‘Dear P-Noy…’ winning youth bags Smart phone, mobile modem

By Deorenzie Frances Carreon To some youth in Mindanao, having a mobile phone whatever the brand or model may be, at teen stage was a luxury. And to 16-year old Julie Kristine De Guzman, a farmer’s daughter, owning a cellular phone was a dream. Julie is the First Place Winner in the ‘Dear P-Noy Letter-Writing Contest’ that was organized by the Voice of Mindanao (VoM) in partnership with the People Power Volunteers-Center Zamboanga. Being the winner, she was awarded by Smart Communications, a partner in the program, with a cellular phone and the Smart Plug In (Internet) mobile modem. Julie is a second year college sophomore of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao in Davao City, where she pursues a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, and the fourth of six children of Efren and Julia De Guzman. Julie did not join the VoM-PPVC letter-writing contest for the prizes, however. The Voice of Mindanao took care in not announcing the prizes, nor awarding cash, so as to inspire Mindanao youth to write a letter to President Benigno Simeon ‘Noy’ Aquino, or P-Noy. Julie is among the 104 letter-senders from different places in Mindanao. “Katong nabasa nako ang goal sa contest, there was something within me that really inspired me to write. While gaining the courage to do so, I thought of it not as a contest but as an opportunity to be able to write a message that will reach thousands of hopeless people here in Mindanao. And since bag-o lang ang pagkatungtung ni Pres. Noynoy, I thought that will be a good start and an effective way so he will hear the plea of the people,” the Tagum girl said. “I never had my very own cellphone in my life. Dili nako makalimtan katong nangutana akong classmate nganong dili daw ko hatagan sa akong parents ug cellphone kay ako na lang man gud ang walay cellphone sa among room and considering na Class President ko during 4th year, I found a hard time disseminating information in my classmates so I just ask the Vice President to do the job,” she sighed. She recalled, “Before entering college, they told me naman that they will provide me a phone, finally. But due to some circumstances, hindi matuloy-tuloy. Only then, after I won ‘Dear P-Noy…’ Letter-Writing Contest, I began to realize na siguro the reason why God didn't gave me a phone those times was because He will provide me in a most surprising way! This makes me consider the phone not just an ordinary phone but a gift.” “I really consider SMART Communications as a bridge in providing the cellphone I longed to have and the SMART Plug in broadband which is very useful sa part ko as a student. At least, kapag nasa school dormitory na ako, i-pu-plug ko na lang yun and ta-daah! May instant time na ako to research!” “As a youth, I believe there are a lot of ways in communicating peace. You can attend a rally, stage demonstrations and even speak your side directly. But it is up to us in what way we are going to do this. It's really a good thing na Voice of Mindanao thought of this letter writing to Noynoy as a form of creative peace communication and the contest lived for its name. By just using a pen and paper, we are able to let our thoughts and dreams written in a piece of paper. Tunay ngang "a pen is mightier than a sword". Kung gusto nating maging isa sa makapagtaguyod ng kapayapaan, sana'y idaan din natin ito sa mapayapang paraan -- walang dahas, pawang kapayapaan lamang,” she concluded. Voice of Mindanao is a youth organization designed to empower the next generations for a better southern Philippines. In partnership with the People Power Volunteers Center-Zamboanga, VoM organized a Mindanao-wide writing tilt urging Mindanao youth to write their concerns for Mindanao to President Noy through letters that began with “Dear P-Noy…” The contest, which had the support of Smart Communications (as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility) and Bloomingdale’s Department Store, ran from August 1, and ended on August 18. The qualifying letter-entries were adjudged on August 19, and winners were proclaimed and awarded on August 20, the third year anniversary of VoM. President Aquino received the letters on August 21. This month, the President sent replies to the six winning letter-senders. (DFCR)

UP-Mindanao co-ed wins 'Dear P-Noy...' Letter-Writing Contest

A second year B.A. English student of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao bested 120 other letter-senders or 19 co-finalists in the recently-concluded 'Dear P-Noy...' Letter-Writing Contest. 16-year old Julie Kristine de Guzman of Tagum City joined the contest and sent her entry by e-mail to dearpnoy@mail.com, along with other youth from Mindanao, in a hope to be able to air to President Noy Aquino her dreams for Mindanao. The writing tilt was organized by the Voice of Mindanao, a youth organization composed of the young from various parts of Mindanao, who are bonding together to share visions and hopes for the land of their birth here in southern Philippines, in partnership with the People Power Volunteer Center-Zamboanga City. "Tulungan mong maiangat ang pangalang Mindanao mula sa kanyang pagkalugmok. Tutukan din sana ng iyong gobyerno ang pagsasaayos ng mga imprastruktura para sa transportasyon, turismo at pangangalakal dito sa Mindanao sapagkat lubusan na kaming naiiwan sa pag-unlad," Julie appealed to the President in her letter. 17-year old Mikaela Joyce Somera, a BS Mass Comm. student of the Ateneo De Zamboanga University, placed second. In her letter, she shared with P-Noy, "I dream that one day, I would be walking confidently to school without having to worry if a bomb might blow off somewhere near me. I dream that one day, no Mindanaoan youth would be going to school with the fear that they might be kidnapped. I dream that one day, no media practitioner will die for voicing out the truth. I hope that one day, every politician would find in their hearts the true essence of public service." "I dream of a united Mindanao. I dream of a Mindanao that is one in its vision to prosper--for this thing cannot be done by one person only. It cannot be done by a few. And this dream will come true only if every Mindanaoan will work together in unity for the progress of Mindanao," Mikaela wrote. "Mapayabong pa sana ang mga produktong likas sa Mindanao upang magsilbing pang-akit sa mga turista maging sa mga negosyante na magsisilbing daan upang mapayabong ang ekonomiya ng bansa. Sana’y magkaroon ng ngiti sa bawat labi ng taga-Mindanao ngayon at bukas," Julie penned. To third placer Ma. Teresa Carmela Cruz, an AB Mass Comm. sophomore of the Western Mindanao State University, being among the contest winners "changed my life completely." In her letter to P-Noy, she said, "I’m not a seer but I do believe that peace and development is possible with you as our leader and if we all help one another. It is a laborious dream but, if we, the young people of Mindanao will begin the change in ourselves then, we can fulfill our dreams and hope again Peace in Mindanao is possible." The project was conceived by 16-year old Deorenzie Frances Ramos, president of the Voice of Mindanao. Frances, an International Studies freshman of the Ateneo De Zamboanga University, said it was "just timely since P-Noy is starting his term, and we see in him a leader of a nation who is willing to listen to his people. His mention of Mindanao in his inaugural address inspires us Mindanao youth and gives us hope that southern Philippines has a place in his heart not just as a political territory but as a home of Pinoys he as P-Noy wants to serve. We see hope for a real change for Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines under his leadership." PPVC-Zamboanga President Dr. Anton Mari Lim saw the enthusiasm of the young, and willingly supported the cause. "We are just glad to be of help," Lim said. The writing contest is also backed by Smart Communications, which is one of the few companies that do extension projects as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Smart has provided support to various schools in Mindanao, adopting some schools, and providing educational materials and even technology support directly or through the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), of which it is a member. Other partners are the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON), MIST-Philippines, the Mein College Language Center, Bloomingdale's Department Store in Zamboanga City, Mindanao Bloggers Association, Philippine Information Agency, MindaNews, and Mindanao media for the information dissemination. "This is a Mindanao-wide effort," Frances of VoM said. The contest kicked off on August 1, the death anniversary of President Cory Aquino, and winners were proclaimed on August 20, the 3rd anniversary of the Voice of Mindanao. PPVC presented the letters to P-Noy on August 21, the death anniversary of Sen. Ninoy Aquino. "We did not give cash prizes, and we are happy to share that the gifts from VoM and our partners were hardly the motivating factor for the participants. They all simply wanted to share with PNoy what they thought. And that is very clear, because we only announced the prizes when judging started," Frances said. The winners all indicated that they liked the VoM t-shirt awarded to them that said, "I sent a letter to P-Noy and got this shirt!" Other winners are Farisia Buhari, Krystel Audrey Wertle, and Kenneth Varquez. The final level was adjudged by Ms. Viel Aquino-Dee (Chairman) of the PPVC, Mr. Christian Olasiman, head of the Noy Yo! Movement in Zamboanga City, Mr. Ryan Rosauro, secretary-general of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network, Ms. Frencie Carreon, program head of the Voice of Mindanao, and Ms. Carol Arguillas, editor-in-chief of MindaNews. The full text of the winning letters are posted in http://voiceofmindanao.blogspot.com and sites of Mindanao bloggers. PPVC's Lim said the President will respond to the letters after his receipt last Friday. As winner Julie said, "Magsilbi sanang tulay ang liham na ito upang marinig mo ang pangarap naming mga taga-Mindanao." (VoM)

'Dear P-Noy...' --A Letter from Julie Kristine De Guzman, First Place Winner

Dear P-Noy, Sa pagkakaluklok mo sa pinakamataas na posisyon sa bansa, nasa’yo ang aking tiwala. Hindi man ganoon kalakas ang tinig ko bilang ordinaryong estudyante, hayaan mong maisalaysay sa pamamagitan ng liham na ito ang mga pangarap ko bilang taga-Mindanao. Hindi ka man si Superman o Batman, sana’y magkaisa tayong suportahan ang pagbabago alang-alang sa bayan. Hindi man biglaan ang pagbabago, sana’y makapagsimula tayo. ‘Pag sinabing ‘Mindanao’, takot pa rin ang namamayani sa mga nakakarinig nito. Unti-unting natatabunan ang kagandahan nito dahil sa mga pangyayaring hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring hustisya. Sana’y maging matiwasay ang pagsasaayos ng hindi pagkakaunawaan – mapa-Lumad man, Bangsamoro o Kristiyano. Tulungan mong maiangat ang pangalang Mindanao mula sa kanyang pagkalugmok. Tutukan din sana ng iyong gobyerno ang pagsasaayos ng mga imprastruktura para sa transportasyon, turismo at pangangalakal dito sa Mindanao sapagkat lubusan na kaming naiiwan sa pag-unlad. Pangarap kong mapagmasdan ang bawat bata sa Mindanao na nakabihis-uniporme sa eskwela na bitbit ang lapis at libro. Walang mga tambay sa lansangan. Lahat nasa paaralan at may mga disenteng trabaho ang mga tao kahit hindi nakapag-aral sa kolehiyo. Mabigyan sana ng atensyon ang mga kababayan nating walang ligtas at maayos na komunidad na tirahan. Magkaroon sana sila ng pagkakataon upang may maituring na tahanan. Pangarap kong magkaroon ng kaayusan sa daloy kalsada. Walang naghahari-harian. Lahat pantay-pantay sa karapatan. Maging ganap na malinis sana ang bawat sulok ng kalsada. Sana’y maituring na lugar para sa kalinisan ang mga lugar sa Mindanao. Mapayabong pa sana ang mga produktong likas sa Mindanao upang magsilbing pang-akit sa mga turista maging sa mga negosyante na magsisilbing daan upang mapayabong ang ekonomiya ng bansa. Sana’y magkaroon ng ngiti sa bawat labi ng taga-Mindanao ngayon at bukas. Magsilbi sanang tulay ang liham na ito upang marinig mo ang pangarap naming mga taga-Mindanao. Sumasainyo, Julie Sender: Julie Kristine De Guzman University of the Philippines-Mindanao Tagum City

'Dear P-Noy...' --A Letter from Mykee Somera, 2nd Place Winner

Dear P-Noy, Greetings of Peace! I am Mikaela Joyce Somera, a 17-year old youth of Zamboanga City. As a youth of Mindanao, I have seen with my own naked eye the true condition of Southern Philippines. I dream that one day this condition will eventually change. I have many dreams for Mindanao and I hope that one day, all of my dreams would come to a reality. Mindanao is my home. I hope that one day my home would become a better place. Peace and order has always been one of the major concerns in Mindanao. Series of killings, kidnappings and bombings continue to injure every Mindanaoan’s heart. I am fervently praying and hoping that your plan to initiate peace talks between the rebel groups and the government would eventually calm the situation in Mindanao. I know everything will not happen in a blink of an eye, but in my heart, I strongly believe that it will happen in the right time. I dream that one day, I would be walking confidently to school without having to worry if a bomb might blow off somewhere near me. I dream that one day, no Mindanaoan youth would be going to school with the fear that they might be kidnapped. I dream that one day, no media practitioner will die for voicing out the truth. I hope that one day, every politician would find in their hearts the true essence of public service. Lastly, I dream of a united Mindanao. I dream of a Mindanao that is one in its vision to prosper--for this thing cannot be done by one person only. It cannot be done by a few. And this dream will come true only if every Mindanaoan will work together in unity for the progress of Mindanao. Sincerely, Mykee Sender: Mikaela Joyce Somera Ateneo De Zamboanga University

'Dear P-Noy...'---A Letter from Carmela Cruz, 3rd Place Winner

Dear P-Noy, Greetings! It’s such a great honor for me to share my dream for Mindanao. President Noy, I really want to have peace in Mindanao. I have already heard the peace advocates speak about the situation in Mindanao. For me, it’s one of the priorities that you should pay attention to. The people of Mindanao are hiding under the cloak of invisibility; they’re afraid to face the sun because if they would, it will blind their dreams and hopes. Peace is no longer peace because every time I hear about peace, I see guns, bombs, war, chaos and destruction just to attain the victory for peace. The people are suffering from poverty, how much more if the place where they live is in a conflict-affected area? I feel very sad to think that some Filipinos are fighting and killing each other just to bring peace to our land. Many journalists died in the “Maguindanao Massacre”. They’re supposed to write the real problems in Mindanao; but writing the truth became their Achilles heel because they were killed. Your father was a very noble person. I wrote an article in our local newspaper on his 24th death anniversary and I said; “Ninoy did not use any weapon to fight for democracy; he just used his words, his heart and faith in God to fight for our freedom.” I believe in you, that like your father, you’ll also be our hero. I’m not a seer but I do believe that peace and development is possible with you as our leader and if we all help one another. It is a laborious dream but, if we, the young people of Mindanao will begin the change in ourselves then, we can fulfill our dreams and hope again Peace in Mindanao is possible. Sincerely yours, Carmz Sender: Ma. Teresa Carmela A. Cruz Western Mindanao State University

'Dear P-Noy...' --A Letter from Kenneth Varquez, 5th Place Winner

Dear P-Noy,

Ako po ay isang mamamayan at higit sa lahat, isang kabataan na umaasa sa mapayapa at magandang pamumuhay dito po sa Mindanao sa baba po ng inyong panunungkulan. Naniniwala po ako na kayo po ang simula ng pagbabago sa ating bansa.

Taos-puso po akong umaasa sa inyo at sa mga tinilaga n’yo pong mga kasama sa baba po ng inyong administrasyon, ipagpatuloy po ninyo ang nasimulan ng inyong magulang.

Alam ko po na buong puso at walang pag-iimbot sa sarili at tapat po kayo, sa inyo pong mga tungkulin. Kung kami po ang tinuturing nyo pong boss, kayo po naman ang aming ilaw sa daan na madilim, at kayo po ang aming gabay sa matuwid na landas.

Buong puso po akong nagpapasalamat sa inyo sa kadahilanan na binigyan po ninyo kami ng pag-asa lalong-lalo na po kaming mga kabataan na uhaw sa tahimik at payapang pamumuhay. Umaasa po kaing mga Kristyano lalo na po ang mga kapatid po nating mga Muslim na matiil na ang gulo dito sa Mindanao.

Nararapat po kayong maging magandang ehemplo sa aming mga kabataang Pilipino.

Idolo ko po kayo sa lahat ng inyo pong larangan. Lalong-lalo na po sa pagsasalita ng matuwid at totoo, gamit ang ating sariling wika. Kaya po nauunawaan at naiintindihan po kayo ng mga pangkaraniwang Pilipino saan mang sulok ng Pilipinas sa plano nyo po sa ating bansa upang maging maunlad po ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.

Nakikita ko na talaga na may magandang kinabukasan ang ating bansa sa pangunguna po ninyo. Sana po magkita at magkausap po tayo ng personal.

Ang hiling ko lang po sa inyo na sana ay bigyan nyo po ng malaking atensyon ang terorismo sa Mindanao at sana ay maging maunlad at tahimik na ang Mindanao sa kasalukuyang pamamahala po ninyo. At sana po ay malinawagan na ang mga masasamang elemento sa ating kapaligiran na mas maganda ang payak, simple at matiwasay na pamumuhay.

Sana po dinggin po ninyo ang hinaing ko, at ng mga kapwa ko pong kabataang Pilipino.

Tayo po ang simula ng matiwasay at tahimik na pagbabago

Gumagalang,

Kenneth Varquez

Universidad de Zamboanga

Smart gives away mobile phone to best Letter to P-Noy

Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. is presenting a mobile phone unit to the winner of the 'Dear P-Noy...' Letter-Writing Contest. This was shared by Ms. Judee Caroline Dizon of the Smart Communications-Mindanao Public Affairs Office, as she re-affirmed the telecommunications company's support to the project of the Voice of Mindanao. At the awarding ceremony today at the College of Law Auditorium of the Western Mindanao State University, Smart was represented by Ms. Lalaine Daguno, Smart Officer-In-Charge for Community Care Projects, and Ms. Matet Macadaan, Distributor Business Manager for Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. Smart's support for certain youth development programs have long been established, as the company grew through the years, empowering communications especially in Mindanao, linking remote areas to urban areas in southern Philippines. Its programs on corporate social responsibility have reached even the farthest area in Mindanao. The recipient of the Smart Phone for this 'Dear P-Noy...' Letter-Writing Contest is Julie Kristine De Guzman, a 2nd year A.B. English student of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao in Tagum City. De Guzman is expected to claim her prize from Smart from the Smart office in Davao. Other prizes, to include a watch from P-Noy and the People Power Volunteer Center-Zamboanga and a Voice of Mindanao t-shirt that says, "I wrote a letter to P-Noy and got this shirt!", for the "Voice of Tagum" will be sent to her by courier. VoM president Frances Ramos said, "I am very thankful to Smart Communications for supporting this project. VoM hopes to partner with Smart in providing training to students in Smart-adopted schools." (VoM)

‘Dear P-Noy ‘: A Letter-Writing Contest Among Mindanao Youth

Contest Rules: The Voice of Mindanao, in partnership with the People Power Volunteers Center- Zamboanga, is organizing the Dear P-Noy Letter Writing Contest among the youth in Mindanao. Essentially, this aims to draw the young writers’ thoughts and aspirations for the land of his birth (i.e., southern Philippines) while evoking anew an interest among the youth in communicating peace. With the support of a number of Mindanao-based organizations and commercial establishments, Dear PNoy Letter Writing Contest is a Mindanao-wide writing tilt. Write to P-Noy now! Send your letter-entries as early as possible. Mechanics: 1. The contest is open to all youth who are citizens and residents of Mindanao, aged 11 to 18 years old, whether in-school or out-of-school youth. 2. The main theme for the message must be the letter-writer’s message for President Noy, or P-Noy, of his/her dreams for southern Philippines. This message, to come from his/her heart, may contain his/her vision in line with P-Noy’s statement during his inaugural address as Philippine President of his action plan for Mindanao. 3. Letters, which should not go beyond 300 words in length, must begin with ‘Dear P-Noy’, and must have his/her first name or nickname as signature. (Letter-sender’s full identity must be indicated separately (either separate Word Document file or as an Inline Text, right below the letter itself). 4. Letters may be handwritten, typewritten, or computer-encoded and printed in a white bond paper, with 8.5”x11” size. 5. Handwritten letters may be mailed by post or sent by courier to Dear P-Noy Letter Writing Contest, c/o Voice of Mindanao, 2F, Mein College Language Center, San Jose Gusu Road, 7000 Zamboanga City or sent by electronic mail. A letter sent by post office must however be stamped by August 7 to qualify, and to ensure that it arrives to the VoM Office by August 15. A handwritten or typewritten letter may also be scanned, then e-mailed as a JPEG file to dearpnoy@mail.com. 6. The letter may also be sent electronically (e-mail) as an inline text or as a Word Document attachment to dearpnoy@mail.com. The Subject in the e-mail must be: ENTRY to Dear PNoy Letter-Writing Contest. 7. All entries must be accompanied with the sender/writer’s brief bio, to contain his/her full name, age, date and place of birth, school (if in-school), organizations (if any), language(s) spoken, parents’/guardians’ names, complete home/mailing address, valid phone number, and his/her vision for Mindanao, and an email attachment of his/her JPEG photo file. 8. Letters shall be accepted until August 15, 2010. The letters shall be adjudged until August 18, 2010, after which, three winners shall be picked out. The winning letters shall be sent to the Office of President Noy Aquino on August 20, which coincides with the Voice of Mindanao Day. These letters shall be read by the President on August 21, which coincides with the Death Anniversary of our modern-day hero, Sen. Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Sr. 9. Letter entries shall be adjudged based on content (50%), organization (10%), grammar and mechanics (10%), syntactic variety and language use (10%), style (10%), and originality (10%). Organization includes the manner by which the writer arranged his ideas, put together for a comprehensive message to P-Noy. Grammar and mechanics refers to the correct usage of sentences, punctuation marks, capitalization, and the like. Syntactic variety and language use refers to the vocabulary used by the writer/letter-sender, which covers appropriateness of language, variety in usage of terms and phrases, and the like. Style refers to the writer’s artistic/literary approach in drafting the letter. Originality means the letter is written by no other but the sender/writer, in view of intellectual copyrights. Content, which bears the biggest share of the criteria, refers to the core of the message of the letter-writer and reflects the sincerity and passion of a young Mindanaoan wanting to see his dreams for southern Philippines realized gradually and not necessarily immediately, under the leadership of President Noy Aquino with the support of a peace-and-freedom-desiring Filipino nation. 10. Language choice per se shall not be a factor in the judging. An entry may be sent in English, Filipino, or any language spoken in Mindanao (example: Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug, Visayan, Sama, Manobo, Subanen, Chavacano, etc.). For purposes of this contest, entries written in Ilocano and Ilonggo/Hiligaynon, which are spoken by those who have migrated to Mindanao, shall not be accepted. Translations shall be done for the judges courtesy of the Mein College Language Center. Entries shall be judged based on the original entry, and not the translated entry. 11. Language code-mixing shall be allowed, provided, that a complete sentence must have only one language. Language code-mixing is when two languages (English and Filipino but not Tag-lish, or English and any Mindanao language but not, for instance, Tau-lish or Mara-lish) are used by the writer in one written piece. 12. Prizes shall all be gifts and tokens, courtesy of the Voice of Mindanao, the People Power Volunteers Center-Zamboanga, and Mindanao-based organizations and commercial establishments. Winners and their winning letters shall be featured in the 2011 VoM Calendar of which the winners shall be awarded with copies. Monetary rewards are not given as this contest aims to draw the young writers’ thoughts and aspirations for the land of his birth (i.e., southern Philippines) while evoking anew an interest among the youth in communicating peace. 13. Winning letters shall be published by partner media organizations. 14. For further inquiries, any of the following may be reached: Frances Ramos (+639274820815), JV Bue (+639359641390), and Corinne Canaya (+639055941882) through voiceofmindanao@gmail.com. 15. For more information on the Voice of Mindanao, please see its blogsite at http://voiceofmindanao.blogspot.com or email voiceofmindanao@gmail.com. FaceBook users may also send friend requests to Voice of Mindanao.

'Dear PNoy...' Letter-Writing Contest Launched

ZAMBOANGA CITY---The Voice of Mindanao (VoM), a youth organization launched recently a letter-writing competition dubbed as “Dear P-Noy…” VoM President Frances Ramos said the Mindanao-wide writing tilt aims to “draw the young writers’ thoughts and aspirations for the land of his birth, meaning here in southern Philippines, while evoking once more an interest among the youth in communicating peace.” “We are hoping that our young writers would appreciate once more letter-writing, as this is one way of communicating peace. And we all want peace for Mindanao and the Philippines. With Facebook, Tweeter, and texting as part of the trend now, some teachers and parents are reacting strongly on the young not putting value in written communications, specifically letters. Even in sending emails, sometimes, we tend to use the text-style, plus the Jejemon talk,” Frances, who is still a college freshman student, said. As per contest rules, the “main theme for the message must be the letter-writer’s message for President Noy, or P-Noy, of his/her dreams for southern Philippines. This message, to come from his/her heart, may contain his/her vision in line with P-Noy’s statement during his inaugural address as Philippine President of his action plan for Mindanao.” The contest is open to all youth who are citizens and residents of Mindanao, aged 11 to 18 years old, whether in-school or out-of-school youth. Letters shall be accepted until August 15, 2010. The letters shall be adjudged until August 18, 2010, after which, three winners shall be picked out. The winning letters shall be sent to the Office of President Noy Aquino on August 20, which coincides with the Voice of Mindanao Day. These letters shall be read by the President on August 21, which coincides with the Death Anniversary of our modern-day hero, Sen. Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Sr. “We would like the youth to be motivated by the spirit and purpose of the contest itself. That is the very reason why monetary rewards and cash prizes are not given in this contest. We hope the participants will focus on their thoughts and aspirations for Mindanao, and see the means, which is writing a letter from their hearts to P-Noy, what their visions are of Mindanao. We in Voice of Mindanao see this as a way of communicating peace,” Frances elaborated. Hence, prizes shall all be gifts and tokens, courtesy of the Voice of Mindanao, the People Power Volunteers Center-Zamboanga, and Mindanao-based organizations and commercial establishments. Winners and their winning letters shall be featured in the 2011 VoM Calendar of which the winners shall be awarded with copies. “But I’d like to emphasize that we are doing this in partnership with the People Power Volunteers Center of Zamboanga City, which is presently headed by Dr. Anton Lim. Dr. Lim has been very helpful to us, and it is PPVC that will provide the link to the President’s Office. VoM is composed of youth and we are apolitical, so we really do not have that much political link, much more, influence,” she added. “While we are based in Zamboanga, we are also counting on the support of all Mindanao media to help us in the information dissemination because this is Mindanao-wide. This is why we tapped the Philippine Information Agency as our lead partner in the dissemination,” Frances said. The contest rules state that letters, which should not go beyond 300 words in length, must begin with ‘Dear P-Noy’, and must have his/her first name or nickname as signature. (Letter-sender’s full identity must be indicated separately (either separate Word Document file or as an Inline Text, right below the letter itself). Letters may be handwritten, typewritten, or computer-encoded and printed in a white bond paper, with 8.5”x11” size. Handwritten letters may be mailed by post or sent by courier to Dear P-Noy Letter Writing Contest, c/o Voice of Mindanao, 2F, Mein College Language Center, San Jose Gusu Road, 7000 Zamboanga City or sent by electronic mail. A letter sent by post office must however be stamped by August 7 to qualify, and to ensure that it arrives to the VoM Office by August 15. A handwritten or typewritten letter may also be scanned, then e-mailed as a JPEG file to dearpnoy@mail.com. The letter may also be sent electronically (e-mail) as an inline text or as a Word Document attachment to dearpnoy@mail.com. The Subject in the e-mail must be: ENTRY to Dear PNoy Letter-Writing Contest. All entries must be accompanied with the sender/writer’s brief bio, to contain his/her full name, age, date and place of birth, school (if in-school), organizations (if any), language(s) spoken, parents’/guardians’ names, complete home/mailing address, valid phone number, and his/her vision for Mindanao, and an email attachment of his/her JPEG photo file. Letter entries shall be adjudged based on content (50%), organization (10%), grammar and mechanics (10%), syntactic variety and language use (10%), style (10%), and originality (10%). Language choice per se shall not be a factor in the judging. An entry may be sent in English, Filipino, or any language spoken in Mindanao. For further inquiries, any of the following may be reached: Frances Ramos (+639274820815), JV Bue (+639359641390), and Corinne Canaya (+639055941882) through voiceofmindanao@gmail.com. The Voice of Mindanao is an organization of youth and young professionals from and for Mindanao who are moving together to promote youth empowerment and responsible citizenship for a better southern Philippines. For more information on the Voice of Mindanao, please see its blogsite at http://voiceofmindanao.blogspot.com/ where the contest rules are posted, or email voiceofmindanao@gmail.com. FaceBook users may also send friend requests to Voice of Mindanao. (VoM)

VoM joins 9th HRSD Confab in Butuan

BUTUAN CITY---The Voice of Mindanao joins the in-school youth in Mindanao who are undergoing training in member-schools of the Mindanao Technical-Vocational Educational Training Institutions (MinTVET) as the latter holds the 9th Human Resource and Skills Development Conference this year here. Last year, VoM likewise participated in the 8th HRSD Conference, which had the biggest attendance so far with more than 500 delegates, in Zamboanga City. The annual HRSD Conference is a gathering of educators and school owners of MInTVET member-schools, all of whom are government-recognized education and training institutions and partners of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in honing the livelihood skills of Mindanao youth. This year's confab is set on August 11 to 13 in Butuan City. Organizers hope that the attendance will be higher than that in Zamboanga City.