Category: Week 03

“Knowledge would bring us to places”

“Not only knowledge can bring us to places, but also our hunger for it”

August 3, 2019. I started my journey as a Development Communication student in University of the Philippines- Los Baños bearing in mind the path I have chosen will be difficult. A labyrinth that may be confusing, where I knew I would be lost half way through. On the other hand, being lost means finding new ways, and having confusing paths may also mean numerous opportunities. So I grabbed the challenge.

August 30, 2019. I felt the same vibes when I started stepping foot on my journey. It is exactly what I expected, I knew being a development communicator would allow me to explore communities, to do field works, to explore and get out of the box. Together with my groupmates Uan and Cyber, we were tasked to gather information at Brgy. Bayog, Los Baños as part of creating a community directory of each barangay in Los Baños. It was challenging since it’s the first time I would do field work in a place which I didn’t even knew about. After minutes of riding a tricycle, paying 10 pesos each; the group “The Paradigm” finally arrives at its destination, Brgy. Bayog, Los Baños. We then gathered the needed information for the activity in which we learnt three things that may be useful for future researchers or the next batch of Development Communication students. (Hi! Devcom peeps Batch 2020, remember there’s a purpose why you were here!)

Here are three things/tips we can share to future devcom peeps;

1. Remember 3P’s (Polite, Patience, Perseverance). We just invented that 3P’s (wala maganda lang kung uniform tingnan na P lahat, kesa naman abbr. na mahihirapan pa kayo mag-isip)
2. If possible, always bring a letter of request or do the gathering in the formal way. (Lalo na sa Barangay Bayog, hinanapan kami ng letter, di kami prepared kaya nagpakumbaba na lang kami at humingi ng pasensya)
3. Bear in mind that not all needed information can be provided by only one source. (Yes po, di po siya parang isang meal sa fast food na may drinks, fries at chicken na sa isang order-an. Ang impormasyon po ay hindi lang limited sa Barangay Bayog o sa mga barangay, pwede po tayong kumuha ng additional infos sa mismong munisipyo ng Los Baños and use your friends/connections/networks.)

P.S. “You don’t read it by accident, just wanted you to know that you can do it because you are precious”

Before I accept the admission slip here in UPLB, I researched first what it means to be a Development Communicator. I was not mistaken for thinking that I would have to make a lot of adjustments. This field revolves around the people – who they are, how they are, and what they do. It would be better if I would then start reconstructing my personality to adapt to my current situation.

I am now feeling the weight of being one. In contrast to my personality, I have to approach people to get information from them. It is how Devcom students learn and study by the way. It is the process of making us establish ourselves by getting linked with different people.

The first activity I have encountered is gathering data from a barangay. I partnered with two different people whom I just met the actual day of the interview. However, we did not find any difficulty in accomplishing the task though we are not acquainted with each other. The activity made us connected and initiated the friendship.

We are not familiar with Barangay Maahas. We strategize by asking the guards in UPLB gate. They suggested riding a tricycle that will direct us to the exact location of the barangay. It was not hard to get along with the people since they are all accommodating. They asked right away what we needed and gave us all the information. The barangay secretary was the one who assisted us most in collecting data. She let us conduct an interview and helped us gather the following information: the barangay officials, contact persons, as well as the different programs and projects of the said barangay.

I have learned from this activity the following that could help other students in gathering data.

Do background research. Since different media platforms are widely available, it could help you locate the place you are about to go. To add, it will provide you some information you may need when you go to that place.

Don’t forget the essential tools. It is necessary to always have the survival kit of a Devcom student. Always think of unexpected events that you may feature. In this case, you have to bring an audio recorder, pen, and paper, a phone for pictures, etc. From this activity, we don’t have any pictures of the interview. Always remember that these are important for the documentation of any event or task made.

Be patient in gathering and clarifying information. Since it is your job to collect needed sources, you have to be willing to adjust with whatever the interviewee will ask you. For example, the contact person asks you a letter of request for the conduct of an interview, then, it is your responsibility to provide them such. Try to approach them nicely. Never force the interviewee to give you a copy of a document. Try to ask appropriately but do not force.

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Million pieces of information

That’s what DEVCOM students will be going to deal with

So, we are tasked to gather some of those

And the WAR begins

As part of Development Communication students, we are expected to develop our competence in gathering data. When we are tasked to gather information in Municipal Hall, our group “MunisiPioneers” was challenged, owing to that information under government are undeniably confidential.  

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Gathering data is our mission

Various obstacles are the enemies

Bullets of time struggle, traffic and lack of source

Shot us consecutively

We encountered several struggles. First is that we in the group are not yet acquainted. We probably feel ashamed of each other. Second, time struggling. We have a different schedule and so, it’s difficult to make our visible free time to work on this task. Third, the endless traffic in junctions. It’s, unfortunately, time-consuming. As we commute from UPLB campus to Municipal Hall of Los Banos, we are running out of time. Fourth, the confidentiality of Municipal Hall’s general information. We are not allowed to route and get information around the second floor and third-floor offices unless the Mayor’s office permitted us. Fifth, the lack of sources. We tried to get information on the bulletin boards and municipal website but some information is only provided. Lastly, the different cultures and moods of the staff in each office. Some are accommodating, some are not which is understandable knowing that we disturbed their certain works on some point. 

But we soldiers remain standing with a flag in our hand

The Flag of Development Communication

Observation, search and interviews are our weapons

A formal letter is our shield

Effective Communication is our nuclear bomb

And used all of it in combat

Working systematically is a must in gathering data under the government sector. We inquire and gave a request letter to the Mayor’s office for us to have permission to route and gather data in each of the offices. Next, we inquire to the Public Information Office which gave us an extra task to gather information on the first floor offices which is an advantage to us, for us to accommodate by other offices. We administered a personal interview in the staff through performing effective communication which gave us more credible and reliable information. We need to set our minds that not everyone will accommodate us the way we want to. We need to work professionally. We should respect all the people we encountered and adjust to their personalities. While the rest of the data, we try to be resourceful and search for other sources.

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Attack! Loud explosion are unveil

Silence for a moment and enemies raise their white flags

And so, Mission is accomplished

War ends with a flag in our hands.

Gathering data a vital part of our lives. Challenges are always present but what matters are we have no room for surrendering. We tried all practical ways and used it as our weapons to overcome those. We need to be efficient because not all primary sources are always available. We should resourceful and always prepare a letter for formality. So, for the next CDC freshman, all of you should learn from our experiences. We recommend that you should always be pleasant, good-nature and professional especially if you’re going to choose an interview as a method of gathering data. Thus, in the end of the day, we will have the same outcome. We will shout: “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”

Who would have thought that gathering data would be that fun?

I am grouped with Alex and Diego, and with the combination of our name initials, we came up with “MAD”. We were assigned in Brgy. Timugan but we wanted a bonus so we also aimed for Brgy. Bagong Silang.

On September 30, 11:00 am, we went straight to Brgy. Timugan office and ask the needed information personally. By communicating in person, we got the right information faster and we were able to establish a connection with the barangay officer which we can use for future assistance. It’s fun because the person who accomodated us was welcoming and kind, he didn’t  asked for a letter and even called the person-in-charge of barangay level units to make sure that the data given to us are accurate.

But what if your your plan like ours in the bonus part didn’t work out?

We really didn’t hike to Brgy. Bagong Silang because of the bad weather but I have a friend who happened to be the SK chairman of the said barangay and so we asked him if he could give us the information we needed. It’s our last option since the hike will be very dangerous.

Here are the tips I could give, given the experiences and realizations I had :

1. Be polite and always smile. You’re the one asking for something so make yourself reliable. It’s a great way to establish a connection when asking for information. It will lessen the awkwardness and people might be more approachable. Smiling really gives a lot of good karma. 
2. Establish your credibility. Introduce yourself and tell the purpose of your presence because there are officers who ask for letters or more background before giving the needed information.
3. Have back-up plans / be prepared. You never know what’s going to happen in the midst of gathering data or even before and/or after gathering data. Weather, nowadays are unpredictable and so do peoples’ minds. One second, the weather’s good, another second it’s raining hard. Some officers or persons-in-charge are not that approachable and they tend to ask for letters so better be prepared. Don’t forget to bring an a umbrella!

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Make sure that when going to a war, you’re with your armours and coats.

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Working with a group is never easy, especially if you are not acquainted with the people in it for a long time. But isn’t that what makes the task more interesting? You don’t just discover things of your intention but you also get to see sides of people you thought only existed in stories. Sides of people that you thought was too good to be true. Sides that you thought that’s so bad it just renders you speechless, maybe even leave a tinge of hatred?

As I worked on a task with my group, which we proudly named “Candy Girls”, what did I get to see and learn?

At first we were in a state of confusion. Our task was to gather information at Brgy. Mayondon, a place we don’t know and with the time we don’t have. When we got the chance to compose ourselves to plan what we should do, we went on our way. Along the way, we decided to get acquainted with one another. We asked questions and discovered things about each other that made us more comfortable working together. It was something that I think is significant because it would be easier to maneuver tasks with people you know you have connection with. Communication and comprehension are must haves of group works. This will make the task easier and working with the group bearable.

Of course, we must not forget why we were there at the first place. As we have arrived at the Brgy. Hall of Mayondon, we immediately searched for a person we can ask for directions. The officials at the Barangay were very accommodating and kind. They worked hand-in-hand to share with us the information that we needed.

Throughout the whole experience, I can sum up 3 tips on how the next batch of freshmen would be able to get the information they need and work in a group with ease.

1. Be respectful to everyone
   Might it be the lowest positioning employee or the highest, always be courteous. Not only because it’s a standard but because it can also be leverage for you to get familiar with everyone and maybe manage to get tips/advice that would get you what you want. Also, always start by introducing yourself then your intentions, people would’t want to be sharing information to strangers.
2. Bring the essentials
   As DevComm practitioners, you need to know what to always have in hand. Cellphones, paper and pen are some of the things you should always have with you. Also, some offices would require you to have letters from school to verify your intentions so be familiar with offices of such.
3. Be clear with what you are there for
   Some of the people, especially government employees, don’t have the extra time to entertain everyone. So when you get to your location and find the person you need for your task, be concise and clear with what you are there for. State what you need and why you need them so they can work on getting them for you quickly. This will not just save their time, but also yours.

As Development Communication students, it will always be expected that what comes along our profession is the need for observation, document search and interviews — and yes, lots of it. And so, as the Bonakid team search for answers to complete the community directory of Brgy. Bambang, Los Baños, Laguna through interview, we are able to perceive three tips for you in handling your own info search.

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First, be ready with your weapons, simply, know where you are going, when, who are you looking for and why are you looking for that certain person. It is very important that you know what you want to know so there will be no effort, money and time wasted. As a media writer every second matters, you must work fast but efficient.

Next is to respect everyone you’ll encounter. Certain situations call for longer patience, deeper understanding and unlimited determination. Not every time, you’ll get pampered and treated the way you wanted to get treated, and so it must be your responsibility to know how to adjust. You must be able to handle different personalities and work professionally every time. This mindset will help you catch the attention and trust of whoever you are dealing with.

Remember: Trust when broken, cannot be easily gained again. It will always be earned. So, learn to earn their trust through respect.

Lastly, know how to find ways. Ways in what? Ways to develop what you realized was bad at first experience, ways to improve skills that you think you lack of. Ways in knowing information despite schedule, activities, circumstances hindrances. Find ways when things don’t go the way you wanted it to be. Jump through logs, swim those rivers, climb that wall. Do everything you can and never give up. There will always be another way around, you just have to widen your perspective and see where it is.

And I believe that with the help of these tips, document search, interviews or any social related activities will be easier. There’s no battle you can’t win if you came prepared and ready.

Going to different places and gathering information is never new to me. Being a Humanities and Social Sciences student in Senior High School made me work the extra mile for information and documentation. During these kinds of activities, you can encounter different kinds of people – with different character and different culture. However, it all boils down on how do we execute these kinds of tasks.

Being able to work with your groupmates is a must. No proper communication with your groupmates leads to a conflict with your execution. Adjust yourself in the right manner and learn to deal with as many people as you can. Afterall, as development communicators in the making, we must uphold that communication will be our lifelong tool to pursue our aspirations for the society.

Not all of us are blessed with easy going respondents. Some of them are strict – requires letter, a lot of explanation and a lot of patience. But some of them are super nice – very accommodating, attends to guests very well and leaves a good impression. Although they are very different, as interviewers we must always learn to be grateful for, we are the one who needs something from them and not the other way around.

During the task, the method of data gathering our group used the most is the interview method because we want to immerse ourselves and know the place better by asking the right persons/authorities. Most of our data were gathered through asking for information and we could not have done it without proper interview etiquette and skills.

If we were given a chance to give three (3) tips that we can share with the next batch of BSDC Freshmen it would be these things:

• Just Relax – Panicking and stressing yourself out would not do you any good. Being relaxed is equivalent to showing others that you know what you are doing. Just breathe and remember the reason why you chose Development Communication and how can we be an influence for others.

• Be Confident – Having a lot of confidence is a plus in DevCom. Being confident enough can help you in a lot of activities. We will be future development communicators and we should uphold our duties as early as we can.

• Stand for truth – Always remember to only share and inform facts/information that are true and correct. We should see to it that we aim for excellence and remember that all of our actions would fall back to what DevCom has taught us.

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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.