Film Writing Seminar Held In Zamboanga City

Accomplished Filipino filmmakers Gutierrez Mangansakan II and Sheron Dayoc during the film writing seminar held in Zamboanga City.

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 25, 2007) – The Canadian-funded Local Governance Support Program in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has ended Thursday a three-day film writing seminar in Zamboanga City.

Accomplished Filipino filmmakers, led by Gutierrez Mangansakan II, conducted the seminar which was attended by dozens of participants from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces. Noted independent film director Sheron Dayoc was one of three who will shoot the films in the provinces.

Also invited in the seminar were Al Jacinto, of the Mindanao Examiner Production and Arthur Sakaluran-Abasolo, one of the company’s video production editors. The Mindanao Examiner has finished its second film Sultan just this year. Last year, it also produced the short film called Pobreza en Zamboanga. It is currently filming a tourism video of the exotic Sulu Island.

The seminar was aimed at developing the writing skills of the participants to tell true stories about their communities and people through short films, which would be shown on November 25 during the Mindanao Film Festival in Davao City.

The participants were chosen from members of the communities in the three provinces.

Mangansakan’s first film House under the Crescent Moon (2000) won Best Video Documentary at the 15th Gawad CCP Para Sa Alternatibong Pelikula At Video. He is a writer, documentary filmmaker and heritage conservationist from Pagalungan town in Maguindanao province.

The LGSPA covers the whole of the ARMM. In the five years of LGSP II support to ARMM were initiatives to improve the delivery of basic services, computerize tax collection, and strengthen community participation in governance.

Highlights include the establishment of several peace zones and community peace radios in conflict-prone areas, assistance to municipalities in village development planning and strengthening of village justice systems using traditional conflict resolution methods.

After the 2004 elections, the program supported LGUs in formulating and implementing their respective Executive and Legislative Agendas (ELAs) through a participatory process. LGSPA officially started in March 2005 and is a five year (2005 - 2010) P821.5 million, capacity development program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in partnership with the Filipino government through the ARMM Regional Government.

It is managed by Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd. in association with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). The program works with all ARMM municipalities, Marawi City, and the 6 provinces of Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It involves different levels of local government units (LGUs), government agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), support institutions and peace networks.

To increase effectiveness in local governance, LGSPA focuses on five key areas: leadership and management, service delivery, resource generation and management, participatory governance and peace-building. LGSPA recognizes the importance of strengthening the enabling environment for local governance.

The program works with stakeholders at the regional level to help develop policies and programs that support local governments and local peace building efforts. This will include capacity development assistance to the Autonomous Regional Government (ARG), peace networks and other supporting institutions such as CSOs, academic institutions and LGU leagues.

The program strategy includes mainstreaming four crosscutting themes in order to ensure that these important concerns of poverty reduction, gender equality, cultural integrity and environmental sustainability are considered throughout the implementation of the program and to increase the capacity of the ARG and ARMM LGUs to mainstream these themes within their policies, programs and plans.

LGSPA builds upon the successes of LGSP I and II by furthering the dissemination of information and replicating good practice, promoting the use of knowledge products developed and by drawing on the lessons learned. (Mindanao Examiner)