Metro Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and is also the country’s economic, and political center. That’s why a common mistake we Manileños make—including yours truly—is to practically ignore the rest of the country. At least we partially address this shortcoming through Style Cebu. But that still leaves out the southern region of Mindanao.

Which we shouldn’t. Because the bloggers in Mindanao are quite an active and passionate bunch. In fact, you should watch out for the 2007 Mindanao Blog Awards, which will be the cornerstone event of the 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit. We should follow the example of Andrew dela Serna, the man behind Ratified.org. He’s shared his creative talents to come up with the logo you see above, featuring the distinctively Mindanaoan icon known as the vinta.

A shout out goes to the people behind Davao Blogspace and Mindanao Bloggers, two websites that show that there’s more to the Philippines than just Metro Manila. Here’s to making sure all the bases are covered, and for providing a new challenge for us: giving all Filipino voices their due consideration, wherever they be based.