalized ten years ago by Muslim, Christian and indigenous women leaders of Mindanao.
The group aims to “influence public policy and public opinion by incorporating the women’s perspective in peace and development with the goal “For women to be taken seriously.”
During a gathering of Mindanao’s young women leaders in October this year, Santiago has stated: “For if women are taken seriously, I have no doubt that the challenges of our era for human security and peace will be resolved with a combination of good sense, compassion, and boldness which are hallmarks of women’s leadership.”

MMJ 191 WEEK 5

GMA Network, an example of successful media convergence in Philippines

One great example of a successful convergence news operation I have noticed and admired in this country is GMANews.tv owned and operated by GMA Network Inc.
Well, given that I am one of their stringers serving in the Southern part of the country, I can say the network’s GMANews.TV website is the leading and future of media in the country as it becomes the crossroad for all of its News 'products'. They have the articles and photos there (online/print), live stream for DZBB (radio), and the videos they air from (TV) news, current affairs programs and which the social media could interact.

Since 2007, GMA News website has utilized social networking sites in their news dissemination and newsgathering, making the news processes and operations very interactive. People can like a page, comment on articles, or even submit articles, photo or act as youscooopers or citizen journalists. News became too friendly for people that headlines appear instantaneously at our Facebook and twitter feeds.
Netizens follow the twitter accounts; favorite celebrities, sports icon, several government offices and trends like fashion and technology and sometimes ended viral in the social media.

Strengths.
* Cost efficient in delivering the information to online audience
* Worldwide Interactive access, 24/7
* Centralized site for the network, all-in-one information shopping
* Feedback is immediate
* Viewers can replay and watch anytime favorite news /article
* Could serve as research site


Weaknesses
* Choice fatigue in terms of platforms and channels, too many choices, platforms used, and hard for audience to ‘keep up’ with it all

* The quality of video streaming, audio is unstable, depends on quality of Internet access
* Online/Internet illiterates mostly the old and rural folks could not avail this medium

Opportunities
* Home for the fast growing numbers of netizens
* New business ventures or merging could come along


Threats
*Copyright issues
* Print media will become obsolete
* Less media people will be hired
* Destabilizers could penetrate and give negative, malicious feedback about the news organization that aims to destroy reputation and spread it in the social media.

MMJ 191 WEEK 4

In Convergence Journalism, how will community media cope up?

I still couldn’t think what exact business media model will pay for provincial journalist if convergence is implemented in the newsroom when economics in journalism is a crucial topic even in the traditional system.

Given the fact that the new platforms requires a lot of resources, time, and technical skills, poor revenue of local media operations like we have here in Mindanao is a major factor.

Where will they go now?

Economics of journalism reminds me of the “ Maguindanao Massacre” in November 2009, which happened my area of operation, where 32 of the 58 slain victims were members of the media. (I was just lucky to escape the real death; I was one of the invited).

They were supposed to cover a political story of filing a candidacy of an aspiring governor who luckily won the election later. He got the sympathy of the people, ended the fall of his adversaries who were known political warlords, and now charged behind the gruesome killing and ended up in jail.

Behind that story of the most numbered journalist killed is “ economics of journalism”, in some reports those press people killed were offered cash to join the dangerous coverage.
(It’s a long story if I will elaborate further.)

But there’s a brighter side I see on this difficult situation.

This will give opportunity young generation of journalist to level the playing field; in convergence journalism they could congregate all their effort and operate by just putting a web based local news sites or a local netizen social media site. This is more less in operation expenses like the printed newspapers or broadcast entities.

In fact, I knew some who operates alone, like my classmate Anthony Bayarong of Subic Times.

The only way they can achieve to survive will be more creative, dynamic, and have a quality-produced materials to achieve a strong viral marketing or campaign and penetrate the emerging huge Internet, even at the local level.

The new media offers a variety of opportunity to everyone now; organizations could link each other to gain a stronger package but the question is, how to capture the market is a big challenge still.

MMJ 191 WEEK 3

Convergence in response to audience’s different media, peak hour preference


By: Ferdinandh Cabrera

While news could easily be accessed now on smart phones, computers connected to Internet and tablets, still majority in my province in Mindanao people nevertheless get the news and information with the traditional and the usual access to listening radio, watching TV and reading newspapers.
 

Given that only few are engage in digital media or obviously few only owns a computer, tablet or smartphone, local news are treated still the antiquated way.

But the way I see it, convergence has a big role to fit the demand in schemes of different audiences using different media at different times a day. We cannot deny news consumers will adapt the changes in information access, this time via Internet.

In digital news convergence, anybody who wishes to access information if they had missed the scheduled broadcast airing or unavailable presence yet of newspaper, convergence can cater the information all they wanted in the preferred multimedia news site.

In this format, it’s not only the details the audience could avail but they have the chance to avail the visuals like short videos, photos, animations, podcasts and comments from social media uploaded instantaneously.

This will also save time to busy news consumers mostly in the workplace who choose only their preferred information or news interests like horoscope, sports and showbiz entertainment.

Indeed, convergence will detail how the story has developed as it happens in breaking news in radio, seen live on TV and photos shown taken in the area where news happened and how experts gave analysis or commented the story in the later hours news.

It may be a different audience using different media at different times of the day, but in convergence access of news consumers will become easier and better.

Journalism Blues ( transferred from my wordpress account)

http://digital.community-journalism.net/journalism

I like the beat of the song, this really caught my attention though I’m not that really keen on listening music bands. But the music took me to bang my head while listening on it.

Journalism blue’s song message is clear, I can relate. Especially in my everyday dealings with my veteran fellow journalists here who are close to me.

“Maybe we live in our own time, and this is your time boy”, said a senior journalist Charlie Senase as he told me in one of our sharing conversations.

He recounts how they manage the hardships before on sending stories in a national paper using a long distance call where they had to fall in line first, takes time talking to a costly phone booth just to describe or transcribed what they had written in the typewriter or from their notes.

In the case of photos and videos, they need to rush up to the airport to catch the first flight just to send the materials, and then the next day or second day after they could see it landed in the newspapers.

Today is too far different, speed matters he said. He is thankful, at least he knows how to use Facebook in the present time.

And thanks to this social media site, surely I will share the Journalism Blue’s song to his account, so he could relate.

So what happened to the news as relayed in the message of the song?

Well in present time where digital media and gadgets like iphone could produce multi-tasked functions, this also accompanied with more responsibilities asked by editors--- imagine you will not only asked get details but as much as possible, a photo, video or audio interview of it.

The advantage however is less effort in newsgathering (with the advent of social media), less expenses for the company, faster dispatch of stories using twitter and more convenient to reporters.

What is lost is the quality of news gathered, fact checking and obvious advertisers are seen in the front-page as seen mostly in the web sites.

MMJ I91 WEEK 2- In convergence, Philippine cellphones will be the next newspapers, TV

In convergence, Philippine cellphones will be the next newspapers, TV

http://youtu.be/oZwKPDvYA2M

I like how Dr. Juan Antonio Giner, founder of the Innovation International media consulting group define convergence in his online edition of Ideas, the journal of the International Newspaper Marketing Association.

He said “Media diversification is the past. Digital convergence is the present. Multi-media integration is the future,”

This development has opened me on how to engage more in the digital media industry by providing the wider audience, with a quick, visually and audible presented information and easy access with the burgeoning presence of tablets and smartphones.

Newly founded and now gaining name in Philippines social news network Rappler.com, when asked how they will generate revenue, CEO Maria Ressa said they will come up with innovative ways to shift to digital advertising.

Believing the numbers are there, with the Internet penetration rate of 33 % and 91% in the mobile phone and hopes to increase aggressively this year, Philippines she said would move beyond computer access to mobile/phone access online.

In fact according to Ressa, Filipinos are early adaptors of technology, was dubbed once as “ text capital of the world and once a top Facebook market in the mid-2010.

More people now are more exposed to the Internet compared to television. In the Philippines at least 80 percent use Internet daily, with at least 6.8 hours a day and 3.7 hours on TV based on the research.

In this world of multiple-platform publishing or integrated journalism working in the web 24 hours, I am convinced editorial managers are adopting it to save money or to do better journalism, and two issues go hand in hand.

Online spending is much less than print and broadcast media. In convergence, newsrooms now are challenged on helping on-the-run readers for a quick, in-depth perspective on the news.