Community journalists and barangay human rights officers (BHRAOs) from Davao City and nearby Davao provinces participated in a training workshop on reporting human rights from July 30 to August 1, probably the first attempt to enjoin the two sectors to help address the need to report human rights better.

The training workshop on Community Media-Barangay Human Rights Action Centers (BHRAC) Partnership for Human Rights Reporting, held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City, came at a time when the Davao local government is heavily criticized for reportedly failing to resolve unexplained killings in Davao City linked to the so-called Davao Death Squad. Killings of activists and peasant leaders in Compostela Valley and nearby provinces – reaching late last year to four killings in a span of three months – also remain unsolved.

A cooperation between media development organizations Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD) and MindaNews, the training workshop aimed to facilitate partnership between media and the BHRAOs towards promotion and protection of human rights through proper information gathering, dissemination and reporting.

Sixteen journalists and nine BHRAOs took part in the lectures, discussions and workshops that aimed to enhance their specific roles in promoting human rights and possible areas of cooperation to report human rights better. They also took part in structured learning exercises that instilled the values of team work, communication and respect for each one’s capabilities and limitations.

The training participants came from Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, and Kidapawan City.

“Journalists have great responsibilities, and so too the BHRAOs,” said Red Batario, CCJD executive director. “This training may be the first attempt to bring the two together to know each other’s roles and see where they could cooperate for human rights.”

On Day 1 of the training, the participants were provided inputs on the role, responsibilities and challenges of media in promoting human rights; the framework of public journalism; the legal bases of BHRAC and the roles and functions of BHRAOs; the state of human rights in Region 11 specifically extrajudicial killings and internal displacement; the International Humanitarian Law; and basic concepts and definitions of human rights.

On Day 2, participants were provided tools in pursuing Public Journalism for human rights such as exploring the layers or trails in the community and initiating community conversations.

Yasmin Arquiza, former editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Bandillo ng Palawan and now GMANews.TV managing editor, shared her paper’s experience in practicing Public Journalism to highlight and help solve issues on the environment, peace and security, human rights and education, among many others. “Enhancing partnerships is a positive action,” she said.

Before the training ended, the participants presented their reports on human rights issues culled from their immersion in barangays assigned to them in Davao City. The workshop enabled the participants to learn how to choose angles for a specific human rights story, tap different sources, and observe ethics when getting and using information. The BHRAOs were guided in looking out for more information which could be useful to the media and other interested groups.

Both media and BHRAO participants agreed that they could work together to further human rights reporting and protection. A concrete challenge to BHRAOs and CHR in general was providing information to the media swiftly without being subject to unnecessary bureaucratic processes.

The training was supported by the United Nations Development Programme and the Commission on Human Rights. (Rorie Fajardo)