Mike Mansfield Fellowship Recipient Visits Townsend
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, Reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Mike Mansfield Fellowship Recipient Visits Townsend
Nancy Marks
Reporter
Mic Mugas came to Townsend to learn how its newspapers operate and how the city and county governments interact with the newspapers. He visited as part of a month-long Young Southwest Asian Leaders Initiative through the U.S. Department of State and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, Missoula.
Mugas, 29, is a journalist and lawyer in Laoag City, The Philippines. He works for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Laoag City. As a practicing attorney, he also works as a legal researcher and court litigator there. He was able to visit with City Attorney Peter Simon at Simon’s office on Sept. 20 to talk about how Simon handles his work with the City Council. Simon said he works directly with members of the council on policies and procedures and has a good working relationship with the council. He and Mugas also talked about pro-bono work. ”I was impressed that Mr. Simon does pro-bono work, or working without charge, in this country, it is very important as a public service in a community, for some people are unable to pay for legal work,” Mugas said.
Mugas also interviewed Mayor Mike Evans about the City Council’s role in city government. Mayor Evans said the council’s job is to make sure residents of Townsend receive good service with water, sewer, streets and garbage disposal. Mugas asked Mayor Evans if he had issues with the press in Townsend. Mayor Evans answered no, he just answered whatever questions the reporters asked.
Mugas toured the MT 43 News office and met the staff. He also attended a Broadwater County Commissioners meeting. He was impressed with the formality of the meeting and how respectful both the commissioners and the public were to each other. In the Philippines, newspaper reporting and government interaction operate in a landscape that is not open to the public. “Journalists are often arrested and jailed if they write stories that show the government in a bad light,” he said, “The atmosphere has a chilling effect on what we write.”
Mugas also visited the Salish-Kootenai reservation where he learned about their Native American culture and how they are trying to reclaim their land. He met with journalists from the Daily Montana and Montana Free Press news services. “I was able to observe an election in Missoula County. I was surprised at how calm the process was. That is very important in a democratic country.” He noted. Elections in the Philippines tend to be chaotic he said.
He spent time in Billings at the Montana State Bar convention where he was able to observe oral arguments in a court hearing. “The courts are so much more reachable by journalists here. In the Philippines, court work is often shrouded in secrecy,” he commented.
As is custom, Mugas lives at home with his parents, partner and siblings in Laoag City. He won the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship which is connected to the Mike Mansfield Fellowship program after an arduous writing and interview process, according to his biography. He will return to the Philippines in October after observing at the Helena Independent newspaper.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: John Michael “Mic” Mugas, journalist and lawyer from Laoag City, the Philippines.
Photo Credits: Nancy Marks
