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Brgy. Tumana, Marikina City to put up flood markers to complement public address system (PAS)

More than a year after Typhoon Ulysses’ landfall on the Philippines in November 2020, residents and officials of Brgy. Tumana, Marikina City are building taller houses and planning to put up flood markers. The flood markers will help warn citizens of future floods’ water levels, complementing the public address system (PAS) in the area.

Stranded residents on the roofs of their houses on Doña Petra Street, Brgy. Tumana. (Photo taken by Gilbert Bautista, resident of Tumana)

With the water level at Marikina River reported to peak at 22.0 m according to Marikina’s Public Information Office (PIO), hundreds of residents in Brgy. Tumana were forced out of their homes during the onslaught of Ulysses. Tumana’s experience with the typhoon urged barangay officials to strengthen their disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) by putting up flood markers in the area.

According to barangay secretary, Raymond Parta, Tumana’s officials plan to place flood markers around the barangay to help warn citizens of future floods’ water level or if there is a need for evacuation. The flood markers will complement the existing PAS in the area, especially in cases where the PAS cannot be heard.

Parta explains that when the water level at the Marikina River reaches a height of 16 m above sea level, Tumana’s residents are alerted of a forced evacuation through a siren in the PAS. The siren can only be heard within 1.5 km and cannot cover the entire 180 ha land area of the barangay. Hence, the flood markers will serve as a warning system if the PAS cannot be heard or is disrupted by strong winds.

After Ulysses, Parta states that many residents are also turning their bungalows into multiple-story or stilt-type houses to protect them and their belongings against floods. They do this because the barangay is susceptible to floods as the second lowest-lying barangay in Marikina with the Marikina River passing through some of its areas.

In a 2018 study by Mr. Nick Espina, urban planner and senior lecturer from the University of the Philippines, he explains that about 100 ha of the barangay is directly affected when the Marikina River overflows. Flood heights reach a maximum of 40 ft in these areas.

Parta points out that along with the building of taller houses and the plan to put up flood markers, Tumana maintains other DRRM measures like conducting seminars and providing “go bags” with equipment such as a whistle, flashlight, and first-aid kit. Tumana’s officials also continue to update a Facebook group called “Liga ng mga barangay-Marikina chapter Konsehal/Kapitan Ziffred Ancheta” where DRRM and other Brgy. Tumana-related matters are posted. The Marikina LGU continues to provide Tumana with a public address system (PAS), rescue boats, evacuation centers, and an online rescue page called Marikina Rescue 161.

Tumana’s officials coordinating with Lions Club International 301-D2 to distribute donated relief packs. (Photo taken by Khel Nuñez)

My DevCom learnings suffice

… But I survived!

The first semester is nearing its end and I am not sure if I should be jumping for joy or petrified as the release of my grades nears. However, one thing is for sure… I survived! Most importantly, I also grew as a student and a writer.

During my third week of classes at UP, I was tasked to rate my skills and qualities as a media writer on a scale of one to five, five being the highest rating and one being the lowest. I scored myself a one in all of the qualities not because I wallow in self-pity but because I knew that I had a lot to learn as a beginner DevCom practitioner.

My self-rating on the qualities and skills of media writers I possess on October 3, 2021

Now, after one semester in the degree program, I did not rate myself a one on all categories anymore—I gave myself a 2!

My self-rating on the qualities and skills of media writer I possess on January 12, 2022

Overall, I noticed my overall skills in media writing have improved. I am especially proud of how I gather and validate data now. Furthermore, I also see myself writing quicker and better than I did before.

Gathering and validating data

I am used to gathering information through computer-based research. EBSCO’s advanced search? Sci-hub? I know how to operate all that! What I am not used to, as a severely independent and overt introvert, is interviewing people.

As a senior high school student, I was satisfied with credible journals and documents found on the internet as the source of information for my write-ups. Now, I have learned that these papers are not enough. To put a premium on truth and accuracy, I need to validate and update my data set with interviews from experts and the general public.

I made a lot of mistakes during my interviews—with experts at that! I found myself stumbling over words, having mind blocks, forgetting to ask important questions, and just overall being a nervous mess. However, I did see myself getting better at interviewing people during my final interview of the semester.

Screenshots of all the interviews I conducted during my semester in UP

I saw myself enjoying the process of learning about issues and topics I was once oblivious to with the help of these professionals. Curiously and inquisitively, rather than mandatorily, I asked questions that genuinely piqued my interest.

Fortunately, these DevCom learnings of mine also transcended beyond the pixels of my laptop and the digital walls of GClassroom and Canvas. I can now better socialize and converse with my friends and other people instead of just standing there like a deer in headlights. These interviews have taught me what questions to ask and how to respond in both professional and personal discourses.

Writing clearly and effectively

You would think that a former writer and editor of a school paper should not find a media writing course that difficult. Wrong! As the literary editor of my previous campus media organization, writing concisely and straight-to-the-point was not my strongest suit. Hence, the writing style for DevCom challenged me.

For my laboratory class, I had to write a four-page article about my community—Marikina City. This former editor-writer was graded a whopping 63 out of 100 for her first draft. “At least I passed,” I said to myself with little to no conviction when I first saw my score.

My score and the comments of my professor on my first article draft for my laboratory class

My professor said that the problem with my article was with how I organized and contextualized my ideas. I did not follow the inverted pyramid and I failed to explain the importance of some details in the draft.

However, I am happy that I got the corrections that I got. Because of such comments, I was able to apply the writing concepts and techniques that I learned in class rather than just know about it. After some (a lot) editing, hopefully, the score of my to-be-passed second draft will not be a 63.

Furthermore, it is amazing to me how DevCom writing can reflect the behaviors of DevCom as a service-oriented practice as a whole. Just like how DevCom’s writing is straightforward, DevCom as a whole does not beat around the bush when it comes to helping the marginalized. If DevCom articles want to give important information as quickly as possible, DevCom wants to support and reach communities as quickly as it can.

Overall DevCom learnings

After one semester with DevCom, I have learned a lot of things about media writing and the study as a whole. From writing effectively to how to hold a conversation, DevCom has truly rebuilt my foundations as a once introverted literary writer.

However, I know that I still have much to learn. DevCom is such a complex and ever-changing subject and my journey as a writer has only just begun. I have a long road ahead of me and I have yet to reach my peak.

Thus, like how I felt at the beginning of the semester, I still look forward to the day where I can finally give myself a five out of five on my qualities and skills as a media writer. For now, a two shall suffice.

UPCA is just the beginning

After two months of 8 AM classes, a four-hour mock exam, and Php 10,000 spent on a review center, UPCAT 2021 – 2022 got canceled. Suddenly, my dreams of entering the University of the Philippines (UP) were dependent on if my grades can compete against 100,000 students who all aimed for the same thing—be an iskolar ng bayan.

By this time, the deadline of UPCA 2022-2023 has already passed and applicants can only pray for their results to measure up. However, some students who chose to apply lack faith in their UP fate. Their fear mostly revolves around their grades since that is undeniably the main criteria for UPCA.

However, no applicant should ever lose hope. UPCA is not the only way to enter UP.

If you are an applicant and you are reading this, I truly hope that you pass UPCA. I still remember the exhilarating feeling of opening the UP admissions website and seeing that I passed.

Acceptance Confirmation for UPCA 2021-2022

However, if you did not pass, find solace in the fact that many of my friends got into UP either by transferring or through reconsideration.

Reconsideration

If you got waitlisted by UP, good for you! You are not out of the running yet. You can still appeal to a UP campus depending on your UPG.

The process of appealing to each campus is different. If you have your UPG and you know which campus you can appeal to, stay updated with their reconsideration process by visiting their website from time to time and following their social media accounts.

Transferring

Did you not get wait-listed? Do not fret because all hope is not yet lost. You can still transfer.

According to UP, “Students from other universities may apply for transfer to a UP campus after earning 33 academic units in another school with a weighted average of 2.00 or better on the UP marking system.”

Hence, if you just wait for a bit and study hard in another university while you are at it, you can still apply to UP.

Getting into UP is not easy but it is certainly not impossible.

SAIS gods, I believe in you (not really)

I have never heard the term “SAIS” before I entered the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). However, once I did start hearing about SAIS, I never heard the end of it.

Turns out, according to UP, the student academic information system or SAIS is a “Student Lifecycle data management system encompassing admission application to graduation and alumni tracking.” Basically, SAIS is a system that allows students from UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Open University, UP Baguio, and UP Cebu to track their student data, manage payments, and perhaps most notoriously, shop for units.

My seniors, whose names I shall keep anonymous, had a lot of sentiments about SAIS when they were shopping for units this August of 2021. Let us just say that they were very… uh… descriptive… and um… creative and ah… witty with how they voiced their opinions and experiences with SAIS in social media. I have probably read every vulgar word in and out of the dictionary in the same sentence where the word “SAIS” is used.

However, can students be blamed for the aggressiveness of their comments towards SAIS if a lot of them are severely unit-deprived?

The normal load for the first semester of Academic Year 2021 – 2022 for UP students is 12 units to allow them to learn flexibly. However, it seems as though that some students can learn while doing backbends, leg splits, and cartwheels as they can only manage to secure three to six units through SAIS. That might be a little too flexible if you ask me…

As I have yet to unit shop on SAIS, I cannot fully comprehend how atrocious SAIS can really be. Although it is safe to say that seniors’ sentiments about the website crashing and terrible underloading do make me fear the system which I will have to go through very soon. If only shopping in SAIS is as easy as it is in Shopee.

Like my seniors, I can only pray for the SAIS gods to bestow upon me their utmost kindness and bless me with units. Amen.

Tara na sa Marikina!

Objectives

After watching the AV plug, the viewers should be able to:

Identify at least one tourism spot in Marikina City
Visit Marikina.gov.ph

Credits

Music: Marikina PIO

“I dreaded writing in college,” says DevCom graduate, now author

Mr. Joseph Astrophel Ongiko, also known as “Ka Boyet” got his bachelor’s degree in Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in 1985 and a master’s degree in Development Management in 2017. Currently, he is working as a development communication, development management, and adult learning consultant for numerous national and international organizations.

Ka Boyet’s long hair and ever-welcoming smile will greet anyone that knows him. Wearing this humble look, he travels all around the Philippines and the world to design programs, conduct training seminars, and produce modules on development-related matters.

One of his engagements is with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s), a human development initiative by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). He has trained the staff and municipal links of the DSWD, and parent leaders of 4P’s from all 13 regions of the Philippines.

He is a consultant and organizer for the Coalition of Leprosy Advocates of the Philippines (CLAP) composed of 19 people’s organizations whose members are persons affected by Leprosy (PALs). The organization aims to eradicate the stigma around the disease and provide alternative livelihood programs for PALs.

Traveling around the Philippines, Ka Boyet works with the Mangyan community in the province of Mindoro and other indigenous peoples around the Philippines to facilitate staff development activities and create program designs among other engagements.

Despite his long list of accomplishments, Ka Boyet likes to joke about his line of work. “Ang ganda ng title, ‘consultant’. Ang ibig sabihin, ‘unemployed’” he jests in an interview. However, he makes it clear that despite not having a fixed monthly income as a consultant, his line of work keeps him “financially blessed” and that God continually provides him and his family their “daily bread.”

As a born-again Christian, he continues to show his passion for spreading the good news about God and serving the marginalized with his book entitled, “A conversation with Gabriel.” The book features a Christmas story about mother earth and part of the proceeds gathered from its sales will be given to the victims of Typhoon Rolly in the province of Catanduanes.

Photo taken from: Ka Boyet Official’s Facebook Page

Surprisingly, although Ka Boyet has written a book, he did not like to write when he was in college. When he was studying at UPLB, he was an audiovisual major in the Department of Development Communication under the UP College of Agriculture.

Because of his major, he only had one journalism course that he decided to push back until the third year of his program. But now, Ka Boyet has not only written a book but also countless modules and informational materials for his beneficiaries. He also maintains a personal blog that contains his insights about all things DevCom-related.

Furthermore, Ka Boyet mentions that the DevCom program and UPLB have prepared him for his current line of work by instilling independence in him. While finishing his degree, Ka Boyet would stay in a dorm in Los Baños during the weekdays and go back to his hometown, Marikina City, during the weekends. According to him, his dorm life sharpened his decision-making skills.

“Mas marami kang natututunan about life [in UPLB]. The company you choose… How you spend time…How you live it… The value of recreation… The value of studying… Ikaw lahat.” He reflects.

The relationships he formed in UPLB have also been a cherished part of his stay at the university. He remembers the joyful memories of how the staff and students communed on the stairs of the DevCom building as they shared pandesal and pancit.

Now, he has maintained both professional and personal relationships with his college family. Even so that he has worked on programs at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) with people he was studying DevCom with. Hence, Ka Boyet advises current DevCom students to value the connections they build in their degree programs.

Additionally, Ka Boyet also encourages students to engage with DevCom work even as undergraduates. He motivates students to participate in organizations and community volunteering so they can, “Do DevCom now.”

“Ang pagiging DevCom [practitioner], hindi lang ‘yan nakikita pagka-graduate… Ngayon pa lang, dapat gumawa ka na ng paraan para makita ang fruits ng Development Communication.” He says.

If I only knew…

As an incoming freshman, who has always dreamed of studying at the University of the Philippines (UP), my first day of classes in the prestigious school felt surreal. I was both intimidated by the blinding lights of the UP name yet excited to grace its presence at the same time. Nevertheless, all of these feelings imbued me with an eagerness to conquer UP.

Yet, despite the eagerness to do my best, I still wished I could have done some things differently during my first semester. I wish I could go back in time and tell my past self, “Hey girl, here is how your first month in UP is going to go…” But, I cannot do that. So instead, I will tell you the top five pieces of advice I have for myself so that you can enter UP more prepared than I was.

Run while you can!

No, I am not telling you to run away from UP. Rather, I am telling you to run towards it and the tasks it gives you right away.

A lot of professors gave me their class’ modules for the entire semester in my first week in UP. Looking back now, as a student who values every second of day to catch up on my backlogs, I should have definitely taken that first week to advance my reading on modules.

Remember, time management causes a domino effect. Having advanced my reading would have given me more time to do other tasks and spared me a few sleepless nights.

2. Your knowledge will deepen but so will your under-eye bags

To my past self,
I would like to congratulate you because your knowledge in media writing and development communication will grow. From knowing less than the bare minimum about media writing, you have done well in your DEVC 11 exercises and other subjects. However, this did not come at an easy or pretty price.
Current Self

I have had countless 3 AM study sessions as I near the end of my first semester in UP. Hence, like any other college student, I value every ounce of sleep I can get. However, my past self did not know that yet because she had the audacity to stay up until 4 AM doing whatever on her phone.

So my advice to you is do not do what I did. Spare yourself the massive under-eye bags and sleep as much as you can. You will already lose sleep because of academics, so do not stay up late for unimportant matters.

3. Take proper notes for Econ 11

I have used a digital note-taking app for all of my subjects ever since the start of the semester. However, to study for my first exam in Economics, I realized that properly writing down notes using a notebook and a pen gave me the opportunity to better understand concepts in the subject. Manual note-taking allowed me to actively recall formulas and theories.

Hence, I advise future Economics students to start manually taking down notes and not waste their time on digital note-taking for Econ 11 in particular.

4. Love your bloc!

I remember being nonchalant about our bloc’s Guidance Instruction (GI) sessions. Never did I expect to find myself proud and happy with the relationships I have built with my blocmates. The GI sessions I spent with them provided me with the rest and social interaction my mental health needed. The rants and laughter we had during our meetings will be some of my most cherished memories in UP.

5. Breathe… You will be okay

Yes, I was both happy and eager to enter UP. However, this does not mean that I was not scared to my core. During my first week in the university, I remember having a lot of anxiety. The unrelenting change UP brought, the concept of growth, and fear of my inadequacies made me cry myself to sleep every single night.

During the first month of the semester, I remember stuttering whenever I tried to recite during synchronous sessions despite my eagerness to contribute to the class discussion. Thank goodness my eagerness won over my doubts.

With some counseling sessions and hard work, I can now say that I do not have as much anxiety as before. My past self could not see that if she took things one by one, breathed a little, and went with the flow of life, she would be okay.

“Easy” is the last word I would describe my first semester in UP with. I reminisce about my first month of classes as a college student and cannot help but cringe with some of my memories. However, I am here now, nearing the end of the semester, surviving.

That is all my past self could ever ask for.

On to the next semester we go…

If you are not a development communication (DevCom) student and you see one typing or writing away, do not disturb them! Most often than not, they are probably cramming to submit at least 10 write-ups by the end of that week or that day.

Essays are part of every college student’s daily routine and even more so for those in DevCom. Nearing the end of my semester, I feel like I have already written countless blogs, articles, and lab exercises, and guess what… The semester is not yet over!

So, after creating and passing what seems like an insurmountable amount of DevCom activities, here are my notes-to-self that will hopefully make my and your future semesters in DevCom a little bit less daunting:

Get over the overwhelming

I cannot tell you how many times I got overwhelmed by the glaring list of write-ups I had to do and, in the end, just resorted to doing nothing at all because… You know… Logic!

To get out of this rut, I first read through my to-do list and assess which write-up is of urgency. The write-up with the closest deadline is what I start on first. If I know that a particular article is of importance and would take me a long time to write, I try to start it as early as I can.

With that logic, I can then proceed to work on numerous articles by only finishing one, and then another one, and then another one… Eventually, I catch up with my deadlines.

Exhaust resources

Do not skimp on data gathering. My absolute nightmare as a DevCom student would be finding out that I did not gather enough information to create a cohesive article.

Conducting numerous interviews, crowdsourcing on all the social media platforms that exist, or researching till the very ends of UPLB’s online library—I need to exhaust all resources to get information to create comprehensive and substantive outputs.

It is a form of foresight to gather too much data and bank it rather than not have enough.

The first draft is always terrible, disgusting, atrocious, horrid—and it is fine!

There is always an initial ecstasy I get once I finally finish the first draft of my write-ups. There is also the unavoidable cringe and “Is DevCom really for me?” reactions upon rereading the technical mistakes and discord of ideas in it.

Disheartened as I may be, I need to form a productive and kind headspace. I have to remind myself that my skills (and worth) are not based on my drafts but rather on the progress I attain.

Furthermore, my solace is in the fact that what I am writing are just drafts. Thus, I can re-edit and revise it as much as I can if I have the time, which brings us to…

Allot enough time to edit and revise

One way or the other, students will cram a paper or two in their college years. God knows I have crammed and missed a couple of soft deadlines in my first semester at UP.

Thus, this is probably the most hypocritical tip I can give. However, as much as I can, I give myself enough time to both build and revise my write-ups.

In most cases, I ideally start my paper five days before its deadline. I allot the first three days to write the initial draft and then the other two for revisions and copy-editing.

Those two days of re-editing can make or break an article. Without it, mistakes ranging from grammatical errors to content issues can make it to the final output—that is a DevCom student’s worst nightmare.

Know thy audience

Behind the technical knowledge, DevCom classes instill in its students a foundational people-centered ideology. All DevCom classes will teach its students that everything they do is for the people.

That is why “know thy audience” is such a repetitive phrase used in DevCom. Whether it be for writing an article or just simply learning about the study, the people will always be the subject. It is with this mindset that I continually push myself to look at events with a critical lens and create outputs with a purpose.

With these notes-to-self, I can face my higher DevCom classes no longer as a naive and complete newbie. Rather, I now have initial self-reminders that will hopefully make my DevCom journey a little bit easier and hopefully, yours too.

My Preparations in Writing a Development News Story ✏️ (Beats and Data Gathering) ✒️🗒

Continue reading “My Preparations in Writing a Development News Story ✏️ (Beats and Data Gathering) ✒️🗒”

Must-haves that make us

We, DevCom (Development communication) students, are of a different breed. Countless essays, nerve-racking interviews, exasperating delays, and tight deadlines come with our degree.