The UPLB College of Development Communication mourns the passing of one of its pillars, Dr. Felix Librero on March 16, 2021. He was 77.
Sir Lex, as he was fondly called, was a pioneer in the field of development broadcasting and development communication. He was one of the first broadcasting staff members of Radyo DZLB, the country’s first educational and development-oriented radio station, and became its station supervisor in 1968 and manager in 1975.
Radyo DZLB, one of the milestones of the Department of Agricultural Information and Communications of the College of Agriculture in the 1960s, primarily aimed to broadcast research-based farm information and serve as a laboratory for agricultural communication students. The station later on won a KBP Golden Dove Award for Best AM Station in 1994 and a Catholic Mass Media Award for Best Educational Radio Program in 2010.
Dr. Librero worked with other pioneers in development communication such as Dr. Nora C. Quebral and helped establish the world’s first Department of Development Communication (DDC) in 1974. He became chair of DDC in the 1980s, and then served as the first director of the Institute of Development Communication in 1987, which is now the College of Development Communication.
As a pioneer in the field of development communication, Dr. Librero contributed much to the body of knowledge in development broadcasting and educational communication. He graduated with a BS degree in Agriculture, major in Agricultural Communications, and an MS degree in Development Communication from UPLB, and a PhD degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, USA.
He taught and conducted research and extension projects at UPLB from the 1960s to the early 2000s when he became the Chancellor of the UP Open University.
His legacy remains alive at CDC and UPLB. As we now rehabilitate the DZLB AM radio tower, his teachings and expertise in development broadcasting resonate, in carefully identifying target stakeholders before developing radio programs, in serving as a voice of the audiences, and a visionary in helping audiences to help themselves.
From the UPLB College of Development Communication, our deepest gratitude, Dr. Librero!
