“I am a mom, and also a journalist,” said Shiela Mae Butlig, a correspondent for Gold Star Daily News. “Out of this training, I learned that my safety is my utmost priority.”

Butlig was one of the participants in the Community-Based Training of Trainers on the Safety of Journalists, held in Cagayan de Oro City from August 18 to 24, 2024. She plans to advocate for safety training for her newsroom and the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, highlighting the need for more journalists in the city to be equipped to protect themselves from various threats and attacks.

Media practitioners and campus journalists from the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Surigao del Norte, attended the training. They gained knowledge and skills for responding to physical threats and attacks, legal cases, digital security challenges, psychosocial concerns, and gender-based safety issues. They also learned about training and facilitation tips and methodologies to empower them to replicate the training in their localities.

“I realized that it was really important for us to be capacitated to teach our peers as well,” said Karlo Anselmo “Kei” S. Binayao, campus journalist from Bukidnon State University. “When we learn as students, and we also capacitate our fellow students, that makes us a more valuable part of society.”

The interactive, participatory sessions were conducted by a distinguished group of resource persons: Ms. Rowena Paraan of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Mr. Joseph Ben “JB” Deveza of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)/Xavier University, Atty. Frank Lloyd Tiongson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), Ms. Samantha Nicole David of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Atty. Josalee Deinla of NUPL, and Ms. Julie Alipala of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).

The safety training was implemented by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and funded by the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines.