The Final Hurrah!

*Sighs* Finally, this course is coming to an end, and so is this semester. Now, for this week’s entry, I will be rerating the skills and qualities of a media writer that I’ve become throughout this course. It is funny when I look back to how I rated myself in the third week’s entry for I am not sure if I was just being delusional or overly innocent about it. It was a bustle and hustle experience to be honest, but that, I think, made me a better writer today.

I stepped into the course without knowing anything about it. I didn’t have many qualities and skills of a media writer either. For instance, reading and writing were not really my thing. It’s a shame on me because Devcom is mostly about those.

When I rated myself 1 for being curious and imaginative, I was just rating myself based on what I believed I am. Nonetheless, this course made me think beyond my wonders and thirst for more knowledge. And so, if I would rate myself again, I’ll still give a resounding 1 for such qualities.   

Previously, I also gave myself a rating of 2 as someone who puts a premium on accuracy and truth. But, after the sixteen weeks of pedagogy, I realized that I am not yet the fact-oriented person that I thought I am. I mean, the past four months were just a short period of time and I still have a lot of things to improve on, hence, I am lowering thereof.  

I am stepping down my rating as well on my intelligence as a media writer for I know I still have many things to learn from this course and in the courses to come. Meanwhile, as being service-oriented, I became more empathetic to the marginalized and genuine in serving the people.

If there would be one lesson to sum up my whole semester as a Devcom student is that Devcom is really about service. We do not write for ourselves but for the truth. And writing for the truth requires the skills and qualities of a media writer which I will be improving even more in the following courses.

Setyembre 9, 2021

City of Hearts

Objectives:

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

1. Identify at least one festival in Masbate City.

2. Identify at least two tourist spots in Masbate City.

AUDIO CREDITS

VIDEO CREDITS:

RODEO FESTIVAL

LAPAY BANTIGUE FESTIVAL

MASBATE ISLETS

MANGROVETUM

MAYONG PAYONG

MASBATE CITY CAPITOL

BUNTOD MARINE SANCTUARY

Ipasalangit Nalang Talaga

The Oblation. FilipiKnow

Parang kahapon lang at isa pa ako sa mga nangangarap na makapasok sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. Sariwa pa saakin ang saya at kaba ng online application dahil dito nakasalalay ang aking slot. Nakakabalisa at nakakapraning maghintay lalo na’t grades lamang ang naging basehan. Gayunpaman, lubos akong nagpapasalamat na isa ako sa mga maswerteng estudyante na nabigyan ng pagkakataong maipagpatuloy ang aking pangarap sa unibersidad.

Para sa linggong ito, magbabahagi ako ng aking karanasan at mga tips para matulungan kayong makapaghanda sa darating na UPCA.

Una, kung kaya pang pataasin ang grado, gawin ito sa abot ng makakaya. Dulot ng banta ng COVID-19 ay hindi parin maglulunsad ng UPCAT ang unibersidad ngayong taon. Kung kaya’t bilang alternatibo, ang mga grado mula Grade-8 hanggang unang semestre ng Grade-11 ang siyang gagawing basehan upang siyasatin ang pinakamagagaling. Bagama’t ito’y unfair para sa nakararami, wala tayong magagawa kundi ang paghandaan at lalo pang pataasin ang ating mga marka.

Pangalawa ay pumili ng kursong naaayon sa kagustuhan at kakayahan. Hindi lahat ng gustong kurso ay nararapat saiyo; gayunpaman, mahalagang piliin mo parin ang passion mo. Mahirap mag-aral sa UP. Malala ang dagsa ng mga requirements at hindi maiiwasan ang mapagod. Bilang isang mag-aaral ng DPWAS na napadpad lamang sa DevCom, sinasabi ko sainyo na mahirap ang mapagod sa kursong hindi mo gusto. Kung kaya, hangga’t maaga ay butihing isaalang-alang ang kagustuhan gayundin ang kakayahan.

Pangatlo, maging wais sa pagpili ng campus. Ito ay isa sa mga tips na nakuha ko noong nag-a-apply pa lamang ako. Ayon sa isang senior, mas malapit ang aplikante sa campus, mas mataas ang tsansa niyang matanggap sa unibersidad.

Panghuli ay ang pinakamahalaga, ang magdasal. Sa bawat laban ko sa buhay, dasal ang aking sandata. Nakakatakot man ang maghintay sa walang kasiguraduhan ngunit minsan ang kailangan mo lang ay maniwala. Ika nga ni Jardin, ang pinakamatapang kong guro nung hayskul, “Mas mabuti na ang maghintay kaysa mawalan ng pag-asa.”

Nawa ay nakatulong itong pagbabahagi ko ng aking mga tips at karanasan para maipasa ninyo ang UPCA 2022. Patuloy na lumaban. Lalo niyo pang pag-igihan, future Isko’t Iska!

Ma’am Melds, always in your service!

Mildred O. Moscoso, aka Ma’am Melds, is an Associate Professor 2 at the Department of Educational Communication, College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Baños. She was a graduate of UPLB in 1992 with a degree in Development Communication, majoring in Educational Communication. She got her master’s in 1998 and finished her doctorate in 2011.

In an interview with Ma’am Melds, she revealed that when she took Devcom she had no idea about the course. And when she got into the program, she realized that it was her calling.

Before she went into the college, she already had her experience in community service in Pinagdanlayan, Dolores, Quezon. At the foot of Mount Banahaw, they trained a community of Pinagdanlayan farmers to become their own community broadcasters. They also taught them to create their own scripts and produce their programs along with the community tower system they’ve installed in the area.

At the time when she was in the college, Ma’am Melds shared that her professors would always encourage them to go outside and immerse in the different communities to experience the field themselves. So, in one of her projects, she went to Pagsanjan to interview the residents about the alleged cases of pedophilia in their community.

According to her, all those experiences serving the people, helped her prepare for her very first job as a Development Communication Research and Extension Personnel.

Ma’am Melds emphasized that her learnings in the class were not enough to prepare her for her current work, rather it only planted the seed in her to realize the kind of job she’s taking in Devcom.

For Ma’am Melds, it’s always the experience outside that helped her flourish as a Development Communicator practitioner.

Ma’am Melds also added that although she’s not working in the field anymore, the perspective of Devcom that she has learned back then, remains in her as an Associate Professor 2 today, “Kahit hindi na ako nag-fi-field, yung perspective na and Devcom ay paglilingkod, hindi nawawala.”

Before the interview got ended, Ma’am Melds reiterated that the course Devcom is a vocation, “Devcom is more than just a bread and butter. It’s more than just your profession. Sabi ko nga, it’s a vocation. It’s a calling. It’s a call to serve.”

Sit down and listen

Writing for this week’s blog gives me remorse for the things that I should have done earlier this college. Even so, I am thrilled to self-reflect and remind myself of what has been lacking in me. Straight off, here are the five pieces of advice that I wish the old Ken used as soon as his first day in UP.

Tenor.

Do not waste time!

Leaving the tasks for later won’t ease your burden rather will just consume you. So, I advise doing the tasks right away to keep up in time and not drown with the requirements. Never be fooled by the long deadlines as they only contribute to your idleness. Moreover, watch out for your tasks because they are only manageable at first until they pile up rapidly.

Tenor.

Organize your thoughts  

A clear mind thinks better. Overthinking your academic responsibilities will just stun you and leave you no progress. So, keep calm and start little by little for a streamlined mind works better than an overloaded one.

Tenor.

Stop Comparing

Understand that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Comparing your works to others will just add pressure on you, and worst, drag your confidence down. You need to be self-aware of your capabilities and focus on your progress. At the end of the day, what matters is that you learn and improve yourself.

Tenor.

Trust the Process  

The hard way is the easy way. There will be times where you will question yourself if sasablay or sasablay. In times like this, you have to trust the process. You are in a pedagogy where the struggle is relative. All you need to do is to take your time and be patient with yourself for you are getting there.  

Tenor.

Eyes on the Prize

Always think of the reward. With our current situation, it’s easy to be burnt out. And so, we need to recalibrate ourselves and find that inspiration to keep on going. It could be a Latin honor, the “Sablay,” or even a relative improvement in one’s skill. The point is motivating ourselves to keep on track and finish what we are doing.

Ito ang lifehack para sa’yo!!

It is so unfortunate for me to hate writing for DevCom is mostly about that. It’s been eight weeks, yet I cannot say that I already got the hang of it. Nevertheless, after giving a lot of thought about it, I’ve realized the things that I should have done, therefore this week’s Buhay DevCom Lifehack Series: Five things to remember in preparing for Devcom activities.

Tenor.

Schedule your day

Since you will be dealing with tons of paper works, you need to budget your time accordingly. The thing with planning is that you are actually tricking and motivating your brain to work even with those you hate to do; consequently, you will be more focused and productive for the day. With regards to this, it is ideal to plan your day the night before. By doing so, you’ll have fewer decisions to make the next morning and an impulse to work with your acads right away.

Tenor.

Do it first thing in the morning

If you want to build a pattern of behavior you have to do it right after you wake up. Working early in the morning gets you to become productive and that will carry your momentum throughout the day. As people say, “An early bird catches the worm.” So, I suggest sleeping early to wake up even earlier. This will help you maximize your time dealing with your DevCom activities.

Tenor

Take note of the criteria

When writing for your DevCom activities, always check the given criteria. This is to align your content on what is asked, and of course, to get a better score. Furthermore, this will help you have a clear and complete output without overdoing or underdoing the activity.

Tenor.

Be concise

When writing for your DevCom activities, the goal is to keep it short and understandable. You may start by writing your main point and then back it up with supporting ideas. This way, you’ll save space and avoid deadwood in your paper.

Tenor.

Revise

If you think your output is good enough to go in just one sitting, then you may want to reconsider. The thing is there will always be an error in your paper, so the need for revision. Reading your work out loud will help you spot some errors and assess the paper’s readability. To improve it further, take a small break to reset your mind so that once you check your paper the next time, you’ll have a new perspective on it.

I am sure that there is no easy way out in college, so build a habit that is healthy for you and for your acads. It is a dream to have zero backlogs, but always remember to take care of yourself. Rest if needed. You are halfway to surviving the semester, so get your messes up and ace your DevCom activities.

The problem is tubig

Residents washing their clothes in a public water hand pump station. Photo credits to Selyn Alonzo (2021).

The development beat is the first to consider in writing a development-oriented story. It is a specialized area in which a development communicator anchors his whole storyline. Mine is about the “Innovative Rainwater Harvesting Systems as a Sustainable Solution to the Insufficient Water Supply in the Province of Masbate.” I chose this beat because it is timely and relevant, also because it follows the criteria of a development-oriented topic.

For a beat to be considered development-oriented, it should be:

At least one of the sustainable development goals

One way of looking if a story is development-oriented is if it is aligned to the SDGs. These goals were made for the betterment and sustainable future of the world which is exactly what development is about. I chose to pursue my topic since it covers the goal for clean water and sanitation, as well as for sustainable cities and communities. With such qualities, it is deemed to be a development-oriented story.  

Anchored in the CDC Values and Guiding Principles (4Es)

Your story can be considered development-oriented if it is lined up to the 4Es—empowerment, equity, entrepreneurship, and environmentalism. Mine is empowering, since it provides the community an awareness about S&T projects that could enhance their living. It also promotes equity as it opts to increase people’s access to safe and clean water especially for the marginalized. Also, it advocates entrepreneurship as this suggests innovative ways of addressing the problem,. Ultimately, applies environmentalism as sustainable solution for the scarce supply of water in Masbate.

A pressing national/societal concern

The insufficient water supply in the Philippines continues to be a national concern. Many remote provinces, like Masbate, are most affected by it. I chose this beat since it is something that can be localized; and a national issue that has a local aspect is a good development-oriented story. Meanwhile, this also suggest a collaboration between multi-stakeholders, conceivable by LGUs, DOST, DENR, and potential NGOs. The point is, there is a collective effort between the government and the community to make the project happen.

Sa Likod ng mga Nagbabagang Balita

I have learned that in the life of a development communicator, it is default that he/she knows how to gather data. In every story they make is the exhaustion of information from observation, retrieval, or interview. Even before my high school years, whenever my teachers would ask me to “gather data”, just hearing those words already sounds tiring to me. Perhaps because it requires so much footwork and effort to do.

Tenor.

Retrieval

Comparing the three, I assume, some would say that retrieval is the easiest. Particularly now that information is just one click away. However, this practice is sometimes overlooked by the majority. Not all information on the worldwide web are facts and reliable especially now that everyone can contribute to the system. With that being said, calls a need for judicious analysis.

Tenor.

Observation

Observation, on the other hand, ranks second for me in terms of difficulty. Probably because this needs full attention when gathering data. With this method, we opt to use all our senses to collect information. It is highly reliable when gathered in an unobtrusive way. However, with participant observation becomes an issue as the observer’s judgment could be personal due to the firsthand experience.

Tenor.

Interview

After doing our exercises, I am convinced that the interview is the hardest. It is not just about the talk itself but the whole process before it happens. Prior, is the search for the interviewee. It is usually hard to find an expert as well as to set a schedule with that person. In my case, it took me a month before I got to talk to my interviewee, same goes with my other colleagues. Apart from that, there is a need to study the subject; I am sure that everyone wouldn’t want to come unprepared in his interview. Interviews with the experts are highly reliable because of the credibility they add up to the story. Meanwhile, responses from the man on the street aren’t that ideal to support serious claims but would be enough when establishing the story.

Buhay pa naman ako

A month in UP is a test of my physiological and psychological well-being. However, it is not like the hearsays on iron experiences, rather one that I can call promising.

Imagine a man trapped in a cave trying to survive in the suffocating darkness. On his way out is a great amount of debris obstructing the passage. Although the situation seems to be impossible, the man never stops digging out for he is hopeful that with persistence, someday, he’ll be out once again.

The outside is a dream, and the man is me. Picture me in the dark at late nights working on my homework in the dining room—suffocating as the works are piling. Yet, here I am, surviving; constantly copping up with my acads.

I survived the first four weeks with these habits, so, perhaps, these might help you as well.

1. Create a to-do list

When you’re a college student, especially in a prestigious university like UP, expect that workloads will come drastically. In such cases, we do not want to feel drowning thus a need for organization. One way is putting them down on a list. This method has helped me have an eagle eye on everything. It also allowed me to pace out the paramount activities in my busy schedule. Additionally, helped me stay focused on the things that I need to work on. Crossing out the list of your activities, I swear, is the best rewarding feeling you’ll ever get in your college life.  

2. It’s okay to take a nap

There is power in power naps. I mean, with our awful situation, we don’t have to push everything too hard. A teacher of mine in high school once told me, “When you’re tired, get rest. When you feel sleepy, then sleep. When you’re hungry, then eat.” There is no shame in taking good care of our well-being. It is okay to take a break from time to time. Our body needs conditioning as our brain requires charging. Besides, if we really want to produce laudable outputs, we have to keep our brains from working—that is best after a nap.

3. Reward yourself

Whenever you accomplish something, great or small, reward yourself. It could be a food, a break for a game, time for Netflix, or even a walk. The point is you reward yourself with something you like. By continuously doing so, you are allowing your brain to have some positive emotions; in return, you become more driven and eager to do more the next time around. Make this a habit to improve your learning process.

The moment I chose UP I know for sure that my life will be on fire: a hellish one. Nevertheless, no matter how tiring a day could be, remember to always take care of yourself. Rest. Eat. Chill. Studying is supposed to be fun. Now, start a healthier habit.