Together with MSU-IIT as one of its partners, the European Union (EU) Delegation of the Philippines congratulated its winners of the EU Peace Journalism Awards at the Hotel Intercontinental, Makati on July 8, 2015.
Representing the Institute was Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol who joined in the giving of awards and the ribbon-cutting of the photo exhibition. Also in attendance were IPDM’s Prof. Juvanni A. Caballero and Dr. Mark Anthony J. Torres who was a member of the board of judges.
The Journalism Awards aim at reshaping media as a vehicle of reporting peace. Instead of war reporting on violent armed conflicts, the European Union Delegation of the Philippines envisions Philippine journalists become beacons of peaceful social transformation through awareness and appreciation to the peace process in the Mindanao context.
MSU-IIT is the only academe that is in partnership with EU. Torres thinks of two reasons for this: “IIT’s adjacent location to conflict-affected areas and the IPDM’s engagement and contribution in the peace process in Mindanao.”
The European Union’s collaboration with IIT is an indication of the long-standing commitment of both institutions for peace, especially in Mindanao.
In preserving and developing the sociocultural and ecological integrity of Lake Lanao, the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) has approved three projects for funding on the study of Lake Lanao for the Mindanao State University System. One of these projects is headed by Dr. Sukarno D. Tanggol, Chancellor of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Iligan City.
Members of the NRCP Governing Board will be in MSU-IIT for an out of town meeting on July 31, 2015 and a MOA signing between the NRCP and the MSU-IIT, and the launching of the project is on August 1, 2015 at the MSU-IIT.
The two-year project for the MSU-IIT is entitled Socio-economic and Political Dimensions of Lake Lanao. It aims to emphasize the dynamics of the activities and attitudes of upland, lowland, and lakeshore community settlers in their use of the lake as a source of water.
“We speak of people whose lives are dependent on the lake,” Tanggol says. “The M’ranaos, or ‘the people of the lake’, are very much tied to the body of water in its immediate environment”.
Lake Lanao is one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the country and one of the major tropical lakes in Southeastern Asia according to David G. Frey’s study on the limnology or the study of the biological, chemical and physical features of the lake. Its outlet is the Agus River which drains into the Iligan Bay through the Maria Cristina Falls and the Linamon Falls of Lanao del Norte. It is the reservoir for the Agus Hydroelectric power plants of the National Power Corp. that generates about 60-65 per cent of power for the entire Mindanao.
The lake is likewise a source of livelihood and food (fish and prawns) and a transportation highway for the residents of Lanao del Sur.
Chancellor Tanggol also mentioned that through the project, recommendations can be submitted over the management of the lake and its watershed especially in the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) discussions whether or not the management of the lake and its watershed will be by the national government, the Bangsamoro or the local government unit.
The project speaks of MSU-IIT’s realization of its mission to become excellent in research in extension, two of its prime mandates apart from instruction. Chancellor Tanggol hopes that this project will help the national government through collaborative efforts between the people, the academe and concerned public and private entities.
