Anew in Baguio

I got my first cup of coffee this morning at Mcdonald's in NAIA Terminal 3. We arrived here before 6 AM with four DA personnel from regions VI and XII. We attended a week-long Communication for Development workshop in Baguio for work. Since Baguio is four hours away from Manila with only a single van to shuttle us, we traveled at midnight to Manila. We are nine hours ahead of our boarding time.

Baguio

I fell in love with Baguio the first time the pines greeted me on October 24th. It seems small and simple, but rich with culture and good-natured people. More than anything, the city helped me cope emotionally. It must have been the cold climate that envelops the city that made everything I carried bearable, then easy to let go.

We toured the Mines View on October 25th. On the 26th, after we toured the Public Market for a community immersion in the morning, we enjoyed walking the long trail of affordable clothing, souvenirs, street foods, and what-have-yous from 9 PM to 1 AM at the Session Road turned Night Market.

C4D

Baguio opened my eyes and heart again to believe in the power of communication for development. Communication is intentional and audience-specific. As development practitioners, we should regard information as powerful enough to transform the world.

The resource speakers highlighted how, as a team, the SAAD Comms Unit tends to produce press releases in full-report form. Our Head, in defense, reiterated our limitations, bound by the structure and expectations of the Program. Our audience, she added, is the policymakers. But since our goal is to contribute to poverty alleviation by empowering Filipino farmers, the speaker argued, our stories should center on the narratives of farmers.

If only all recognize and give 'communication' equal weight from program planning to evaluation, projects and programs, developmental or not, will more likely succeed. We have to work more to inject the DevCom principles into the existing comm plan of SAAD. But for now, the appreciation has been established.

Connection

My time in Baguio allowed me to meet and gain new friends who understand the highs and lows of information officers. Such is new to me: relating with people about how communication is compromised in government agencies yet expected to deliver much here and there.

More than anything, Baguio emboldened me to open up and trust someone again, which is new and almost impossible to execute. It taught me that timing is a blessing, and that seeking connection anew is never impossible. And for that, I thank Baguio for all its lessons and fresh perspectives.

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Drafted October 2022