Return home after 8 years of study abroad

By Abdul Hannan Faisal Tago

(From his memory “Climbing The Ladder of Success”)

Series (13)

I had been away for almost eight years continuously without seeing my parents. I almost missed everything at home. I traveled home immediately after my exam in May 1991 without waiting for the result.  

A few months before my departure, I sent a letter to my parents giving them the news they had been waiting for and requested my mother to prepare my favorite vegetable food, cassava’s leaf. My mother used to cook for us during my childhood at home. It was a simple but delicious dish.   

June 24, 2010

H.E. Benigno Aquino III
President,
The Republic of the Philippines
Manila.

Subject: Need for qualified Filipino Muslims with Arabic skills to head diplomatic missions of the Philippines in Arab countries.

Your Excellency,

Please accept our heart-felt and sincere congratulations on your election as the President of the Philippines. We, the Muslims from Mindanao, are delighted at the prospect of having Your Excellency as our next President for a six-year term.

We fervently hope that your induction into the Malacanang Palace as the 15th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2010 will usher in a new era for the Filipinos and OFWs and turn over a new chapter in the history of our Republic. It will mark an end to the saga of corruption and misrule, favoritism and cronyism, deception and scandals that characterized the nine-year tenure of your predecessor.

Your Excellency, our representation to you is in the context of our diplomatic relations with the Arab world, with which our country has close relations. The OFWs, especially those from the Mindanao Province, have succeeded in strengthening our relations with the Arab world, notably the Gulf countries, where millions of our compatriots are working. We send millions of dollars in annual remittances back home, besides acting as the unofficial ambassadors of our country.

Responsible reporting on Mindanao stories urged

2010-07-15

PAGADIAN CITY--- Local media practitioners here call for responsible reporting on Mindanao, saying the unfair portrayal of Mindanao by the national media has continuously impeded efforts to accelerate the island's socio-economic growth.

In a focus group discussion on Mindanao 2020 peace and development framework plan held here on 18 June, members of the local media said that Mindanao's image has remained a big challenge in promoting the island as a preferred trade, tourism and investment destination.

Myrna Lumacad, a radio anchor of DXWO-Power 99 said that while the government and the private sector are doing their best to attract investors, a misleading report on Mindanao is more than enough to sabotage its economy.

"Halimbawa ang giyera nasa isang barangay lang. Pero pag nire-report na nila sa national TV- nangyari na sa buong Mindanao. Nasisira ang ekonomiya natin [Say the war only happened in one barangay but the way it's reported in a national TV is as if it's happening in the whole of Mindanao. It damages our economy"], said Lumacad.

Lumacad said there may be some peace and security issues in parts of the island but these should be accurately reported and not sensationalized.

She added that the national media should be educated on Mindanao's geography, its culture and multi-ethnicity. Read more ......