The College of Development Communication’s (CDC) three undergraduate students won the Best Screenplay for their entry in the 8th Indie-Siyensya Filmmaking Competition Open Category of the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI). They are Dan Alexander Abas, Neil Andrew Tallayo, and Mark Andrei Domingo, who were formally recognized at a ceremony held on 10 December 2024 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Titled “ManLiLykha Sa Lawa,” their entry was their participatory video (PV) documentary output for their DEVC 125 (Writing and Reporting for Development) laboratory class under Asst. Prof. Miguel Victor T. Durian of the Department of Development Journalism (DDJ). It was in line with the theme of the competition, which was “Science and Filipino Culture: Siyensya Sa Kultura, Kultura Sa Siyensya.”
The PV documentary told the human interest story of the handicraft community in Pila, Laguna using water lilies from Laguna Lake as raw materials in weaving their products. It also featured two scientists from the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB), who explained the proliferation of the lilies and its economic, health, and environmental impact. The feature article version of the PV documentary was published on the Los Baños Times website.
The students competed against 34 other groups from all over the country who submitted entries in the Open Category.
The students received a trophy, certificate, and P10,000 cash prize.
Meanwhile, Asst. Prof. Gary Jay S. Montemayor and Dr. Ruby R. Cristobal of the Department of Science Communication (DSC) also attended the event as members of the board of judges of the competition, as well as Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo of the UPLB Institute of Biological Science (IBS), who chaired the board this year.
Last year, the DSC screened films from the 7th Indie-Siyensya as part of CDC’s 25th anniversary celebration.
