[Be The Good] Our Cotabato City roadshow survives an earthquake

When the Rappler team landed in Cotabato City on Saturday, June 6, we had no idea that our crisis management skills were about to be tested.

Everything appeared to be going smoothly on the first two days. Venues, check. Presentations and learning materials, check. Hotel and transpo, check. Registrations for the public forum, check. Speakers, check. Movers coming from Marawi, Marantao, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City made it to our first sessions on basic research and newswriting.

Then, on day three, Monday, June 7, as we were finishing up breakfast and preparing to head to our workshop venue at Notre Dame University (NDU), we felt the floor tilt.

At first, I thought I had simply lost my footing. But then Ailla Dela Cruz, one of our researchers and fact-checkers, pointed to the hangers in our closet. They were moving. Electric posts outside were shaking. The glass in our windows was shuddering. (LIVE UPDATES: Magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake)

That was the longest earthquake I’ve ever experienced. Throughout that morning, we felt aftershocks. Later on, we would watch, in horror, footage of buildings in General Santos City imploding. We monitored the climbing death toll and sent updates to the Rappler newsroom in Manila.

Because of safety concerns, we could not use the conference room reserved for our workshop in Notre Dame University. We decided to shift all sessions that day online. Our team of five crammed into one of our hotel rooms, quickly set up a Zoom call, and got our Movers to dial in from their houses or hotel rooms.

Despite initial internet issues, our sessions on interviewing sources and personal safety proceeded fairly smoothly. We had to adjust a lot of the activities, like the role-playing exercise that is usually the biggest source of laughter when done in person.

But what weighed most on our mind that day was the fate of our voter empowerment public forum the following morning. We had already reached close to 200 registered attendees. Speakers had already traveled from far away to be there, like Jennevie Cornelio, a Teduray leader from Maguindanao del Norte; and Commission on Elections spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco, who flew from Manila with a team and three vote-counting machines.

Right before our dinner with partners, NDU gave us the happy news that campus operations were resuming the next day because engineers had deemed the buildings safe. The forum was on! But not even an hour later, Cotabato City Hall announced there would be no school operations to make way for safety checks.

We were heartbroken. With Bernard and Gavin, our friends from NDU, we hunkered down until 11 pm to think of a solution, and to plan for multiple scenarios. Rappler Mindanao coordinator Herbie Gomez, our editor on this trip, said he personally knew Mayor Bruce Matabalao. We got his number from multiple sources, Herbie made calls that went unanswered. He sent a Facebook Message for good measure, asking for the mayor’s help and emphasizing that NDU had declared their buildings safe.

By midnight, with no response from anyone we tried to reach, we were almost resigned to the possibility of a virtual public forum. Then, around 20 minutes past, Herbie got a message on Messenger. It was the mayor, saying we could proceed with our forum.

I write this newsletter with my cup full because of a successfully concluded public forum. Over a hundred participants attended. Panel discussions brought up concerns of Bangsamoro residents about true representation, the need to fight election-related disinformation, violence and voter intimidation, and their criteria for choosing the right Bangsamoro parliament members.

The Comelec was able to demonstrate the voting process with their automated vote-counting machines and sample ballots that reflect the format and look unique to the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

It was heartening to hear participants asking their questions, sending selfies and insights to the Rappler app, and thanking us for holding this forum.

“One for the books,” said one of our hosts, Apple Dadong.

“Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng staff ng Rappler at ng mga panels.

Marami kaming natutunan,” said Ella, in the Bangsamoro Voices chat room.

“The Ambag Natin roadshow provides an essential layer of empowerment, allowing everyone to truly understand what this parliamentary election is all about. Equipped with this awareness, I am breaking away from previous voting practices — where many passively react to candidates without cross-checking or background-checking their tracks,” said Eris, also on the app.

I’m proud of our team for showing grace under pressure, and being able to find laughter and joy amid the stress. I am especially proud of Joan Alindogan, our MovePH specialist who led this leg. This was also the first roadshow leg co-organized by Felix Olandria, our new MovePH specialist, and a former Mover. What a full-circle moment!

This roadshow leg would not have been possible without our partners NDU, Institute for Autonomy and Governance, Balaod Mindanao, Comelec, and the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines.

Together, let’s protect the Bangsamoro vote!

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– Rappler.com

Be the Good is a newsletter that comes out every other Wednesday. We deliver updates straight to your inbox on how journalism and communities can work together for impact.

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