Educating Maria! “Ressa’s Ignorance Stark Proof: Mindanao Has Image Problem!”

Veteran journalist Maria Ressa’s reference to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) simply as “a Davao Hospital” which received bigger funds from PhilHealth than the more popular Philippine General Hospital is a stark proof that Mindanao has an image problem.

While Ressa’s post about SPMC which reeks with malice offended many, especially health workers connected with SPMC, I would rather take it as a challenge to work on a stronger information campaign to provide an accurate picture of Mindanao.

Decades of conflict has painted a blurry portrait of Mindanao, making it an enigma and a dreaded land where the undesirables of Luzon are banished to pay for their offenses to society.

When I took over the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) exactly one year ago, I identified the region’s image problem as one of the major challenges..

“Hindi ba nakakatakot sa Mindanao,?” is always the first question asked by people who have not been to Mindanao.

Travel advisories issued by foreign embassies do further damage to efforts to project a positive image for Mindanao.

Indeed, there are still critical areas in Mindanao where travel could be risky like Sulu, parts of Lanao del Sur and parts of Maguindanao but compared to Metro Manila where cases of kidnapping have risen last year, the number of kidnap-for-ransom incidents has drastically gone down in Mindanao.

Sulu, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao are not as dangerous as they used to be.

In fact, I traveled to Patikul, Sulu accompanied only by civilians and crisscrossed most parts of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao even at night.

Basilan, a troubled island for so many years, has been virtually cleared of the Abu Sayaff, thanks to the active support of the civilian leadership to the military operations.

The critical factor in the dramatic reduction of violent incidents in Mindanao was the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the main Bangsamoro secessionist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

It is an achievement which President Duterte’s administration could lay claim to and so far, indicators show that he was right in pursuing the peace deal with the MILF.

Former MILF leaders headed by now Interim Chief Minister Ahob “Murad” Ebrahim are running the government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao well.

To project a positive image for Mindanao, MinDA launched the “Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao” social media campaign which is well-received by netizens who appreciate the program.

Changing outsiders’ negative impression on Mindanao, however, will not be easy or quick.

There will still be misconception about Mindanao, some of which are simply results of failure on the part of government to really drum up the positive developments in the South.

Others intentionally spread misinformation laced with malice to undermine the current administration and sadly, one of the purveyors is a reputed veteran journalist.

Going back to Maria Ressa, I could not believe that a seasoned journalist could be so reckless in comparing SPMC with the PGH.

In her eagerness to put the administration in a bad light, she abandoned a basic tenet in journalism – check, double-check, and if needed, triple-check.

Had she done that, she would have known that SPMC is the biggest government hospital in the country serving a region with a population of 25.5-million while PGH is among the hundreds of major hospitals in Metro Manila with a population of only 12-million.

To the people of Mindanao, SPMC is not just “a Davao hospital” but a “salvation center” where all of the most serious medical cases are referred to – from cancer, to injuries from accidents, wounds from gunshot and bombings and, yes, COVID 19.

It is a symbol of hope and salvation for people in distress but, of course, those who are not from Mindanao will never understand that.

We really have to work harder in educating people, including Maria Ressa, so that they will know that Mindanao is actually a better place to live in.

#EducationElimatesIgnorance!

#MindanaoMagandaNow!

#BornAndRaisedInMindanao!

(Image attached was downloaded from Facebook.)