The Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication of the College of Development Communication (DDBT-CDC) co-led an international conference on community radios with AMARC Asia-Pacific held at the Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand from September 27 to 30.
AMARC Asia-Pacific is an international organization of community broadcasters in the region that aims to amplify the voices of marginalized sectors through community media, an ethos likewise upheld by DDBT.
DDBT academic personnel gave paper presentations on their experiences in community broadcasting. These were Ryan Jay I. Galang who talked about “Transcending Community Broadcasting in the Philippines: The Radyo DZLB experience;” Guien Eidrefson P. Garma, Ma. Teresita B. Osalla, and Marifi T. Magsino, “Engendering community programs: A historical account of Radyo DZLB as a pioneer in Philippine broadcasting;” and Dr. Maria Stella C. Tirol and Juvy Leonarda N. Gopela on “Community Participation in Radio Infomercial Development for Disaster Preparedness in a Landslide-Prone Community in Northern Philippines.”
With the theme “Strengthening Against Emerging Challenges and Embracing Opportunities,” the quadrennial event served as a venue for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and sharing of good practices among community broadcasters.
More than a hundred participants from countries in the Pacific, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia attended the conference to share their experiences, initiatives, and recommendations in using radio as a medium for emergency risk communication in a VUCAD world. VUCAD refers to the leadership concepts of vision, unity, clarity, alignment, and digital.
DDBT manages and operates Radyo DZLB Ang Tinig ng Kaunlaran (The Voice of Development), UPLB’s community radio station and a pioneer in community broadcasting in the Philippines.
In October 2022, DDBT also hosted a community broadcasting conference panel during the 100 Years of Broadcasting in the Philippines Conference organized by the UP Department of Broadcast Community at the UP College of Mass Communication. (Ryan Jay I. Galang)
This article was originally published on the UPLB website.
