ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 16 Jul) Rebel groups in the southern Philippines maybe winning the propaganda war, a new front in the battle not of arms or tanks, but on the media -- publicity.
Both the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), have effectively maintained their newsgroups and websites where journalists can access latest news and photos from the battle fronts. Their site, philippinerevolution.org, however, had been previously defaced by unknown hackers.
Aside from the CPP and NPA, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has its own website called luwaran.com and also offers daily news and photographs. The MILF also made it sure that its spokesmen and leaders are readily available for media interview.
The rebels are winning the war, not on the battle fields, but for publicity both in the print and the electronic media.
"Ours is to inform not only the Bangsamoro people, but the whole world about what the MILF is all about and our aspirations. We have our website the past ten years to inform the press about what's going on, like the peace talks between the MILF and the government and other important matters," Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Communist rebels are also sending regular press releases to local and foreign media organizations and journalists. Gregorio Rosal, the CPP spokesman, and other rebel leaders in Mindanao are also as active as Kabalu. They regularly speak on radio programs and occasionally hold clandestine interviews in their hideouts for selected journalists.
And while the rebels are enjoying much publicity in the southern Philippines, the military, on the other hand, is slowly and steadily losing the grip on the propaganda war.
Some generals and their spokesmen refuse to speak to the media on many issues. They sometimes hide information and would not hold press conference on important security matters. Other security officials simply would not like to be interviewed, but often blame journalists for stories they write or report that are critical to the military or the government.
"The media is very important to us. We respect the media and we don't hide news or withhold information. We report the truth to the people so they would know the situation in Mindanao," Kabalu said.
The Internet has become the new venue for rebels to wage the propaganda war and with no military websites to talk about in Mindanao; soldiers are losing in this battle for publicity.
Both the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), have effectively maintained their newsgroups and websites where journalists can access latest news and photos from the battle fronts. Their site, philippinerevolution.org, however, had been previously defaced by unknown hackers.
Aside from the CPP and NPA, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has its own website called luwaran.com and also offers daily news and photographs. The MILF also made it sure that its spokesmen and leaders are readily available for media interview.
The rebels are winning the war, not on the battle fields, but for publicity both in the print and the electronic media.
"Ours is to inform not only the Bangsamoro people, but the whole world about what the MILF is all about and our aspirations. We have our website the past ten years to inform the press about what's going on, like the peace talks between the MILF and the government and other important matters," Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Communist rebels are also sending regular press releases to local and foreign media organizations and journalists. Gregorio Rosal, the CPP spokesman, and other rebel leaders in Mindanao are also as active as Kabalu. They regularly speak on radio programs and occasionally hold clandestine interviews in their hideouts for selected journalists.
And while the rebels are enjoying much publicity in the southern Philippines, the military, on the other hand, is slowly and steadily losing the grip on the propaganda war.
Some generals and their spokesmen refuse to speak to the media on many issues. They sometimes hide information and would not hold press conference on important security matters. Other security officials simply would not like to be interviewed, but often blame journalists for stories they write or report that are critical to the military or the government.
"The media is very important to us. We respect the media and we don't hide news or withhold information. We report the truth to the people so they would know the situation in Mindanao," Kabalu said.
The Internet has become the new venue for rebels to wage the propaganda war and with no military websites to talk about in Mindanao; soldiers are losing in this battle for publicity.
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