Author: Mark Mercene

BUHAY DEVCOM lIFE HACK SERIES #2: Surviving Devcom Exams

Part of our life as college students is to take exams. The main question is how do we really survive from the devcom exams.

Listen

Listening to your professors during lectures and asking for consultations if you don’t get the topic will surely help you to absorb all the information and be ready for the examination.

Shortcut

The only shortcut to make preparation easy for the examination is to make a reviewer. You can make multiple colors and different techniques that will help to memorize the important terms and understand the flow of your lessons.

Friends

Your friends and classmates can help you a lot. You can invite them to conduct a group study or help you to review the lessons by conducting a mini quiz contest.

Mock Exam

You only have one chance to feel and see the exam. Unless you make your own exam. This will help you in training yourself and adjusting your study habits regarding the analysis of your strengths and weakness during your own mock exam.

Rest

Your brain will not function without rest. It’s better for you to take a rest and prepare your body before you face your examinations.

By Dane Christian Morena, Eunice Dianne Algar, and Mark Vincent Mercene

On the night of September 19, people filled the General Paciano Rizal Park to witness this year’s Bailamos Dance Contest: Make Your Move, one of the features in the week-long annual celebration of the 18^th Bañamos Festival.

10 teams qualified to compete for the championship title, namely: King of Buck, South Style Flava, Hybrid Buck, Next Attraction, Squammies, Street Kings, NGDC Vengeance, Nazty Boys, G7, and Scammaz.

The participants were judged by Jayson Lagrada, a municipal youth development officer; Jocelyn Ann Luna, an adviser of UPLB Street Jazz Dance Company, and Pinch Araneta based on the criteria of overall choreography, synchronization, originality, and audience impact.

Three teams dominated the dance floor and owned the major awards of the competition. Nazty Boys came second and received a cash prize of Php 10,000.00; Scammaz placed first and obtained Php 15,000.00 in cash and was also hailed as dancer of the year. Topping all of them, is G7 who went home with the championship and a reward of Php 20,000.00.

Lemuel Millena, a member of G7, said that unity and faith to the Lord paved way for their award-winning performance.

“Ang Bailamos ay for modern na sayaw for group of friends, mga magkaka mag-anak, magka-klase, na nagsasama, nagbuo para magkaisa na magbigay ng entertainment sa people of Los Baños to celebrate Bañamos 2019”, said Jonathan Natividad, the officer-in-charge of Los Baños Tourism, emphasizing the objective of the program.

The name of the event, Bailamos, is a Spanish word which means “let’s dance”.

(LB Times Version of this Article: https://bit.ly/2LrK08G)

BUHAY DEVCOM: “Development-Oriented” unpacked

The first challenge that a development communication student will face is to identify what is really a development-oriented topic. This is very important because all of the projects of a devcom student should portray and empower development. In order to this, there are some characteristics that we need to consider.

What is a development-oriented topic?

Talks about the definition of Nora Quebral

Sly, Batch 2014

Centered on communities’ needs

Bjanca, Batch 2018

By the people and for the people

Rizza, Batch 2018

Symbolizes the 4 Es of Devcom – Empowerment, Environmentalism, Entrepreneurship and Equity

Rose, Batch 2018

BUHAY DEVCOM: Lessons from the First Month in Uni

Living here in UP Los Banos is really different and spectacular at the same time. There will be challenges that you might face along the way but there are also great learnings that you will gain.

Honor BEFORE Excellence

There will be times that you will face difficulty in your examinations and projects but always remember to prioritize first HONOR before EXCELLENCE. Don’t Cheat! There is no shortcut to success.

Serve the People

There are some people that will say we owe something from the Government because they are the one who subsidizes our study here in UPLB. The truth is we don’t owe this from the Government but for the people who need us and we need to serve.

Join Orgs!

They say joining orgs is harmful to your academics. At some point this is true if the organization is toxic in a way that they romanticize kupal culture. But there are a lot of good and healthy orgs that you can join in the university. Just find the right one that fits your interest and passion. Orgs can help you a lot to improve your skills and expand your horizons.

Acads BAGO Landi

You will meet a lot of good looking students here in UPLB. Most of them are approachable. It is okay to have fun and explore your identity in College. Just remember your limitations and remember your priorities.

Rest twoime!

Being a college student is really hard. There are a lot of requirements to finish and exams to pass. But always remember to take a rest. Your mind will not work if your body is not stable enough.

The life of a development communicator is not as easy as you say. But there are essential things that can help you to survive from the challenges that you might face throughout your journey.

Phone

Whatever brand it is, a phone is necessary and very useful for all the activities that you will face in devcom. It can be a tool for communication, recording, research or even for note-taking. These are the things that you will face throughout your journey at the College of Development Communication.

Laptop

Need to finish your exercises and articles on time? A laptop is the best gadget to help you out. There are a lot of computers in UPLB that are free to use but if you want efficiency, the laptop is a good investment.

PowerBank

Fieldwork. Fieldwork. Fieldwork. There will be a lot of times in your stay here in CDC that you will go to different that has no outlets. This is the reason why you need a power bank that will give you extra energy in case of an emergency. You don’t want your phone to die in the middle of recordings, right?

Journal

Important things to remember? A journal will greatly help you to take note of every important detail you gather along the way.

Tumbler

Stay hydrated. There will be a lot of fieldwork that you will face here in Devcom. A tumbler to store water will be helpful to keep you alive.

Together with Eunice and Christian, Team Polaris explored Barangay Anos to find the necessary contact information that we need to build strong communication with them in addressing their concerns with the College of Development Communication.

What method of data gathering did the group employ/use the most? Why?

The group utilized most the interview method. They interviewed the staff from the municipal and barangay offices and used their available documented data containing the basic information of the assigned barangays.

Polaris Team

Based on what you learned from this activity, give at least three (3) tips on data gathering that you can share with the next batch of BSDC freshmen.

1. Be patient and polite always.
2. Always be prepared: bring your ID, a formal letter for requesting data if necessary, and some conversation skills.
3. Don’t be scared to ask people for directions and tips. The older Devcom students and jeepney drivers can help you a lot.
4. Create a contingency plan. It will help you a lot if your first plan will fail.

In order for media writers to create outputs that will fulfill their purpose in informing their purpose, they had to have the right qualities and skills. As I explored my potentials as a development communicator, here is my self-assessment of my current qualities and skills:

• Curious/Inquisitive – 1
• Intelligent – 2
• Industrious – 2
• Resourceful – 1
• Persevering – 1
• Imaginative – 1
• Puts a premium on accuracy and truth – 1
• Loves to read – 2
• Interested in and loves people – 1
• Service-oriented – 1

Among the qualities listed, the quality that I think I need to work on the most is loving reading. As a development communicator who writes news and communicates to the people, I see that it is necessary to be knowledgeable enough to the current events and we can only get this through reading. Also, this quality can help us to improve our vocabulary and even the language we use.

What keeps me from getting the 1.00 self-rating is my low confidence with my skills. There are also times that my laziness is keeping me from maximizing my potentials. I’m also scared of what other people might say with my outputs.

Skills

• Gathering data – 1
• Validating and clarifying information – 1
• Organizing information – 1
• Writing clearly and effectively – 2
• Proficiency in the operation of communication tools/devices – 2

Among the skills listed, the skill I have developed the highest competency is the skill of gathering data. My extroverted personality helps me a lot to get along with other people and makes the atmosphere more comfortable for both parties. My debate skills also help me communicate my concerns to the organizations in a professional way.

Among the skills listed, the quality that I think I need to work on the most is the operation of communication tools/devices because of the lack of resources and education for these kinds of platform. I believe it is an advantage for every development communicator to be proficient in these tools/devices because it will be easier for the production of media outputs that are part of this field.

            From the rice granary and fruit basket of South Tagalog, Oriental Mindoro, Mark Vincent R. Mercene chose to shift from BS Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship to BS Development Communication. Unlike other shifters, his first-degree program is really his forte but when he found out that his bigger purpose is to help the people using his communication skills, he decided to change the path. Even if he still has insecurities with his communication skills, Mark is confident that he can turn his weaknesses into his strengths.

            Besides being a student, Mark is also a debater of The Parliament: UPLB Debate Society. He loves to read books and articles about economics, business ethics, social movements and international politics that made him be more interested in doing something for the development of our society. Hearing the different perspectives of the people in debate rooms is one of the tipping points of his choice to be part of the narratives of the people in the different parts of our society as he dwells in the field of development communication.

            As an advocate for the development and protection of the Mangyan community, he is eager to learn the communication theories and principles that will help him to know more about the things he can do for the community. Moreover, he is also looking forward to understand how to bridge the knowledge to the people through development communication in different forms of development journalism, community broadcasting, education communication, and science communication. Whatever happens and wherever this journey will take him, he knows that he will be happy and satisfied for he already started to break the glass ceiling of his identity and found his bigger purpose.