EU ambassador: Media key in peace efforts

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union delegation to the Philippines believes the work of journalists is key in the country's efforts to achieve peace.

In a statement, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux urged journalists, producers and state communicators to participate in the continuing dialogue and debate in the peace process by sending their entries to the EU Peace Journalism Awards.

"This is a critical period in the Philippines and journalists have a significant role to play in ensuring that balance, accurate and responsible peace journalism is in place," Ledoux said.

Reminding journalists of the May 31, 2015 deadline for the EU Peace Journalism Awards, Ledoux said that the awards "will be a vehicle to help in generating information, awareness and better understanding of the peace situation in the Philippines."

The EU, a member of the International Monitoring Team facilitating the government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace process, had called for the need of a Mindanao pact following the January 25 killing of 44 elite police commandos by Moro rebels.

It said a negotiated political settlement in Mindanao remains all the more necessary to achieve a long-lasting peace in the south.

The EU Peace Journalism Awards has the following categories: campus journalism (written text and multi-media sub-categories), written text published in print media, online media, broadcast media, photographic essays and special citation for government communicators.

Entries should adhere to the theme of "Peace" in its broad sense and could include reportage about the peace process and about peace champions. Entries could also be linked to development and other cross-cutting socio-political issues.

All entries must be published, uploaded or broadcast in Philippine media outlets from the period 1 August 2014 to 31 May 2015.

Entries should be submitted to [email protected] by 31 May 2015.

The EU Peace Journalism Awards are being presented by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines together with the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process as Collaborators.  Partners include the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines,  Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, Photojournalists' Center of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University – Asian Center for Journalism and philstar.com with support from the Center for Community Journalism and Development and College Editors' Guild of the Philippines. Camille Diola