Our History

Founded in May 1987, FMA initially provided media support to the TV public affairs program Street Pulse, but later engaged in special projects such as the Katipunan Centennial or Philippine Sovereignty Project in 1992. FMA gathered data and information on the US bases for the historic Senate vote in 1992. The organization also also helped CSOs, NGOs, and POs (among them the Sumilao farmers) with their communication needs using tri-media until 1995.

By 1997, new media, ICT, and the common computer started to be accepted by the people. In partnership with the PLDT Foundation, FMA together with CODE-NGO, worked to help CSOs, NGOs, and POs address their digital divide concerns through PLDT’s Countrywide Development – Wide Area Network or CODE-WAN project. The project initially focused on generating user development, raising public awareness on email, and providing user support through help desks. The second phased involved helping  eight CSOs, NGOS, and POs (Salidumay, HR Now, Balangay, Anihan, Balay, Asia Caucus, Peace/Never Again, and People’s PoW-ER) come up with their community websites.

FMA also established the a telecenter to address community access needs with DOST-PCHRD in Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte in the late 1990s. However, change in leadership in PLDT and eventually in FMA diminished funding support from PLDT also by the late 1990s.

In 1998, FMA conducted a series of roundtable discussions (RTDs) on “Computers Challenge Civil Society: Forging Strategic Information and Communications Agenda for NGOs” which included regional consultations until 2000. With its CODE-WAN savings, FMA also conducted the “ICT Needs And Capacities Survey” with some 300 NGO respondents. The survey enabled FMA to reassess its direction for the future. The survey was also FMA’s first research-oriented activity.