MindaNews’s Antonio L. Colina IV in Tokyo.
MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 10 December) – MindaNews reporter Antonio L. Colina IV won the online category of the Women, Peace and Security Awards for his story on how a doll-making enterprise helped Meranaw women cope with life after the Marawi siege.
Titled “Dolls for Peace help empower women in post-war Marawi” and published on Aug. 13, 2018, the story bested 66 other entries from various online news sites across the country.
Balay Mindanaw and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, two of the Awards organizers, announced the result on Thursday, International Human Rights Day, via Zoom.
Colina IV’s story recounts how a project initiated by the Alliance Development for Women Empowerment (ADWE) helped Meranaw women recover from the economic hardships [after the siege].
ADWE members were taught to sew dresses for Arkat A Lawanen Marawi Icon Dolls for Peace launched sometime in November 2017, roughly a month after Marawi was “liberated” from the Islamic State-inspired militants who attacked on May 23 of the same year.
Lawanen is a princess from the Meranaw epic Darangen who represents “women empowerment and resiliency.”
The story titled “I hope that women can be the bridge between the Bangsamoro Parliament and the Grassroots” written for MindaNews (April 2, 2019) by Mindanao Times editor in chief Amalia Bandiola-Cabusao and a story by Eric Caruncho of the Philippine Daily Inquirer completed the top 3 entries for the online category.
Another story by Bandiola-Cabusao for MindaNews (March 27, 2019), “How do you suppose the battle raged on for days and weeks if there was no BIWAB to support the men fighting?” was nominated to the awards.
Stories written by MindaNews editors Carolyn O. Arguillas Bong Sarmiento and H. Marcos C. Mordeno, and MindaNews correspondent Richel Umel were also nominated.
Balay Mindanaw said the awarding for the other categories (print, TV, radio) will take place on March 8, 2021. (MindaNews)
