Pillar: Communication and Information

TOPIC: MARAWI SIEGE

Background:
The battle for Marawi began on May 23,2017 when the Philippine military tried to
capture Isnilon Hapilon, the head of a southern militia that has pledged loyalty to ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But the army met fiercer than expected resistance. Allied with another
pro-ISIS brigade called the Maute Group, Hapilons fighters took a priest and his congregation
hostage, freed prisoners from the local jail, and overran the city. More than three weeks later, the
fighting persists, hundreds have diedmilitants, soldiers, civiliansand hundreds more
residents remain trapped in the city. Many have no electricity or running water. Food stocks are
diminishing fast. As residents seek safety, much of Marawi has become a ghost town. The
Marawi Siege ended on October 23, 2017 due to the hard work of the Philippine Government
and of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Problem:
Fear is the root cause of terrorism. Fear is a powerful tool, it can serve as a drive for
people. Fear, over time, can be replaced with a deep well of hatred. Hatred for other countries,
other religions, other genders and sexual orientations.

The fear brought about by the Marawi siege gathered a lot of opinion from the whole world. It
was a wake-up call to the world that terrorism had a chance to prosper and because of that, many
states wanted to help the Philippines.

As of November 2017, there has been 1,049 terrorist attacks and 6,542 fatalities all over
the world and all of these terrorism attacks and fatalities started with just fear. The problem in
Marawi is not just a problem of its citizens. It is a problem of the Philippines.

Many Filipinos all over the world are aware of the situation in Marawi but often result to social
media activism. Social media activism (also known as web activism, online activism, digital
campaigning, digital activism, online organizing, electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, e-
campaigning, and e-activism) is the use of electronic communication technologies such as social
media, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster and more effective
communication by citizen movements, the delivery of particular information to large and specific
audiences as well as coordination.

A problem arising from this is that all the social media activism is not reciprocated into
action. One may hear a lot of opinion regarding the Marawi Siege on social media and
sometimes such opinion lead to miscommunication and arguments online. People feel fulfilled
once they express their sympathy for the people of Marawi on social media. The fulfillment stops
there. It stops where it should not.

Solution:
 Social media changes public awareness. Because information in it circulates so
freely and quickly, it creates a new baseline for change. Information and Communication
Technologies cross resources and have immediate impact that gives it urgency, makes it personal
and allows for immediate individual action. This is particularly important in raising donations
quickly, spreading critical information and encourage volunteerism.

The Advocates of UNESCO are advocates of peace. In line with this, advocates under the
pillar of Information and Communication may solve the passivity of the people regarding the
Marawi Siege by utilizing the different information and communication technologies (ICTs) and
starting an online campaign which includes the different programs of the government for the
rehabilitation of Marawi City which will encourage them to put their advocacies in action
through volunteerism. The online campaign will also showcase the advocacies of different
people in relation to terrorism and to the situation in Marawi so that they can also encourage
other people to join the said campaign.

Sources:
http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/terrorist-attacks/?year=2017
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_activism