YMPN in Facebook

Young Moro Professionals Network utilizes Facebook to communicate with its members and to easily share information to Moro Professionals.

Sometime ago it only used the group feature of facebook to gather its members and other Young Moro Professionals in Facebook. To better served its members and its community, YMPN has opened a Facebook Pages, which act like a facebook account for organizations, products, and public personalities.

Visit YMPN Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Moro-Professionals-Network/92089808517 and YMPN Facebook Group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7758095884.

MOST INSTITUTE to Present Chef Tato in Muslim Cookery

Most Institute will hold a Halal Cookery event in Davao this coming June 5, 2009. A leading culinary school in the Philippines, MOST will exhibit the skills of its prized Muslim chef instructor, ABDULATIF "Chef Tato" SAMOD SANGCUPAN.

Chef Tato, as he is popularly known in the YMPN family, is a Senior Chef Instructor of the MOST INSTITUTE, Quezon City Philippines. He also had his stint as a Executive Sous Chef/ Culinary Arts Instructor of IIMIT-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a Senior Chef de Partie/Specialty Chef MACROASIA-EUREST Catering Services Inc. (a world class airline food caterers owned by the Lucio Tan Group of Companies), and Specialty Chef of MIASCOR Catering Services Inc. of Ninoy Aquino Internaional Airport. He is also a Consultant for Halal food to some food establishments in the Philippines. He prepared meals for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, PM Mohamad Mahathir of Malaysia, President Bill Clinton, and the visiting Princes of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Philippines.

The venue will be at the MOST INSTITUTE Davao Campus located at LTS Bldg. Magsaysay Ave., Davao City. For more information, interested parties can contact the following numbers: 0917-6231130, 0917-6231130, (02)911-5122, and (02)912-7189, or visit www.mostinstitute.org for more inquiries.

ABS-CBN.COM features Diether and Aleem

YMPer Aleem Siddiqui Guiapal was featured with Diether Ocampo in a headline news at the ABS-CBN website last Thursday, May 21, 2009. It was in recognition of their participation at the HPAIR 2009 Harvard Conference. The article also made mention of the Mindanao Youth Speak (MYSPEAK) peace-building program of the Young Moro Professionals Network, Inc. where Aleem serves as MYSPEAK Program Director and Diether as an adviser. To read the full article, please check:

http://www.abs-cbn.com/headlines/Article/3522/ABS-CBN-s-Diether-Ocampo-and-other-HPAIR-Alumni-s-paper-admitted-to-Oxford-.aspx

Young Moro Professionals cited in National Muslim Conference

YMPs should be supported.

"Young Moro Professionals Network is heard here and abroad. We should support them," said Director Baser Datu-imam during the National Conference of Grassroots Muslim Leaders for Peace and Solidarity held on May 15 at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

More than 50 Maranaos attended the event to unify the clan leaders of the Moriatao Diwan of Bayang town, Lanao del Sur. Prominent individuals who come from Bayang include the late former Congressman Rashid Lucman, founder of the Bangsamoro Liberation ORganization, Former Governor Saidamen Pangarungan, Aleem Jamil Yahya, former Youth Commissioner Pendatun Disimban, who all came to lend their support.

A  resolution was passed to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process on the following:

- support for the Anti-Discrimination Bill now pending in Senate
- support for the GRP-MILF peace process

YMPN Membership Convenor and MYspeak project manager Samira Gutoc was invited to speak on the role of YMPN in peacebuilding. She started by mentioning the historic role of Bayang in fighting colonization against Americans, a "memory which must be preserved and remembered by Filipinos."

She urged the elders and the youth to bridge the gap by working on promoting  a "better Muslim development partnership" that would encourage the talents of the working Maranao in Manila to be enhanced.

"YMPN is a group that supports you and other Muslim associations'  work through information advocacy," she said. "But Maranao money and industry must also consider expanding itself to consider Tausug and other ethnic groups' contributions so that a Moro paradigm and thus MORE IMPACT  is created ."

She reported the dialogues on intrafaith peacebuilding conducted among Moro youths in Davao City and Zamboanga City to be a precursor to dialogues with MILF and MNLF leaders who represent the Bangsamoro in the largest Muslim grouping of nations , Organization of Islamic Conference.

YMPN supports Christian-Muslim Peace Camp

YMPN, through Convenors Baibonn Sangid (Bangsamoro Culture & History), Jane Marie Dimacisil (Moro Fund), and Abdulhamid Alawi, Jr. (Dawah), once again extended support to the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA) in holding its 2^nd Peace Camp with the theme “Christian and Muslim Youth – Spreading the Message of Peace and Unity” at the CFA compound in Sta. Mesa, Manila last April 27 to May 2, 2009. 

Ms. Sangid provided valuable inputs to the Project Team in designing the six-day program while Ms. Dimacisil served as one of the Peace Camp facilitators.  Mr. Alawi initiated Islamic reflections among Muslim students and addressed participants and other stakeholders during the culminating program on May 2, 2009.

Peace Camp 2 brought together 50 Christian and Muslim high school students from four schools in Metro Manila—Ramon Avanceña High School, Taguig National High School, Culiat High School, and the Nazarene Catholic School—to develop deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural or religious differences, and to help promote peace and unity in their respective schools upon their return from the peace camp.  Aside from lectures on peace, participants joined workshops on painting, music, photography and slideshow presentation, and creative dramatics, with emphasis on how these can serve as an important medium for peace.  Sons of YMPer Jolly Lais, Nuh and Haron, were among the 50 who participated.

Consistent with YMPN’s goal of promoting peace and a positive image of Islam, Mr. Alawi shared during the culminating program that Allah has made people different so that we may take the effort to know each other.  Citing Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) as the best example, he also advised participants to do their best to leave a good impression when dealing with others and to give extra efforts like service and charity—stressing the importance of sharing interfaith lessons which campers have learned with others in their community.

The first CFA Peace Camp was launched in 2006 with Christian and Muslim students from a high school in Quiapo, Manila, with YMPer Aradelria Belleng sharing her skills as one of the peace camp facilitators.  Similar to the first peace camp, workshop output of Peace Camp 2 participants will be showcased in various provinces through a Traveling Exhibit.  The two-year Peace Camp project also hopes to make follow-ups on peace and unity projects initiated and implemented by camp participants in their respective schools.

For more information on the project, visit www.cfamedia.org

Welcome to Parenthood, Atty. Ras & Atty. Toie! :-)

YMPN congratulates new parents RAS & TOIE with the arrival of their healthy 6.8-pound baby ABDUL RASHID BIRUAR MITMUG at 5:49am of May 4, 2009! Alhamdulillah! :-)

May you both enjoy every moment of parenthood and may baby Abdul Rashid grow up to be a loving child and a good Muslim like his parents, inshaALLAH! ;-)

All the very best!

YMPN MYSpeak

On 6 February 2009 YMPN organized a Mindanao Youth Speaks Conference at AIM Conference Center Makati which presented a YMPN organized Round Table Discussion on Peace Building at Davao City on November 28, 2008 and at Zamboanga City on Dec 19-22, 2008. One of the guest during the presentation is US Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney.

On February 17, 2009, YMPN held a Press Conference regarding the Mindanao Youth Speak Conference at Sulo Hotel. Pictures of the Event:

Link to MYSPEAK Program Documents

Mabrouk to all our Muslim New Lawyers

Mabrouk to all our Muslim New Lawyers! WE are all PROUD of YOU.

***

A special mention to MYLENE AMEROL-MACUMBAL, 2008 Bar Examinations No. 2. "A Bar Topcher in her Own Right", as ABC-CBN News put it.

***

This congratulations is echoed all over the Bangsamoro (including international Moro OFW). It is featured by various sites specially by our 2 Moro legal sites MUSLAF and MLC-Ph. Both of the sites contains the list of our Muslim New Lawyers.

YMPN Salutes Aleem Guiapal

ALEEEM GUIAPAL is another YMPer to be proud of. He is first Filipino paper presentor in Harvard Conference, Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations, USA on February 21, 2009. (Click link for YouTube Presentation) He maintains his blog On The Winning Game of Life. His Asian Institute of Management Thesis about YMPN which is "Organizational Strategy for the Young Moro Professionals Network, Inc" was presented and Paper has been selected (for Leadership) among entries in the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations Academic Conference 2008 at PJ Hilton, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 21-24, 2008. He is also a prolific contributor to Associated Content.

Aleem's most recent contribution to YMPN is the heading the team which brought us MYSpeak last 6 February 2009 at AIM Conference Center Makati which presented a YMPN organized Round Table Discussion on Peace Building at Davao City on November 28, 2008 and at Zamboanga City on Dec 19-22, 2008. One of the guest during the presentation is US Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney.

He is recenltly featured in UNO and Star Stud Mag with Diether Ocampo.

YMPN BULLETIN link to 2 Moro Legal Sites

YMPN Bulletin is linked by Muslim Legal Assistance Foundation (MUSLAF) and Muslim Lawyers Circle Philippines (MLC-Ph).

MUSLAF is a provides legal aid to indigents, primarily Muslims. It also provides legal support to Moro issues. It was the first Muslim Legal Group which filed a 3rd Party Petition in defense of the MOA-AD. To know more about MUSLAF and its advocacies visit its site at www.muslaf.blogspot.com.

MLC-Ph is not an organization or association of Muslim Lawyers. It is a bulletin board for Muslim Lawyers. It has links to Muslim Lawyers who blogs, resources on Mindanao Peace Process, and to other Moro blogs. Read articles, comments, and opinions written by Moro Lawyers by visiting MLC-PH at www.muslimlawyerscircleph.blogspot.com.

YMPN BULLETIN link to All Things Maranao

All Things Maranao is not a site about Maranao. It is a perspective or trivia of being Maranao from a young lady Maranao Jeddah Expat. It has links to blogs from Maranao and site for Maranaos.

If you want to know more of the Maranao in a different light, visit All Things Maranao. Don't forget to read the Blog's How to Read This Blog, it will tell you what to expect from All Things Maranao.

A Support to Anti-Discrimination Bill

On 1 April 2009 fellow YMPer Samira Gutoc received a message of support for the Anti-Discrimination Bill from Undersecretary of Foreign Affars Rafael "Paeng" Seguis who is also the Chairman of GRP Panel that will negotiate with the MILF.

Undersecretary Sequis message to Sam wrote thus:

Dear Samira,

I personally support the Anti-Discrimination Bill. I would request the President to certify it as an urgent bill.

Regards,

Paeng Seguis
"Sent via BlackBerry from Smart"

YMPN Congratulates Atty. Aminola P. Abaton

ALHAMDULILLAH and CONGRATUATIONS to our fellow YMPer Atty. AMINOLA P. ABATON, Director of Land Transportation Office. On 61st Commencement Exercises of MLQU on April 2, 2009, he became a Doctor in Public Administration and a recepient of of MLQU Achievement Award and Certificate of Merit in Dissertation Writing.

YMPN BULLETIN link to Kabayaan Ka

You would surely love Kabayaan Ka specially if you are interested in Moro Culture and History.

Kabayaan Ka is ROGELIO "Ogie" BRAGA's blog. It covers not just limited to the thoughts and perspective of the Artist but also his emotions as well.

Ogie is a member of YMPN Moro Culture and History. He is a playwright extraordinaire for writing 2 plays for a cause - "Ang Mananahi" and "Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao, at ang Habal-habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte".

Know more about Ogie and his Art visit KABAYAAN KA. If you love his work, we hope you can spread the word around.

YMPN BULLETIN link to a Moro Diplomat's Blog

“Diplomats were invented simply to waste time.” - David Lloyd George

So they say. However, if you are referring to The Moro Diplomat this line certainly does not ring true. Even if, he quotes the statement above in his blog.

The Moro Diplomat is not simply a blog but a diplomatic memoir in the making. It chronicles the adventures, misadventures, journeys, experiences, personal musings, random thoughts, rants, and everything in between of another YMPer, GONAR MUSOR.

Gonz, as most of us call him, is a Philippine Diplomat posted in the Middle East and Africa. He once headed the editorial team of Bangsamoro.com or BM.com, an award winning website sponsored by YMPN.

If you want to know more about our fellow YMPer just simply visit his site -- THE MORO DIPLOMAT.

YMPN BULLETIN 1st Link

YMPN BULLETIN is linked at Rashid's Mom a blog of our very own SARAH MATALAM, YMPN Committee on Mindanao Member.

Rashid's Mom features Mindanao, Peace, Islam, Yoga, Moro Music, Mindanao, Love and a lot more. It is one of the more popular blogs in Mindanao and by a Moro.

If you have time visit Rashid's Mom at http://www.rashidsmom.com/. Better yet, link it to your blog or site.

Ate Kong Continues to Inspire Us!

Alhamdulillah!

BAIBONN "Ate Kong" SANGID, YMPN Culture and History Convenor is promoted to National Youth Commission, Area Officer handling the Manila Office, NCR Regions IV-A, IV-B and Region V.

Ate Kong continues to inspire us.

Due Diligence and GMS at TAF

YMPers -- Shan (Chairperson & Women & Children Convenor) Jane (Treasurer & Moro Fund Convenor), Ras (Secretary & Secretariat Convenor), Sam (Membership Convenor), Gadi (DawahConvenor), and Jal (Member) -- attended The Asia Foundation's Due Diligence and Grant Management Fund Seminar in preparation for the possible handling of a series of YMPN Peace Process Adocacies.

YMPN and TAF are hoping to have a long term partnership. If TAF will award YMPN with the Grant for the series of YMPN Peace Process Advocacies, it will be YMPN's 3rd engagement with TAF.

So far so good.

Justice with a Muslim Justice!

The long struggle for recognition by minorities will continue. Whether in politics, business, media and development, we need to HARNESS the qualified and competent from among them, particularly the Muslims, so that they will rise above their poverty.

Let us give due honor to the spirit and law of past peace agreements. The test of sincerity by government is to give the concluded pact's provisions due course. For instance, government representation of Muslims in its highest branches will address some of the inequities working against Muslims . Appointing a Muslim to the SC is in consonance with several laws and treaties tied with government’s bid to achieve peace in Mindanao.
These are the 1996 Peace Agreement, Republic Act 6743, Republic Act 9054 and the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

These pacts and laws contain provisions making it mandatory, “as far as practicable” the appointment of Muslims to key positions in government, including the Court of Appeals and the High Court.

Before us is Justice Hakim Abdulwahid who is nominated to the Supreme Court. His untarnished reputation is well-known in the judiciary. At a time of crisis in trust against government, we need leaders who can inspire and lead in moral governance.

The first time and the only time that a Muslim became a Justice of the SC was during the aministration of then President Aquino when she appointed SC Justice Abdulwahid Bidin . After Bidin was appointed in 1987 by President Aquino, no Muslim Justice was able to sit in the high court and give the Muslims representation there.

His appointment could end the 15-year drought of Muslims to the High Tribunal.

Young Moro professionals are in need of role models in Muslim society. They feel good leaders should be supported.

While airtime is given to crime , showbiz and metropolitan development, there are a FEW VOICES of Muslim leadership in our midst. Give the best minds from the Minorities a CHANCE!

***

After having texted more than 15 of our YMPs and getting some 10 yesses, i drafted the following as a support to the nomination of JUSTICE ABDULWAHID to the Supreme Court (now he is at the SHORT LIST of the Judicial and Bar Council).

Kindly disseminate for signatures.

Samira Gutoc
25 March 2009

YMPN Supports ICRC’s Call for the Release of Hostages

Young Moro Professionals Network, Inc.’s Statement on Sulu Kidnapping

The Young Moro Professionals Network, organized exclusively for charitable, socio-cultural and educational purposes by empowering the Moro youth professionals so they could contribute to the development and enhancement of the quality of life of the Bangsamoro people, joins the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in their plea for the safe release of Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Mary Jean Lacaba.

The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance. It directs and coordinates the international relief activities conducted by the Movement in situations of conflict. It also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. (ICRC Mission Statement)

The Moros have benefited from ICRC activities in our areas.

While we do sympathize with the concern raised by the Abu Sayyaf for demilitarization of and development for Moro Regions, we strongly condemn the January 15, 2009 kidnapping and hostage taking by the Abu Sayyaf, who are also young indviduals. The methods of the Abu Sayyaf are detrimental to the image and development of the Moros and Filipino Muslims in general.

We condemn those who victimize people who only wish to help the victims of the conflict in the Bangsamoro.

We equally condemn atrocities regardless of who the victims are and who the perpetrators are.

We especially condemn the victimization of humanitarian aid workers.

The kidnapping of aid workers will only hurt our people who desperately need the help of the outside community.

Any act of banditry against aid workers can only serve the interests of the enemies of the Bangsamoro. Any act of banditry is un-Islamic.

We strongly support the ICRC and urge the immediate and safe release of the hostages.