South Cotabato– A two-day CineMatutum Video Production Workshop has equipped student storytellers from nine schools in South Cotabato and nearby areas to produce short documentaries on Mt. Matutum—content that government agencies plan to use for community education, eco-tourism promotion, and policy advocacy for the protected landscape.
Participants from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, Poblacion Polomolok NHS, Tupi NHS, South East Asian Institute of Technology, Banga NHS, Koronadal National Comprehensive HS, Tampakan NHS, Malungon NHS, and Maltana NHS attended the training.
The participants were trained under Dr. Precy Regalado on documentary storytelling for advocacy, human-centered environmental narratives, story development, and production roles.
During the second-day session on visual storytelling and editing further prepared the student teams to craft films aligned with the theme, “Beyond the Peak: Uncovering Mt. Matutum’s Cultural and Natural Treasures.”
According to Jane Manlisis, Division Chief of the Forest and Inland Division (FID), the initiative ensures that the conservation message reaches households and classrooms not just official meetings.
“When young people tell the stories of Mt. Matutum, conservation becomes real for their classmates, their families, and their barangays,” Manlisis said.
These films will help communities understand why watershed protection, forest fire prevention, and respect for indigenous culture are non-negotiable for our shared future, Manlisis said.
“The student-produced films are intended for use in barangay IECs, school lessons, and eco-tourism orientations,” Manlisis shared.
Organizers say these outputs will help explain key topics such as watershed protection, forest fire prevention, and cultural respect in indigenous foothill communities in ways that are easy to understand and relate to.
LGUs and PAMO-MMPL also plan to integrate select outputs into social-media campaigns and public consultations, making technical issues such as trail carrying capacity and waste management more accessible to residents and hikers.
Workshop outputs will first be showcased during the Amyak Maleh Celebration 2026, positioning youth voices at the center of Mt. Matutum’s protection and sustainable management.
Organizers add that the initiative strengthens a pipeline of local content creators who can continually document on-ground issues, celebrate cultural identity, and amplify citizen participation in protecting the province’s flagship mountain landscape.
The training workshop is led by the Protected Area Management Office of the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (PAMO-MMPL), in partnership with OPENRO–Provincial Government of South Cotabato, PLLENRO, and the LGUs of Tupi, Tampakan, Malungon, and Polomolok.
