STORY OF HOPE --- Students
Shannefamel Almazan and Prince Loyd Besorio weaved a story on their experience
from the 2017 Marawi conflict that earned them the winning piece for the Japan
International Cooperation Agency's first video blog contest. They shared how
the Japanese government’s support in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
Marawi as well as its surrounding areas brought hope to the people. (SCREENCAP
FROM THE ANSWER TO MY SENBAZARU VIDEO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')
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MANILA
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Two students from Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology
(MSU-IIT) were named winners of the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s
(JICA) first nation-wide video blog contest for students and young
professionals in the country.
Both
twenty-year-olds Shannefamel Almazan and Prince Loyd Besorio weaved a story on
their experience from the 2017 Marawi conflict.
They
also shared how the Japanese government’s support in the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of Lanao del Sur’s capital as well as its surrounding areas
brought hope to people who were residents of the war-torn area.
The
three-minute video titled "The Answer to My Senbazuru," the Japanese
belief of granting someone’s wish, talked about the effect of the armed
conflict and their wish for peace and solidarity in Marawi.
“The
projects of JICA made me realize that people you don’t even know are willing to
help. As a Filipino, the rehabilitation help from other countries is a call for
us to unite and strengthen the spirit of Bayanihan (collective help) and our
role as peacemakers in our country,” Almazan said in the video.
In a
statement last January 30, JICA
Philippines Chief Representative Wada Yoshio said the video blog contest was
“an opportunity to listen to the voices of young people on international
cooperation and for nations to collaborate together in solving common
problems”.
The
Japanese agency is currently supporting a road network development project in
conflict-affected areas in Mindanao that includes the construction and
rehabilitation of the Marawi City Ring Road, among others, in support of the
region’s economic development and peace-building.
Marawi
City was once a thriving trading hub until the armed conflict razed the city in
2017.
Almazan
and Besorio, who bested other entries that raised issues on transport
infrastructure, disaster management, agriculture, and peace and development,
earned a trip to Japan this year where they will have the chance to visit the
JICA headquarters in Tokyo.
They
will also experience Japan’s culture and tour several important sites in the
country, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
The
contest is supported by All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. (ANA), Business Mirror,
BusinessWorld SparkUp, Japan Foundation, and Japan National Tourism
Organization.
“All
the entries from young Filipino video bloggers were very inspiring and offered
a fresh perspective on the bilateral relations between our countries. JICA
looks forward to giving young people more platforms to share their ideas and
experiences,” Wada added.
Aside
from the video blog contest, JICA has been supporting human resource
development in the Philippines training young Filipino professionals from
government and promoting people-to-people exchange with the dispatch of young
Japanese professionals to support Philippine development.
The
winning entry can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y00bfs_mPo&feature=youtu.be.
The
videos submitted for the competition will be uploaded on the JICA Philippines
website by next week. (CHRISTINE CUDIS, PNA, MINDANAO EXPOSE')
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