‘Women’s Voices’ in Conflict: A photo documentary from the lenses of campus journalists
“The military offensive against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao resulted in the devastation not only of the lives of the fighters themselves but also of the lives of innocents like children and women. Housewives and pregnant women suffered equally in the terrible conditions of life inside the evacuation sites.
“Parida Hadji Mocsin, a housewife and the mother of 9 children from Sitio Lapok, said ‘I’m sick of this conflict because since I was a child, I have been experiencing this kind of crisis.’
“The families of Mrs. Mocsin and other mothers and women caught in the firefights between government soldiers and BIFF are thus appealing for peace in their community.”
Mohamadsaid Gandawali,
a 3rd year Educational Communication major in Development Communication,
University of Southern Mindanao
“The agony of being trapped in the middle of armed clashes and living a hard life in their own land can be seen on the eyes of those people at the photo. They have no other recourse but to run. Their voices are too small to be heard compared to the noise of the unending exchange of gunfire.
“The elderly, who do not have enough energy to protect themselves, the wives who fear for the welfare of their families as well as the future of their children, the husbands concerned with protecting their families and the young who have seen the worst are the non-combatant victims of this war. They are living in fear while the solution, peace, has not been realized.
“Women resort to prayer as their only means of protecting their families. As mothers they must pretend to be strong even if their hearts are almost breaking with fear, because they hope that someday their little voices will be heard above the noise of the fighting.
“Peace is attainable, I, the victims and other peace-loving Filipinos believe. The Bangsamoro Basic Law will not by itself assure peace, but many of us are hoping that it will be the formula to achieve the peace we are all hoping for.
“The rebel groups are only claiming what is their own. The war in Mindanao started in the 1970s but is still killing innocent people. Both the rebel groups and the government think they’re fighting for what is right, but how about the mother and her little angel in this photo? They are the true victims of war. They have been living in darkness and in fear and poverty, with no access to education.
“These people want the peace and freedom that neither the government nor the freedom fighters can give. Although they have one goal, their ways of achieving it are different.”
Carrelle Shabe Bacordo,
a 3rd year Community Broadcasting major in Development Communication,
University of Southern Mindanao
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” —John Lennon.
“Many families are homeless and many children are fatherless because of the clashes in Maguindanao. And the true victims of this clash are the civilians. The old, the young, and especially the women are no exemptions. How many more Filipino lives will be lost because of this pointless war? When will this war between freedom fighters and government forces end?
“The BIFF are fighting for their own land. On the other side are the Government soldiers who are fighting for what they believe is right. Even if you close your eyes, you will see and picture the fear in the eyes of the innocent people trapped in the middle of the war between two groups. Many people are looking forward to putting an to this kind of war, and so are Muslim people, who are pushing for BBL approval so as to attain peace because they believe that this might be the solution we have been looking for for decades. May both freedom fighters and law fighters hear and understand the perspective of one another.
Joyce Toledo,
a 3rd year Journalism major in Development Communication,
Universtiy of Southern Mindanao
“The Mamasapano incident and the successive events which caused thousands of people to be displaced are attempts to resolve conflict with another conflict. Whatever is attained by violence will only result in more violence, creating a never ending process of conflict, or worse, war.
“During the all-out government offensive against the rebel group BIFF, thousands and thousands of people were displaced and forced to live in their only safe haven, the evacuation sites. Men, women, and children from all age groups were forced to seek shelter, rely on relief, and live with uncertainties in these sites.
“Mothers have pled for a stop to war, have cried for the welfare of their children who can’t go to school, and slept with uncertainty every night. Women are the guiding light of the family, but how can they shed that light, if even them can’t see it in the dark clouds of conflict.”
Datu Tanto Piang Jr.,
a 3rd year Community Broadcasting major in Development Communication,
University of Southern Mindanao
“There was a time when there was no conflict in Mindanao. I myself, see the government’s policies as one of the reasons for these seemingly unending wars. People could not adjust to the policies imposed by the government. It resulted in the marginalization of Muslims, and eventually, conflict. That conflict created havoc in the land of promise, affecting women, who feared for their families, most.
“A culture of peace may be realized through peace negotiations. Honing young minds is more important also in order for them to realize that life is precious, that humanity has to be preserved. Every cruelty has its consequences, and every sacrifice has its rewards. As Pope John Paul II told the youth, ‘if you want to cultivate the culture of peace, protect creation.’”
Cayetano Daquiado Jr. ,
a 3rd year Journalism major in Development Communication,
University of Southern Mindanao
Photographers Note
These photos were shot during a series of assignments at the start of the BIFF-military conflict this year.
For a different approach from that of a practising journalist engaged in covering in the field, I gave journalism interns of University of Southern Mindanao (all of them Mindanaoans), who have also visited the conflict areas, the chance to share their perspectives on the conflict by choosing from, and reacting to, my photos.
They were asked to choose at least five photos each from my collection in preparing a photo documentary on conflict and peace reporting, especially highlighting the voices of women in the conflict zone.
On a personal note, the images captured are not enough to illustrate the struggle of the real losers in this conflict — the civilians, especially the weak, the children, the elderly, and the mothers.
In my decade-long coverage of the conflict zones in Mindanao. I have seen an unending cycle of violence, injustice, hatred and hopelessness.
Telling the stories of the victims of war is my way of helping make things better, if not today, I hope someday. I pray that their lives will be better, and that positive changes will come.
The people have suffered long enough from wars and tyranny. They have the right to live in peaceful communities with their loved ones — communities where opportunities will be available to them, which will promote good values and peace, and which will reject the culture of guns and violence.
Ferdinandh B. Cabrera is a freelance multimedia journalist based in Southern Philippines.
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