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CDC zeroes in on climate changeThe College of Development Communication (CDC) celebrated its 11th anniversary by joining forces with various organizations to address climate change.

Dean Cleofe S. Torres revealed, during the anniversary program held at LR1 last Dec. 17, CDC’s 11 commitments to the people and the environment for 2010, such as:

1. Action research on climate change communication (College of Development

Communication);

2. Community fora (Research and Extension Committee and the

Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication);

3. A symposium on climate change (Department of Science Communication and

Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication);

4. Adopt-a-School project (Department of Educational Communication);

5. A special section on climate change to be published in Los Baños Times (DEVC 123,

Management and Production of a Community Newspaper and the Department of Development Journalism);

Seven delegates from AZAM, an institution devoted to the development of the state of Sarawak in Malaysia, visited the College of Development Communication (CDC) for a four-day training-cum-study tour last Nov.30- Dec. 3.

Titled Let’s Talk and Walk, the training-cum-study tour was about enhancing governance through development communication. According to Prof. Rosario Tatlonghari, training coordinator, “The training was a fusion of

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Training-cum-study tour held for AZAMtheory and practice in development communication and governance.” This fusion was evident in the training design, comprising of lectures and study tours.

The participants were taught about development communication and governance by experts in this field from the College and UPLB.

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Mr. Lester Ordan, executive director of Equip and Inspire Asia, Inc. (EIA) and former Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication (DDBT) faculty, partners with CDC for a book project that will feature 50 stories of heroism during and after typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, and Santi. The book project is one of CDC’s 11 commitments to the people and the environment.

6. Book writing project about ordinary people who did heroic acts during typhoons Ondoy,

Pepeng, and Santi (CDC, Equip and Inspire Asia, UP Alliance of Development Communication Students);

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UPI.com, UCANews.com editors talk about online reportingEditors of the United Press International, the international news agency and Union of Catholic Asian News- Philippines, a Catholic news service, shared their expertise on online reporting during the Department of Development Journalism (DDJ) Seminar Series and Enrichment Program for DevJourn Majors last Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, respectively.

Mr. Michael Marshall, editor-in-chief of United Press International (UPI), and vice president for Editorial Affairs of News World Communications Inc., the media company that owns UPI, talked about how the internet changed journalism as we know it.

According to him, with the internet, there is now a multiplicity of senders and receivers, destroying the linear paradigm of how journalism is viewed. The Internet brings with it countless opportunities for the journalist. First, the definition of news has changed. It has become more dynamic and co-constructed with an active reader. Second, the Internet has opened a democratic space for engagement, causing changes in ownership, structure, system, process, and power

relations between the publisher and the reader. Third, the role of the gatekeeper has changed. Readers are now proactive in choosing what information they need and share. Fourth, global issues can now be connected with local issues or experiences, thereby creating a global community of people sharing common problems.

The Department of Development Journalism has partnered with UPIU.com, a media forum supported by UPI to promote the development of professional journalism, to provide exposure to its major students in the area of online reporting.

Meanwhile, Ms. Norma Jean Viehland, editor in chief of UCAN-Philippines, explained that their online news service seeks to create a strong community by harnessing information and technology to inform, engage, inspire, and influence the Catholics of Asia and the world.

She also enumerated some of the challenges that they face. Ms. Viehland said that they have maintained their independence amidst pressures from institutionalized religious organizations. She added that they uphold the truth vis-a-vis Churches’ use of technical

For the study tour on development communication in development institutions, the participants were brought to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a non-profit research center; the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, the information sharing initiative of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a not-for-profit international organization that shares the benefits of crop biotechnology to various stakeholders; and Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), a farmer-led network of people’s organizations, non-government organizations and scientists working towards the sustainable use and management of biodiversity through farmers’ control of genetic and biological resources, agricultural production and associated knowledge.

The participants learned about participatory and transparent governance in Pagsanjan, Laguna. Pagsanjan Mayor Jeorge “E.R.” Ejercito Estregan was the recipient of the “Top Ten Outstanding Municipal Mayors of the Philippines” award.

The third study tour was on citizen’s engagement and multi-stakeholder

collaboration through improved governance, where the participants learned about eco-waste management in Timugan, Los Baños and Adaptive Learning and Linkages in Community-based Natural Resource Management (ALLinCBNRM) project area in Dampalit, Los Baños.

The participants were brought to GMA Network, Inc. and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) to learn about the role of journalism in good governance.

“It was very interesting for us. It’s good for all of us to have a solid grounding on what development communication really is. We’re all looking forward to the strengthening of future collaboration,” said Ms. Cora Cortez, the managing director of Faradale Media-M, a publishing and event management company by AZAM. Ms. Cortez is an alumna of CDC.

The training-cum-study tour is the first project under CDC’s collaboration with AZAM. The word AZAM, when translated into English, means “movement for progress”. FDMontes

Training-cum-study tour...

Mr. Michael Marshall, United Press International editor in chief, explains trends in journalism vis-a-vis the growth of the internet during the DDJ Seminar Series kick-off last Dec.11.

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language, hierarchy, and inaccessibility of information.

Ms. Viehland believes that what they do can be considered as development journalism because their concerns include the youth, women, family, indigenous peoples, migrants, and refugees. RPFFrancisco and SBJamias

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CDC bags 2nd place at the FolliesThe UPLB community saw and liked the “other side” of the faculty and staff of the College of Development Communication (CDC) during the Faculty Follies last Dec. 9 at the DL Umali Auditorium. CDC was adjudged as the second best in performance.

The format of CDC’s presentation titled Talentabladong Iskoy: The Search for the Best Iskolar Para sa Bayan was patterned after the famous entertainment program, SNN or Showbiz News Ngayon hosted by Mr. Boy Abunda and Ms. Kris Aquino. Instead of SNN, the presentation carried the tagline CNN or Chever News Ngayon.

The roles of Mr. Abunda and Ms. Aquino were played by Mr. Mark Lester Chico, instructor and Department of Science Communication Chair Hermilea Marie C. Castillo. Chico and Castillo introduced segments that showcased the best about the different colleges and schools of UPLB. The segments included famous Philippine personalities like Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, Mommy Dionisia and the cast of hit telenovelas, commercials, and movies like Tayong Dalawa, Santino, Lucky Me, Kimmy Dora, Yaya and Angelina which were acted out by faculty, staff, and students.

According to Mr. Chico, the director of the performance, the entry of CDC aims to instill among the students that as Iskolar Para sa Bayan, they are not alone and hence should unite in their quest to serve the people.

Dr. Serlie Jamias, associate professor of the Department of Development Journalism (DDJ), was invited by the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Credit and Policy Council (DA-ACPC) to serve as one of the three resource speakers, workshop facilitator, and critique in DA-ACPC’s Seminar-Workshop on Effective Technical Writing and Editing last November 16 to 18.

ACPC is an institution that assists the DA in synchronizing all credit policies and programs to support DA’s priority programs. The seminar-workshop was about the preparation, writing, editing and visual presentation of technical information

Jamias lectures on technical writingmaterials. About 25 technical staff of the DA-ACPC attended the said event where Professor Jamias lectured on how to write technical reports, research proposals and annual reports. The event was sponsored by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), which also served as the training institution of the seminar-workshop.

The two other speakers of the seminar-workshop were Dr. Paz Diaz, dean of Roosevelt College and retired professor, UP Diliman and Ms. Flordeliza S. Azarcon, art director and associate director for ICT, AIJC.MBBasco

(Left) The “Careless Whisper” dance number of Ms. Ma. Ciejay Calara, REPS from

the Dept. of Development Broadcasting andTelecommunication, and Prof. Edmund Centeno, chair of the Dept. of Educational

Communication, was one of the most applauded numbers in the Faculty Follies.

(Center) Dean Cleofe Torres also showed her acting prowess at the Faculty Follies, supported

by Mr. Jon Paul Maligalig, instructor from the Dept. of Educational Communication.

(Right) Prof. Hermilea Marie Castillo, chair of the Dept. of Science Communication, and Mr. Mark Lester Chico did a parody of Kris Aquino

and Boy Abunda, repectively.

Mr. Mark Lester Chico, instructor from the Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication, and CDC Dean Cleofe Torres receive the 2nd prize award from UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco.

On the other hand, the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT) bagged the fi rst place while the College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) ranked third. In 2007, CDC won fi rst place in the Faculty Follies. MVPAranas and AJPAmata

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Editor-in-Chief: ROSA PILIPINAS FADRI-FRANCISCO

Adviser:DR. CLEOFE S. TORRES

Associate Editor: HEIDI DANIELLA L. MERCADO

Writers: GRAPHOS WRITERS, ARLYN JOY P. AMATA, MARK VINCENT P. ARANAS, SERLIE BARROGA-JAMIAS,

MICCA B. BASCO, DIANE I. FAJARDO, DUSTIN O. IBANEZ, FRANCESCA D. MONTES,

LEILA DENISSE E. PADILLA, JOYCE CAMILLE Y. REYES, MICHELLE ANN V. SULIT

Photography: MARIO B. MANINGAS, SERLIE BARROGA-JAMIASLayout: RICARDA B. VILLAR

Circulation: HEIDI DANIELLA L. MERCADO, ROLANDO C. RAMIREZ

EDITORIAL BOARD

Osalla tapped as judge in int’l docu awards

PhilRice awards grant to BSDC student

Ma. Teresita B. Osalla, assistant professor from the Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication (DDBT), served as judge in the Award of Excellence for the best radio and television documentary during the 33rd Biennial Conference of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last Nov. 17-21.

Prof. Osalla was one of the three women who reviewed radio programs which were directed by women about women worldwide. The other judges were from Moldova and Cambodia.

Aside from being an awards judge, Prof. Osalla was also a member of the panel that discussed gender equality and women empowerment.

The conference, with the theme Beijing +15: Empowering through Media, was attended by 60 participants from 20 countries. JCYReyes, DIFajardo, and DOIbañez

The Gender and Development Initiatives (GADi) Team of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) chose Mr. John Fil V. Kasilag, a senior BS Development Communication student, to be the recipient of its study grant worth 35,000 pesos for his research tentatively titled Textual Analysis of Women’s Stories of Rice Production in Southern Tagalog Communities this semester.

The research aims to understand the role women currently play in rice farming communities in Laguna that are near urban centers. It shall focus on stories women tell of their involvement along the rice production process, from planting to marketing. “Once the role of women in this area is known, appropriate services can be offered to them,” explained Kasilag when asked about the significance of the research.

Kasilag, a science communication major, is working on his thesis with Prof. Pamela A. Custodio of the Department of Development Journalism (DDJ) as adviser.

The GADi Team focuses on enhancing the role of both genders in the society through grants, seminars, and other activities that show and promote social responsibility to the community. The GADi Team is based in Muñoz City, Nueva Ecija. LDEPadilla

CDC zeroes in...7. Life Sciences Centennial

Quiz Contest (Department of Science Communication and Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication);

8. A drama anthology on climate change over Radyo

DZLB (DEVC132, Radio Drama and Documentary) class;

9.ICT for Climate Change Projects

(DEVC134, Introduction to Telecommunications) class;

10. Exhibit on ecological laws by DEVC 212

(Environmental Communication) class;

11. Partnership with students in implementing

environmental projects

a) Energy conservation campaign for selected high school students in Laguna by the UP Alliance of Development Communication Students;

b) Environment awareness project for the youth of Putho-Tuntungin by the UP Community Broadcasters’ Society; and

c) Ecobag-making contest by the UPLB Development Communicators’ Society.

Compared to past anniversary celebrations, this year’s event is austere in light of the disasters that hit the country. Instead of a grand celebration, CDC opted for a simple program wherein gratitude, family, and the culture of honoring were highlighted.

In her opening remarks, College Secretary Rhodora Ramonette de Villa came up with her list of 11 things that CDC can be thankful for improvements in the facilities of the College, projects both local and international,

revival of DZLB, partnerships within and beyond the College, to name a few. Likewise, Dean Torres expressed her gratitude to the students, whom she considers as the reason for being of the College, for their support and cooperation to CDC’s various activities. She also commended the REPS and the admin staff for their service beyond the call of duty and the faculty for the sacrifices they make to uphold excellence in instruction.

Aside from gratitude, Dr. Madeline Suva and Dr. Serlie Jamias, both associate professors from DDJ, shared their take on CDC’s 11 years of service and success. For Dr. Suva, being a family is one of the strengths of CDC. Members of the College treat one another like family; this atmosphere, in turn, facilitates cooperation in College activities. Dr. Suva also reminisced about their get-togethers every Fridays.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jamias regarded honoring-- “ that culture of laying aside our own self-interest and focus, and truly and sincerely appreciating the other”-- as one of the ingredients of a great family. She said that this is hard to cultivate but it can be done through conscious effort. “ It is a culture of honoring that have brought us this far. It is that culture of honoring that can bring us beyond that we can imagine”, she added.

Representatives from partner organizations, namely, Mr. Roberto Rodriguez of the Los Baños Central Elementary School and Mr. Lester Ordan of Equip and Inspire Asia attended the event. RPFFrancisco and MAVSulit

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