paghahabi aijc e-newsletter

Out-of-School Youths Produce Digital Content on Health

Health protocols in treating tuberculosis; preventing dengue epidemic; preventing parasitism – these are a few of the topics of the interactive multimedia materials (in CD-ROM) produced by 14 out-of-school youths and five barangay (village) health workers from Barangay Payatas, Quezon City.

Held on March 05-30, 2007, the training program enabled the participants to produce information tools on priority health concerns of the community while at the same time learn the basics of computing. Some of the comments of the participants are:

“In today’s high tech world, it is important to be computer literate. It makes work faster and more exciting.”
“Computers enable us to research, communicate with people in distant places, and disseminate information.”
“The course taught me how to immediately access health information.”
“Now we can address community problems on communicable diseases
using information from the Internet.”

Barangay Payatas is the most densely populated urban poor village in the country with over 200,000 inhabitants. About 80 percent of the residents are informal settlers from all over the country who eke out a living as scavengers, scrap dealers, hawkers, vendors and laborers. The village is near the Payatas dumpsite, a 15-hectare open pit, the biggest and oldest operating open dumpsite in Metro Manila.

The e-Knowledge Public Domain (eKPD) Project seeks to promote greater access to public domain information particularly on priority development areas such as health, small business, basic education, and environment, among others. The pilot project started in late 2006 and prioritizes public health including emergency and disaster management.

The eKPD Project has two components. The first involves the development of a predominantly text-based website. Information is sourced from public domain and open content/source information. The second component involves the development of interactive multimedia materials with community participation.

A unique feature of the project is its being community-based where people help identify development issues and concerns in their locality which need information, education and communication (IEC) interventions. Selected community members are given ICT literacy training not only on the use of computers but content development as well.

“Content development is usually the missing element in ICT Programs which tend to focus on equipment acquisition and skills training” says Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid, Chairperson of the UNESCO National Commission Communication Committee as she explains the project’s focus. Even the 2003 and 2005 World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) emphasized the need to address the “content gap” in ICT programs.

To prepare their interactive materials, the OSYs and barangay health workers conducted a rapid community appraisal of the health situation in the area. They also documented actual health cases and gathered latest village health statistics from the community health center. They interviewed local health officials, parents and other community members.

According to Ms. Liza Azarcon of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, the CDs produced will be reviewed and enhanced and can be eventually used as stand-alone IEC materials in the community. “The materials will have greater impact on the Payatas residents as they use local context and color,” added Azarcon. Parts of the CD materials (both text and visuals) will be integrated in the e-Knowledge Public Domain website and professionally-produced CD materials.

Earlier, the project also developed a Digital Content Development Framework which aims to set parameters in preparing digital materials on diverse development areas. According to Dr. Braid, the Framework subscribes to the “constructivist” approach which provides that we learn through a continuing process of constructing, interpreting, and modifying our representations of reality based on our own experiences.

The CD materials to be produced by the project will be shared with about 100 community e-centers (also called tele-centres in other countries) established by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) in various poor municipalities nationwide. Several NGOs have also established their own community e-centers.

The Project is also being pilot tested in Eastern Visayas through the Regional Electronic Access to Communication for Health (REACH-EV), an electronic databank on health emergency management information in Eastern Visayas. It is a “one-stop shop” that provides basic data services such as web browsing, e-mail and SMS, and serves as a databank on hazards and disasters in the region. It will facilitate electronic exchange among the eight provinces and the different municipalities in the region. REACH-EV is also envisioned to be a library for information materials on various formats on health emergencies and disasters and will also serve as venue for ICT learning for health workers and community members.

The eKPD Project is co-managed by the CICT, Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and Intel Microelectronics. The project managers believe that they have developed a model using ICT for development that emphasizes content as the most critical element   They also hope that the pilot projects can be scaled up in other depressed communities in the near future.

Health Emergency and Disaster Communication

Information is the most crucial element in risk and disaster situations.

This is the important lesson health officials learned when landslide buried Barangay Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte in the Philippijnes in February 2006. Access to information would allow individuals and an entire community to make the best possible decisions about their well-being within the soonest possible time and advance a behaviour or action that would allow for a rapid recovery from the situation.

Department of Health (DOH) officials in Eastern Visayas noted that it took them days after the disastrous landslide before they were able to link and coordinate with the “outside world” for updating and mobilizing needed support. It was one of the worst disasters that killed more than a thousand residents, mostly women and children. A German NGO, GTZ, provided the only Internet link in the disaster site. Government agencies and NGOs using the facility had to cue to send their reports to Manila and other designations.

This slow pace in sending and exchanging risk, emergency and disaster information on health in Eastern Visayas may now be a thing of the past. The DOH Eastern Visayas Regional Office inaugurated on March 26, 2007 its Regional Electronic Access to Communication for Health in Eastern Visayas (REACH-EV).

The Center was set up with a US$50,000.00 grant from the UNESCO Emergency Assistance Program. UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura announced the grant during his visit to the Philippines in May 2006.

According to DOH Regional Director Dr. Benita N. Pastor, REACH-EV will serve as electronic databank on health emergency management information in Eastern Visayas. It is a “one-stop shop” that provides basic data services such as web browsing, e-mail and SMS, and serves as a databank on hazards and disasters in the region. It will facilitate electronic exchange among the eight provinces and the different municipalities in the region. REACH-EV is also envisioned to be a library for information materials on various formats on health emergencies and disasters. The 80 sq.m center will also serve as venue for ICT learning for health workers and community members. Dr. Pastor said that REACH-EV will also cover other health issues and concerns of the region.

To prepare the regional and provincial health officials, local officials and local community leaders on the use of the electronic center, DOH Eastern Visayas will conduct a series of training on disaster management, disaster communication, web page management, and digital literacy. The training series is part of the UNESCO grant and will be implemented in cooperation with the UNESCO National Commission (UNACOM), Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT). The initial training on disaster management held on March 27 – 29 was attended by provincial, municipal and barangay (village) health and disaster management officials. Meanwhile, the training on disaster communication will involve simulated exercises involving health officials and personnel at all levels, from barangays to regional offices. Other government agencies and NGOs will also be involved in the training.

DOH Eastern Visayas will also produce electronic content on disaster management that will be available through the web and CD-ROM. According to UNACOM Commissioner Florangel Rosario-Braid, the content will be based on lessons and experiences of the region in dealing with various forms of natural disasters. In addition to the Guinsaugon tragedy, another major natural disaster was the Ormoc flashflood in 1991 that killed over 5, 000 individuals. The e-content will be shared not only with health offices nationwide but with other Asia Pacific countries as well. This content development component is linked with the e-Knowledge Public Domain Project of UNACOM in cooperation with AIJC, CICT and Intel Microelectronics with support from UNESCO.

DOH officials from the central office also participated in the inauguration through teleconference using the new equipment and facilities acquired through the UNESCO grant. DOH undersecretary Margarita Galon challenged local health officials to serve as model for other regional health centers nationwide in the use of electronic media for disaster preparation and management. The e-Center can also be a model for other Asia-Pacific countries.

Dr. Braid presents Paper in Kuala Lumpur

Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid, Senior Adviser of AIJC, noted the need to adopt the ICT for Development proposal at the 3rd Meeting of Asia Pacific Information Network (APIN) in Kuala Lumpur on February 16-28. The proposal mandates that investment on content and capability training should be significantly larger than infrastructure.

According to Dr. Braid, the KL meeting was based on the programme priorities identified as the UNESCO Communication and Information sector’s Medium-Term Agenda for 2008-2013. The country paper she presented discussed the ICT Governance and Development Policies, The ICT Roadmap, Information Infrastructure in the Philippines, Research and Development, Content Development and Public Domain, and Constraints and Challenges. She also presented the country’s efforts on the e-Knowledge Public Domain Information as well as the Prospect of ICT Projects at Present.

During the forum, APIN participants adopted the proposal of Dr. Braid for the Network to give priority to content development and exchange. The Philippines has experience in content development through the e-Knowledge Public Domain Project (eKPD), among others. The eKPD Project Team is composed of representatives from the Commission on ICT, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, Intel Microelectronics, Idea Corp. and AIJC.

APIN is a network of merged Regional Network for the Exchange of Information and Experiences in Science and Technology in Asia and the Pacific (ASTINFO), the Regional Informatics Network for Southeast and the Pacific (RINSEAP) and the Regional Informatics Network for South and Central Asia. The Network's objectives include promoting ICT literacy and application, information and knowledge networking, sharing of information resources, and use of international standards and best practices in communication, information and informatics.

Prejudice and Pride in Filipino movies

How are Muslims portrayed in films to promote cultural tolerance and peace?

A study entitled “Prejudice and Pride in Philippine Entertainment Media” analyzed the portrayal of Muslim Filipinos in selected films using content analysis. Commissioned by the Pagbabago@Pilipinas to determine forms of prejudice and discrimination in movies against Muslims, the study was conducted by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication with Dr. Paz Diaz as lead writer-consultant.

Results of the study show that positive bias observed in favor of Muslims include Muslim depiction as “brave, respectful of other people, possessing innate goodness, and value family and justice.” Negative bias against Muslims include depiction of Muslims as a proud people who consider themselves superior and who resort to violence if they do not get what they want. Muslim men in the films reviewed were shown as “fierce and brutal just as being fearsome and being overwhelmed by anger is presented as culturally innate in Muslims.”

Films reviewed by resource persons of different professional backgrounds included The Sarah Balabagan Story, Bagong Buwan, Perlas ng Silangan, Badjao, Magnum 357, Zamboanga, and Mistah.

Each film was reviewed by both a Muslim and a non-Muslim to provide a balanced perspective.

The study determined the messages of the selected films on the role of Muslims in the daily lives of Filipinos, ascertained the importance of interpersonal relationships among Muslims in their communities and with Christian Filipinos, identified Muslims’ attitudes toward romance, happiness, and success, and analyzed the messages of the films in relation to the Muslims’ behavior to achieve their goals.

In probing the presence or absence of Muslim pride in the films reviewed, the study reported that “reviewers saw the Muslim faith centeredness as clearly manifesting Muslim pride or ‘Maratabat’ or standing up against anyone who offended the Muslims. Women like Sarah Balabagan stood up for her rights against all odds while other Muslims in the films live pious lives, maintain their dignity, and uphold their faith.”

On the other hand, “some reviewers found prejudice against Muslims in the films while others felt there was no prejudice felt against Muslims in the films they watched. Prejudice towards Muslims were manifested in the way they were depicted as war freaks, violent, and brave.”

Aside from content analysis, other methodologies used were in-depth interviews, review of related studies, and review of related literature.