Trip to Chiang Mai & Bangkok

Yearning for Chiang Mai? Dreaming of celebrating Loy Krathong in
Chiang Mai? Join the Philippine Thai Cultural Organization to make
this dream come true! For $844 per person for double occupancy (or
$992 single occupancy), you'll have a five day tour that brings you to
Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

The package cost includes roundtrip airfare via Thai Airways, all
taxes and surcharges; 4 nights accommodation at Dusit Princess Hotel
in Chiang Mai and 1 night at Arnoma Hotel in Bangkok (Dusit Princess
is located right at the Chiang Mai Night Market area while Arnoma
Hotel in Bangkok is in Ratchadamri Rd front of Central World); private
coaches and tour guide; all admission fees and meals as indicated in
Chiang Mai and dinner cruise at Chao Phya Princess in Bangkok; and
airport transfers.

For inquiries and reservation, please email elenapernia@gmail.com or
loisvil@yahoo.com

guardian angel

Dearest guardian angel
I like to dedicate to you
this humble poem of thanks
for all the things you do.

Although I do not see you
you keep always by my side
my light in times of darkness
a most reliable guide.

Night and day you are there
joys and sorrows you would share
lead me to Him, I pray thee
and let me greet you a
Happy Feastday! (rek, 2-X-10)

FFFJ, UP-CMC launch competition to mark anniversary of Mindanao massacre

CMFR--The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ), through its secretariat, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), with the cooperation of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC), will launch on Wednesday, September 29 a multi-media competition to mark the first anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre.

The competition is open to any college or university student who is currently enrolled. The heads of the communication programs of Manila colleges and universities together with two of their students have been invited to the launch, which will be at 10 a.m. at the auditorium of UP-CMC at Ylanan Road, UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City. Other students interested in joining may also attend.

The 2010 Multi-media Competition is intended to encourage and enhance public awareness of the need to bring the killers of journalists to justice, and to put an end to the culture of impunity. “Impunity” refers to the failure to identify, prosecute and penalize the killers of journalists as well as political activists which has encouraged the killings to continue.

The competition will have three categories: a poster category, a 30 to 60 second radio plug category, and a 30 to 60 second short video category. A total of P120,000 in cash prizes and certificates of recognition await the winners. The deadline for the poster category is October 11; for the radio plug category, October 20; and for the video category, October 29.

The FFFJ is a coalition of media and journalists groups founded in 2003 to address the killing of journalists. It provides legal and other assistance to the survivors of slain journalists, including scholarships to their children.

The Board of Directors of the FFFJ will be the Board of Judges. The FFFJ Directors are Jose Pavia of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), who chairs the FFFJ; Melinda Quintos de Jesus of the CMFR, who heads the FFFJ secretariat; Reynaldo Hulog of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP—the Broadcasters Association); Red Batario of the Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD); Malou Mangahas of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ); and Danilo Gozo of the US-based newspaper Philippine News.

The awarding of the winners will be held at a dinner on November 22, in ceremonies sponsored by the CMFR and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), with ASEAN journalists in attendance. November 22 is the eve of the first anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre, in which 58 people including 32 journalists and media workers were ambushed and killed by some 100 men in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao. They were in a convoy led by the wife and women relatives of Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, who were on their way to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections to file then candidate Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy.

Although the killing of journalists has been going on since 1986, the Massacre was the worst incident of its kind in the Philippines. Some 200 people including former Maguindanao officials and policemen have been indicted and are currently being tried for planning and/or participating in the killing.

Entries to the competition may be submitted to the FFFJ Secretariat, c/o the CMFR, Ateneo Professional Schools, 130 H.V. de la Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227; or to the College of Mass Communication, Room 216, Plaridel Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. The rules of the competition are in the CMFR website (http://www.cmfr-phil.org/), but copies may be obtained at the CMFR office and the UP College of Mass Communication.

Newsbreak offers Investigative Reporting Fellowships on Health

Newsbreak is giving grants to journalists who wish to do investigative reports on the health sector.

A total of 6 fellowships—2 in every cycle—will be awarded within a year under The Maggie De Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health.

Applicants should demonstrate long-standing interest in health issues by citing in their application form any previous reportage related to the subject.

Preference will be given to story pitches on health-related issues that are relevant to the broader Philippine population and may impact on health policies in general. Topics may include, but are not limited to, any misuse of public health funds, policies that impact on public health, and any abuses, mismanagement or neglect by professionals, establishments and institutions involved in the health sector.

The deadline for applications for the first cycle is on Sept. 20, 2010. Fellowship work starts October 4.

Each fellow will receive daily allowances of P1,000 for 40 days. In addition, Newsbreak will shoulder their two-way fares (of those coming from the provinces); accommodation; and food during the 5-day mentoring at Newsbreak in the early part of the fellowship.

Interested applicants must submit the following by email to healthfellowship@newsbreak.com.ph This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it :

· An application letter.

· Two sample health reports.

· One or more story pitches for an investigative report on the health sector, with a brief explanation of the significance of the story, and the research plan and timetable for the investigation.

· A letter from the applicant’s editor or publisher that he/she will be granted leave or a reduced workload for the duration of the fellowship

The Maggie De Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health is made possible through a grant from Macare Medicals Inc. #