Doors to Diplomacy Participants

Saint Louis University Laboratory High School (2012 Doors to Diplomacy Project ID 7272)
Philippines, Benguet, Baguio City
Official Status: Incomplete: under Development
Teacher:
Category: 2. Promotion of Peace and Democracy: Social Issues

We estimate 4 student(s) from 14 to 15 will work on this entry.

Description of Our Team: " Gymo A. –a simple young man, artistic, intelligent yet humble and has a great perspective in life.

Jarvey E. – a small but incredibly talented, whether in an artistic way or in an athletic way

John ray S.- a man with his words. He has the determination in making everything better, even in the simplest way.

Kurt T. – a great artist, quiet and very responsible to accomplish any task given to him."

Project Description: "Project description

Journalists around the world are the reasons we find ourselves adept with the social issues, government problems, and community concerns. They make it a point to communicate facts and their opinions through the mass media (television, radio, and newspapers). With their honest public service, the communities’ minds are opened to the harshness of reality, corruption by governement, and abuse of power. More often than not, these journalists have been called names, and worse, have experienced several death threats. Sometimes, people regard death threats as a comic story that merely puts drama to a storyline built by every journalist.

Nonetheless, a year ago, seventy-eight of our well-dignified journalists have experienced such death threats, and consequently seemed not to have just been death threats; but deaths. These journalists were cooking a very good stroryline: “Mangudadatu’s Filing of Candidacy for Governor against the Famous Ampatuan”; they never had thought that this story would end up having them as the main subjects for tommorrow’s front page- “Maguindanao Massacre”. They were brutally killed, raped and slaughtered by Ampatuan’s army. The Filipino people clammoured for justice; the journalism industry felt pain for the co-journalists, and they feared for their lives, too.

It has been more than a year now, the case has been trashed for several times, judges have been quitting their positions; these are because of one thing: FEAR. Most people have been scared of what their life might end up to if they meddle into such issue- that is if there is still a life to look forward to. However, every Filipino citizen must remember, Maguindanao Massacre case is not about who takes the case, or who is to be blamed, or whose life shoud be put to safety; but it is about giving justice to those who were killed and subsequently giving back the hope of having “mabuting pamamahayag”.

Justice here in the Philippines is moving too slow. These journalists have spent their entire lives in giving good public service- it didn’t matter what is at stake for them. It is but appropriate to give the goodness back to them by saying: JUSTICE TO THE VICTIMS OF MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE! JUSTICE, NOW! Because their deaths are not comic stories, rather, their deaths are eye openners for CHANGE!"

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