Amplifying Local Narratives & Empowering Mindanao’s Youth through Citizen Journalism

May 25, 2025

In a world increasingly dominated by global headlines, local voices are too often sidelined. Yet, as veteran Filipino journalist Inday Espina-Varona reminds us, “It’s not about being the voice of the voiceless – it’s about proving they were never voiceless to begin with, just unheard.” This conviction shaped the heart of Tingog: Citizen Journalism Training, a groundbreaking initiative that sought to empower Lumad and Moro youth in Mindanao to tell their own stories.

Across Mindanao, Lumad and Moro communities face intersecting threats of environmental destruction, development aggression, militarization, displacement, and cultural erasure. This activity sought to bring to the fore the issues and concerns on ground in emblematic sites of struggle such as in Marawi, Tampakan, Lake Sebu, and in other communities in Mindanao, as experienced by youth participants.

From May 21 to 23, 2025, the Kinaiyahan Youth Network and the Mindanao Climate Justice Resource Facility (MCJ) led the Tingog: Citizen Journalism Training at Kalimudan Hall in Marawi City. The training was designed to equip young community members with the essential tools of citizen journalism—storytelling, mobile photography, and broadcasting, while affirming the urgency of sharing their lived experiences.

The training was held in partnership with the Communication and Media Studies Department of Mindanao State University (MSU) – Marawi and the Kalimudan sa Ranao Foundation, Inc., and supported by Cultural Survival. Internal collaboration with MCJ’s Duyog and Panalipod programs further strengthened the project’s reach and grounding in justice work. Student publication organizations from MSU-Marawi also participated and covered the training activity.

The three-day program featured sessions by some of the country’s most respected veteran journalists and educators. Inday Espina-Varona and Carolyn Arguillas inspired participants with lessons on citizen journalism, the power of narratives and justice-based reporting. Froilan Gallardo led a compelling workshop on mobile  photojournalism, urging the youth to use images to express what words cannot. “Each photo you take is a quiet message from the heart,” he said. “It’s a way of saying, ‘This moment touched me, and I want the world to know.’”

Lumad youth participants from Lake Sebu and Tampakan communities also shared their experiences of intense military attacks and violence waged against their communities that targeted Lumad leaders who defended their lands against the entry and operations of destructive large-scale mining companies. Such stories of militarization and displacement resonated with Moro participants from Marawi who have experienced firsthand the impacts of the Marawi Siege in 2017.

Ms. Nur-Saleha Dadayan, from MSU-Marawi, conducted a session on radio broadcasting, emphasizing the role of language in shaping collective understanding. “Language is powerful,” she said. “It is how we bring to life what cannot be seen. It is how we record our history, how we create reality through words.”

More than training, Tingog was a space for building solidarity and political awareness. On the third day and in commemoration of the Marawi Siege Anniversary, participants joined the Reclaiming Marawi Movement, an IDP-led coalition of civil society organisations and groups,  in a public gathering at the recently constructed Peace Park, right at the centre of Ground Zero, in Marawi City, calling for the return of displaced families to Ground Zero. Participants also visited transitional and permanent shelters of IDP (Internally Displaced Persons), engaging directly with displaced communities, applying lessons learned to practice.

The training also marked the official launch of the Kinaiyahan Youth Network Mindanao, a new, youth-led platform amplifying Lumad and Moro voices on grassroots issues and climate justice. The event culminated in the election of the network’s co-chairpersons: Nurainie Rakim, representing Moro youth from ComMStud, and Boynaflor Yacumba Jr., representing Lumad youth from Bukidnon. Their election signaled a unified front of youth leadership rooted in community and resistance.

The Tingog: Citizen Journalism Training was more than an event. It was a call to action. Tingog empowered a new generation of storytellers to reclaim the narrative of Mindanao from the margins, and to shape it from within. As one participant shared during the forum:

“Ang national narrative nila sa Mindanao ay puro gyera, puro karahasan. Pero ngayon, Mindanao is us—our stories, our strength, our hope.”