Author: Gabriel Jov T. Dolot

“Realization always comes late.”

Jaime E. Lualhati

Mr. Jaime E. Lualhati is a graduate of class 1984 with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Animal Science. Mr. Lualhati is a successful business man in which he likes to stay humble about. He is a loving father of two children, one of which is a freshman in the university and the other is in senior high school. When asked about his experience as an iskolar ng bayan, he describes his stay by telling about how as an Animal Science Major, he would memorize, research and comprehend. It became part of his day to day college life.

I guess from a more mature point of view of mister Lualhati, compared to his old college self, He would encourage his old self to manage his time more and become more independent early on, he would have focused more on those subjects that weren’t too difficult.

“To graduate with honors could have been possible also. Realizations always come late.”

Jaime E. Lualhati

This message is essential for us struggling college students because one day, when we look back at our old selves and think that we’ve come a long way, we always have some minor regrets that we wish we could have done. This is not to scare us but to encourage us to do the best we can and to have fun as much as possible while we’re in the university.

Another thing is that we may falter at times but it’s okay. What’s important is we are able to move on from that and also learn from it. We must not dwell on our regrets and failure and keep in mind that there is a plan for us. We must never give up no matter how much caffeine is in our system or how many sleepless nights you’ve had. Always remember that when you look back from the future, you’ll know that you did your absolute best.

4 months seems like a long time but it went by so fast. It wasn’t easy, though I’m glad I ‘m still breathing. I guess being a Development Communication student or a UP student in general is not supposed to be easy. I slowly got used to looking forward to the end of the week because it meant that I was able to survive another week of pure struggle. But struggle comes with reward, pain comes with happiness, and failures come with lessons. All this pressure has made me a better person. It has given me wisdom to bring with me as I continue my journey in DevCom.

My journey in DevCom has taught me that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was because all my life up to my last days in high school, I was content with what I could do and that led to me thinking that I was good enough, that I no longer needed improvement. I was wrong. DevCom has taught me to come out of my comfort zone. I learned to better exhaust my resources. I was put in a place that pushed me to become a better writer through connections. I learned to connect with people and use those connections as a tool in conveying what I want to impart to the community.

I learned to improvise. Not everything you need you’ll get when it comes to data gathering. Not everything will go your way. Acknowledging road blocks is the first step to conquering them. Data gathering is the most crucial yet challenging part in writing a news story. Imagine writing without having sufficient data. It’s impossible. No matter how hard you try to write clearly and effectively, there will always be lapses when you don’t have the right or sufficient data. I learned this the hard way. Since I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, I thought of choosing a place far from home to conduct my MOS and expert interview. I had a difficult time in gathering data because my time was eaten up by travelling. Plus I couldn’t just go there all the time, I had to plan ahead and room for my schedule. So, I had to persevere. I had to do it even though t was hard. I had to fulfill what was needed to be done. I guess the lesson here is don’t be lazy in gathering your data because it will make or break your article.

I learned to deepen my understanding of my community and explore other communities at the same time. As Development Communication practitioners, it is our duty to help promote community and nation building. This time, I no longer write for myself. This time, I write with the purpose of imparting to the community what they need to know and learning what we need to know about the community in order to foster development. This is why we are taught to use development-oriented topics in our articles. The S.M.A.R.T. objectives should reflect clearly what you want to happen to the community.

Here are the links to my previous and current self ratings:

https://blog6050.home.blog/2019/09/30/writing-is-damn-hard/

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1svKwupbkhoHW9TlIchW_G5BGrCpBfBjX

https://drive.google.com/open?id=10BirLQnJEiX5kZlhdEP8jkdXVItppnH8

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fHRRtDR7c_NDVf39sFtdtK0g_Q6eQ8H2/view?usp=sharing

to know Gloria Therese Eusebio and her experience in the swimming competition in the Southern Tagalog Regional Association of State Universities and Colleges (STRASUC) held in Batangas City and Palawan.

It is imperative that as Development Communication practitioners in training that we learn and foster a deeper understanding of what development is. That’s why in DevCom we are taught to write under the umbrella of development-oriented topics. Development-oriented topics are needed in this field because it is communication for development but what exactly are developmental topics?

SDG Oriented

Development-oriented topics are also Sustainable Development Goals oriented. The Sustainable Development Goals are a summary of long term goals our government wants to attain in a certain amount of time. These goals help a address the most timely and relevant developmental issues in the community. A Development-oriented topic most likely should support the 17 goals under the Sustainable Development Goals.

4E + 2E Oriented

The 4E’S of DevCom: Entrepreneurship, Environmentalism, Equity, Empowerment plus the 2E’s; Ethics and Education are DevCom’s core values in which should be manifested in the development-oriented topic chosen. Development-oriented topics should promote self sustainability among its readers, involve environment-friendly advocacy, advocate for inclusiveness, help realize potentials, practice and apply ethical standards, and help people make informed decisions through education.

Purposeful

Development communication is communication with a purpose therefore development -oriented topics should fulfill that purpose which is not just to inform but to assess and help the audience to make informed decisions and take action. Development-oriented topics involve the participation of both the stakeholders and the source.

It’s that time of the year again where thousands upon thousands of UP hopefuls vie for the chance of getting into one of the top universities in the country.

The University of the Philippines College Admission Test is one of the country’s most sought after exams since not only is UP one of the countries top universities, it is also the recipient of the free tertiary education law which means that as a state university, 100% of the tuition fees will be shouldered by the government. This became a huge factor in increasing the number of UPCAT takers. According to the UP Media and Public Relations Office 140, 593 applied for UPCAT 2019 and only 101,134 were eligible. And out of the eligible applicants 90,408 took the exam yet only 13 percent or 11,821 actually qualified.

It’s not easy to get in to the university especially when you have thousands of students to compete with for a slot but the sheer number of test takers is just a small hill compared to the mountain one has to face to prepare for the actual exam.

Students such as Patricia Dela Pena for Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba have experienced this; ” Ang dami pong kasabay na deadlines, home works, PTs, exams, kahit po exams kasabay kaya po medyo na-limit yung time for review para po sa UPCAT na ‘to.”

Another student from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Rae Ocampo said, “Yung iba kasi hindi nakapag-Brain Train (review center) kaya wala po masyadong narereview.”

The amount of items to review for this exam is probably one of the major hurdles in preparing for this exam according to James Nicholas Valdez also for Letran, “‘Di ko alam kung saan ako mag-uumpisa mag-review kasi ‘di ‘ba sa dami ng sakop ng exam ‘di mo alam kung ano yung lalabas.”

Aside from the free tuition and “top school” status of UP, one of the reasons why they want to get into UP is the quality of education namely; honor and excellence. According to Patricia Dela Pena, ” I believe kasi honor and excellence does not only stand for academics dito din papasok yung capacity natin and openness or willingness to serve the country hindi lang bilang iskolar ng bayan as a title dahil nga mataas yung scores mo sa academics pero part of that is being able to be a responsible citizen tapos ma-embody yung pinaka-embodiment ng pagiging Filipino youth.”

PHOTOS:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11xpKGPZByBLkTjs3wWbbBMIKdfygU49T/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVydCZZ-5lM0PGP6NzPMmMirv9pVc8hG/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19s92mQb-zSgtx-7PX5VuWjj97La2obxw/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YlTVMRYAxY-aY4cbWKPFdhz2ck4xUR2n/view?usp=sharing

Step 1: Partake of the slides religiously

Make sure to download all the slides or atleast have access to every single one. You can print, download, or even rewrite it if you have the time. Eat, breath, and live the slides. Familiarize yourself with ebery concept or even every word based from my experience.

Step 2:Turn your brain from a 4 gb flasdrive to a 64 gb one.

With all the information feom hundreds of slide you’ll need all the brain power you have. Prepate yourself and your brain because it will be mentally exhausting. Memorization is a huge part in the reviewing process because the rest of the exam is objective and will mostlikely contain the exact words in the slides. Alot a significant amount of time for reviewing because cramming won’t work. Also, take short breaks while interviewing because it will help in realeasing tension from your brain to let it recieve to further maximize you retaining capability.

Step 3: Make your own test to apply ehat you have reviewed.

It’s okay to ask for help from upperclassmen aboutwhat type of exam this certain professor is likely to make. That’s where you’ll revise your learning plan in order to fit the type of exam you are expecting from that professor. Creating oractice tests will further enhance your answering capabilty and the speed of your conprehension and writing will help you because exams like these always have time pressure.

Step 4: Rest.

It’s a culture for students to do all nighters or tire themselves to study all the lessons in one night. But this should not be the case because having not enough rest will actaully lessen your brains caoaictu to retain and be open to more information. Pace yourself when reviewing and having proper rest is betyer than being tired and not having the motivation to actually work.

Step 5: Take the exam and do your best.

Knowing that you have studied and are actually ready for the exam gives you a sense of security and confidence in answering the exam. Don’t stress beacuse you worked hard for this exam and dont doubt yourself. Always think positively and have a mindset that you can do it.