Cities And Towns
Institute for War and Peace Reporting to strengthen human rights reporting
By
Jan 23, 2008 - 6:51:43 AM

BACOLOD CITY, Jan. 26 (PNA) -- A representative of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) has concluded a dialogue with Negros journalists on Tuesday, with both sides planning steps to improve human rights (HR) reporting in the country, to include various regions.

Heading the consultation dialogue was IWPR Special Project Officer Alan Davis, a British national.

Davis met with Negros journalists in a series of dialogues that kicked off with a forum on war and peace reporting at Sylvia Manor Hotel in Bacolod Sunday.

Among the Bacolod-based mediamen met by Davis were newly-elected Negros Press Club (MPC) director Julius Mariveles of DYEZ Aksyon Radyo-Bacolod, Negros Daily Bulletin (NDB) President and editor-in-chief and former PNA Iloilo and Bacolod chief Ruperto Toga, Sr., newly-elected NPC vice president Henceboy Cestina of RPN DYKB Bacolod, Negros Media Council for Press Freedom (NMCPC) Secretary General Edgar Cadagat who is also writing for NDB and The Daily Guardian (TDG) and currently NPC secretary; XL Magazine Managing Editor Dan Dangcalan, DYSR radio broadcaster Jeffrey Gelangre, and local freelance newspaper writer Raquel Gariando.

"IWPR intends to carry out a program of training and networking to be able to produce stories for world reportage which would be facilitated by the network they have already established worldwide. To accomplish these, the IWPR has chosen as its partners in the Philippines the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD) and the Mindanao-based Minda News Agency," Davis said.

Davis said the project is supported by the United States State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

He said the IWPR has similar projects worldwide including the Balkans, Russia, Iran, Asia and they are now expanding into Southeast Asia.

"Stories written by those belonging to various IWPR linked news networks, would possibly be published in publications worldwide where it would merit the attention of those who are influential in their own countries. The program which was launched recently in the University of the Philippines (UP) would be implemented within a period of two years in the Philippines," Davis said. (PNA)