[[ FIRST SCRIPTWRITING AND DIRECTING STINT ]]

I cannot fully verbalize how excited I am this very moment right after I, along with my partner in crime who I will refer here as he-who-must-be-named (Voldemort? nah!), have submitted my entry form for the SINENG PAMBANSA LANAO DEL SUR FDCP SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2011 which aims to engage the young people of Lanao del Sur in the quest for the peace in Mindanao. The participants are supposed to complete the phrase "Peace is..." and either they show their idea on how to solve this conflict or just describe their notion of what peace is. This is youth empowerment through film.

You see, the Mindanao conflict is older than me and even my grandparents. Some of us youth do not really understand what this conflict is about and how relevant it is to our lives. It is like a cancer that has taken root deeply into our country and seems impossible to cure. However, hope for reconciliation must never wane because if hope finally dies, then we can no longer hope for a better Philippines. The sickness of a finger can be felt by the whole system.

I am thankful that there are those who still pursue the dream of a peaceful Mindanao. It is my moral obligation, not only to my fellow Mindanaoans but to myself, to take part in events like this. At the end of the day, I can sleep with a sense of fulfillment that I actually contributed to the cause.

To you who-must-not-be-named-but-I-will-certainly-have-to-name-later-on, we can do this!