by Amilyn Vicente
December 5, 2021
Enrolling as a Development Communication (DevCom) student in a high-standard institution is definitely one of my best choices in life. DevCom was really new to me and I honestly did not have any idea about the course. I just woke up one day that I am already a college student, taking up DevCom. But I soon realize, this was not a coincidence. It was just meant to be. I am destined to be a DevCom master. This is my path, this is my success.
For the succeeding academic years, I and my classmates were taught many things. We were diverse but we were united as learners. We were accepted regardless of cultures and beliefs. We were validated and treated equally. One thing that makes me so proud of being a DevCom student is definitely our eagerness to reach our goal: to empower the marginalized.
The marginalized people are those who are placed in the margins of society. They are given an unimportant position.
Unfortunately, one of these marginalized individuals is the Blaan.
In a place where poverty exists, providing for the daily needs of the family is a very big struggle for members of the Blaan, one of the handful of indigenous tribes in Sarangani. No wonder, most of them have decided to move into the city to seek for job opportunities. I work with various indigenous peoples (IP) including the Blaans and I have heard their stories of how hard their lives are, living as IPs. Living in a community with lack of livelihood is very hard for them. Most are already struggling to survive but what makes them suffer the most are people’s discrimination and judgement of people. It is hard to accept that even the educated people are more likely to belittle the Blaan.
As I mingle with Blaan, I see hope in their eyes. These marginalized individuals do not deserve what they are going through. Society is really harsh and that made me think about what I can do to break misconceptions. How can an ordinary Devcom student like me help my fellow Filipino to overcome social struggles? What can I do to empower these marginalized people?
DevCom does not promise to give perfect solutions but it does provide me and my fellow DevCom practitioners the tools to seek answers. The College of Development Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos is the pioneer in the practice and study of Development Communication. My school, New Brighton School of the Philippnes, Inc., (NBSPI) started offering the BS DevCom program since its opening in 2019. As an academic institution, it envisions to become widely pertinent in development communication, contributing to inclusive and sustainable development among Filipino communities and beyond.
NBSPI, as an academic institution hopes to produce students who not just academically-inclined but also manifest leadership and excellence in DevCom. Students like me are encouraged to take up research grounded in local realities of the marginalized communities.
Awareness, knowledge, and action are our greatest assets as DevCom students. We are constantly formulating and implementing ideas on how to empower the marginalized particularly the Blaan community. Since we are communication majors, we have important roles in the disseminating information to communities. Our skills in multimedia writing are useful in bringing awareness and inspiring movements to address current issues in our society.
For example, in General Santos City, home to various ethnolinguistic groups, we hear insulting words that reference the Blaan. Sad but true: society has a poor impression of people once they know that they are Blaan. Those who are not biologically Blaan become an instant Blaan because of these insults. If you walk on the ground barefoot, you are called Blaan. If you speak an unfamiliar language, you are called Blaan. No wonder we have poor economic progress because of this negative attitude that hinders unity among people. Why are people so judgemental?
A photo of Annalie Edday and Monique Kawari together, proud successful Blaans of General Santos City. See actual photo here.
One of the goals of DevCom is to promote DevCom knowledge and technologies towards inclusive growth. Thus, we, the DevCom students are working together to address problematic attitudes and acts that oppress. We want the marginalized empowered. “Unfolding human potential”. This ideal serves as a motivation to mold the minds of the students, create new learnings, and use expertise for the empowerment of communities.
There are big questions that come up in the minds of those who are doubting DevCom, like “What makes DevCom stand out among other communication programs?” or “Is it truly archaic?” Put simply, we are always looking forward to go beyond public information. We do not only propose solutions through articles but we also create awareness that cumulatively results in transformation.
Before I actually enrolled as a DevCom student, I honestly heard words like “Ay, DevCom imong kwaon? Unsa pud imong possible nga trabaho ana after graduation? Unsa ng DevCom?” So many questions which I cannot answer accurately because I was also asking the same questions to myself.
Navarro (2020) suggests that having a DevCom background equates to having a fulfilling career especially abroad. This had already contributed to the growth of numbers of developing countries after producing communication graduates. DevCom students are required to take technical courses in a field of their choice, making them adept in communicating content related to development within the country and overseas. Furthermore, DevCom graduates work mostly in the public and private sectors and civil society organizations either as communication officers, community broadcasters, extension-communication specialists, community organizers, training specialists, and other allied professions. But it doesn’t end that way because it is now already offered in the foreign and developing countries as well which simply means that DevCom must be introduced to the entire world to produced future spokespersons towards global development.
We can also make changes here in our community. DevCom helps to eradicate negative perceptions about the Blaan. Devcom brings hope to poor and marginalized people throughout the developing world through its people-centered development.
DevCom is not just a course for me. It is also a training field to enhance my potentials and productivity to create global changes. Hearing Blaan people, especially my classmates in this course, talking about how proud they are of their ethnolinguistic group inspires me to further my knowledge of how my course can empower peoples of all races. In our institution, we are always reminded of these things. We always have virtual meetings and discussions with other schools to further understand and discover our purpose as DevCom students. We are always taught to creatively utilize our learnings towards communication development. The hands and minds of DevCom practitioners can actually make a lot of things possible if we combine forces.
Screenshot from the Facebook page of NBSPI DC Society showing Some Tips for DevCom Students by Kissha Camille Modio. Visit our page for more inspirational posts and webinars.
DevCom, as defined by Dr. Nora Quebral is “the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of the human potential.” Clearly, we are capable of helping the marginalized in discovering their potentials. It is about listening the cries of the needy, empowering them, and of course, building consensus for collective action.
The Blaan community should NOT be put in the margins. No group deserves marginalization. Our differences as a nation is also our strength. Diversity is needed in promoting a productive economy and society because we get to learn from the richness of our culture and traditions.
Technology makes everything “instant.” We recognize that this is a very good start to spread awareness. The Blaan community is a beautiful community. We want to showcase their wonderful culture through our articles and compositions in this site. We aim to document a portion of the lives of these people to raise awareness of their needs. We want to reveal misconceptions about the Blaan and turn ignorance into fulfillment and understanding. We hope to promote understanding by applying innovations in improving not only their livelihoods, but of course, their worth because they deserve respect and global acceptance. #
References:
College of Development Communication. (n.d.). Who We Are. Mission, Vision, Goals. https://devcom.edu.ph/cdc-story/
Navarro, R. 2020. Columnist Commentary. Is Devcom archaic?. https://opinion.inquirer.net/134989/is-devcom-archaic#ixzz7D4hkx64Z
Griftertm. The UPLB College of Development Communication Student Council did not mince words in slamming Senator Imee Marcos’ (Left) “old-fashioned” remark on development communication as a field of study. 2020. https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/jbd11w/the_uplb_college_of_development_communication/
Espejo, E. 2015. Proud to be Blaan: Two women show the way. https://www.rappler.com/nation/proud-blaan-women
Wikipedia. 2017. University of the Philippines (UPLB) – College of Development Communication (Los Baños, Laguna; 2017-02-16).jpg. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_the_Philippines_(UPLB)_-_College_of_Development_Communication_(Los_Ba%C3%B1os,_Laguna;_2017-02-16).jpg
DevCom Society. Some tips for DevCom students. https://www.facebook.com/DCNBSPI/
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