I HAVE received so much from my work, which has enabled me to meet heads of state, travel across Mindanao, experience many of our country's other islands, even offered a grant at Oxford University to study the causes of terrorism. And of course there was that documentary, which showed me not only the bullet holes in the walls of an abandoned masjid (mosque) in a Maguindanao town, but also how communities came together so that the process of healing would be hastened, and with less pain.

In the end, our documentary — which is still being replayed to policy-makers and advocates — revealed what a "peace process" is really all about: people rebuilding their lives, like Babu caring for her children while her husband the rebel guerrilla is away, community worker Mike mapping out the needs of the evacuees, and former Moro rebels being hired to work for banana factories, alongside Christians and highlanders. At the same time, it highlighted the importance of reporting good news, which can give people hope and boost their confidence.

We certainly need good news in Mindanao. After all, our population will continue to grow, but our economy and employment will not increase as much that in Luzon. The frustrated unemployed could only become potential recruits to underground movements that have made peace so elusive here. Yet even as the military chase suspected terrorists across Mindanao and turn tens of thousands of families into refugees, barangay chairpersons in Sulu are making sure that water gets to their constituents each day while a mayor has created a spiritual town in Barira, where gambling and liquor has been banned.

In the meantime, we are seeing the emergence of an assertive generation of Muslims — women included — who want space and recognition. Educated and dynamic, these young Muslims are cynical of Manila 's peace talks and frustrated with the autonomy project. They are, however, more eager to fight in the boardroom or in Congress rather than in the battlefield. They can become crucial participants in peace-building, their talents and ideas harnessed to help address the growing needs and demands of the many who are marginalized. At some point, authorities should realize that peace talks should involve not only politicians, the military, and monitors, but also the people from the affected communities, along with the new generation of Muslims who can offer new and fresh ideas that can lead to real transformation in the lives of their people.

The dole-out mentality should be phased out. While international aid remains welcome, it has to be channeled toward strengthening a local technocrat base from the ethno-linguistic groups. This is one of the major ways that Muslim Filipinos can address conflict: by determining their own economic destiny, on their own terms.

This aspiration for self-determination needs a spirited exchange between Manila and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Goods and ideas have to flow so that wealth is created. I see my role in media as helping lessen the distance between peoples, informing citizens of the opportunities for mutual exchange, and celebrating the differences so that unity is created in an environment of respect.

I am proud that Muslim journalists in Al-Jazeera International are doing well. Someday I hope to break into pop culture and break the box of stereotypes of "angry Muslims" — maybe even host a TV show and become a local Oprah Winfrey. For she not only features the powerless and the powerful, she elevates the spirit. Yet even if I remain a mere dot in the local media industry, I know I will be leaving behind chronicles of those who otherwise would have continued to be faceless, stories that I hope will be read someday by people thriving in a peaceful land.

Samira Gutoc, 31, is a free-spirited Sagittarian who is part of a pioneering Muslim media team that manages the Moro Times, attached to Manila Times, the first national media supplement on Muslims published every last Friday of the month. If you want to help in the cause, she asks you to subscribe and help link them to advertisers. Email her at arimas2005@yahoo.com.