Activity 12: Development Communication and Policy

Activity 12.1. Conduct a stakeholder analysis of this policy.
Activity 12.2. Use any of the enumerated methods to do a short analysis of this policy.
Activity 12.3. Prepare a one-page policy brief enumerating: your stakeholders; the results of your policy analysis; and your recommendations.

Re: Prohibition on Advertisements of Tobacco Products

Statement of Issue: The major consumer group in the Philippines have bonded together to lobby for a policy that prohibits the advertising of tobacco productions on radio and television.

In 2014, ten Filipinos died hourly due to smoking-related illnesses (Santos, 2014). According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) released March of this year and which was conducted in 2015, 23.8% of all adults reported current tobacco use in any form, with cigarette smokers averaging 11 cigarettes per day. The study also revealed that tobacco use was more prevalent in rural areas. Alarmingly, 24 million adults were exposed to secondhand smoke at home. Based on the survey, 40.5% of the respondents noticed cigarette marketing in stores where cigarettes are sold; 9.6% of adults noticed logos that promote cigarettes on clothing or other items.

Stakeholder Analysis:

Policy Recommendations:
Despite reductions in tobacco usage, the GATS report shows that nearly a quarter of all Filipinos continued to use tobacco in 2015. While many are beginning to take notice of anti-smoking campaigns, and changing their attitude and perception towards smoking as knowledge on the ill-effects of tobacco use are made clearer, stronger efforts must be taken in reducing, and perhaps even removing exposure to tobacco advertisement once and for all.

Prohibiting tobacco advertisement in radio and television is crucial. Since tobacco use is more prevalent in the rural areas, stringent efforts must be taken to implement a policy that would prohibit advertisements via radio. Major consumer groups must also team up with NGOs, medical professionals, and researchers to ensure factual reporting of the health hazards caused by smoking to legislators, and members of the broadcasting industry.

Consumer groups should also collaborate with legislators for a transparent hearing of the policy being lobbied. In this case, the consumer groups may agree with legislators to incentivize “anti-smoking campaigns” and other corporate social responsibility measures that may be undertaken by radio and television. This will compensate any perceived or accrued losses from tobacco advertising, and counteract whatever political and financial clout the tobacco manufacturers may have.

References:

Santos, M. (2014, March 3). 10 Filipinos die hourly due to smoking-related illnesses – Drilon . Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/581985/drilon-co-sponsors-bill-on-graphic-based-warning-on-cigarette-packets

Global Adult Tobacco Survey: Executive Summary 2015. (2017, March 13). Retrieved October 16, 2017, from https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/kmcd/GATS-PHL2016-Executive%20Summary_13Mar2017.pdf

Activity 11: Development Communication Practice

Which area of development communication practice would you like to specialize in? Why? 

I would really like to pursue Community Communication.

For my full-time job, I work as a program officer for a Law school. I handle both administrative work and marketing. This means I get to meet the people I serve and work with – rather than be boxed in a cubicle – and develop a rapport with them – faculty, students, staff, suppliers; NGOs, government organizations, private enterprises. On any given day, I can be talking to a regulatory body, and then next, discussing with service personnel and caterers how an event should go. It’s not only given me a rich and diverse network of people but also structured engagement opportunities which strengthens my organisational, problem-solving, and communication skills. Plus, when you meet people, you’re better able to gauge your position in the world – where you stand in relation to others. These insights I’ve gained is something I hope I can bring to my development communication practice.

As I also handle marketing, I’m exposed to a variety of design and communication tools: photoshop, Canva, social media. Marketing allows me to see how people respond to messages. It gives me an idea of what ticks, and what doesn’t. The creative aspect is also fulfilling. To see ideas coming to life i.e. brochures or posters being distributed, or posted, reminds me that what I am doing is not something in the air. It’s something visceral. I believe this will be useful when I do pursue community communication and start developing materials for communities themselves.

I also had the experience of doing fieldwork as part of a technical working group working on a sustainability report. This side-project exposed me to the social realities often neglected when the focus is on corporate social responsibility. Meeting new people and seeing communities actively participating in GRI surveys, sharing their stories, well they give a human face to the facts and figures which are reported. Certainly, the stories I gathered, and the lessons I learned inspired me to continue meeting people in the horizon of authentic human experiences. In the process, I’ve tried as best as I could to be a sponge: absorbing everything. I tried to learn the whys and hows, to see the processes, and at the same time, to be “humble” enough to know that I don’t really know as much. This attitude the sustainability reporting project instilled in me is something I continue to carry. I hope it too, will carry me when I pursue my DevCom practice.

Community communication presents the same opportunity to meet people and know them on personal level. The ability to interact and immerse in a community’s lived experience is something that I want to be a part of. Here you can really understand better how individuals, families, communities, and society at large works. You feel and you sense the struggles and it gives you an insight that cannot be matched by simply “researching or observing from a distance.”

Activity 10: Foundations of Development Communication

List of Five Arguments from other Disciplines That Support the Ascendancy of the Development Communication Approach:

Economics
In a world which have increasingly information-based economies, there is a great need to widen the scope of how we view economic models. Globalization and the rise of digital technology compels many to course their own way towards change. With this in mind, we see how development communication is crucial to enabling people and organizations to create spaces where meaningful participation is not only encouraged but also participated in. Through development communication, we learn more about trade, competition, business practices, and threats to sustainable development.

Psychology
Psychology is the “scientific discipline that studies psychological and biological processes and behaviour in humans and other animals” (Encyclopaedia Britannica). In order to successfully implement change that leads to self-actualization and the betterment of human lives, which is the goal of any individual, we need to look into context of human life. Development communication in tandem with psychology does just that. We look into what are the causes of the social ills afflicting communities, and how they impact the behavior and attitude of a person. Information gained from psychological inquiry helps development communication practitioners create programs, use messages, and develop projects which are humane, and empathetic.

Advertising
Selling products, persuading viewers to purchase goods – a whole lot of our society and politics today is based on strategic and persuasive communication, on marketing, on profit. Development communication aims to persuade people not to create a a illusory need rather to satisfy what is truly lacking. Development communication is crucial in putting a reality check in the needs vs want argument that pervades our increasingly commercial culture.

Political Economy
Political economy is a study of how institutions and organizations allocate resources, the relationships between them (market and state). This field usually examines society in variety of lenses – philosophy, politics, sociology, and economics. Communication is necessary in evaluating, formulating, and implementing policies which is at the core of complex social realities studied in Political Economy. The integrated mindset of a political economy student demands an understanding of how communication allows individuals to view things from multiple perspectives.

Humanities
The humanities is the study of human experience. It covers a broad range of fields including film, arts, literature, theater, and music. At the core of it, the humanities aims to discover the meaning of human experience. Development communication studies human experience – how it can be improved, transformed in so far as it leads to the highest of human experiences – self-actualization. As a field, development communication also makes use of film, art, literature, theater and music in order to connect, empathize, teach, and inspire.

Activity 9: What Is Development Communication?

Expound on the statement: Development Communication is communication for planned social change. 

Development communication is communication that aims to bring about change. It changes people. It changes communities. It changes lives. It changes the world. In itself, development communication also changes – incorporating new information, theory, or philosophy; adjusting to the times, understanding contexts, moving across spaces. But it’s not an arbitrary field of study, profession, or human enterprise.

Development communication is the art and science of making the world a better place. We study almost every aspect of human life to try and cover as much ground in order to deliver messages, develop and implement projects, and understand social ills. The aim is to give everyone the opportunity to realize their potential. Through it, we create, we become creative, we transform. Through it, we study, we ask, we explore, and we discover. It’s a profound way of being human because it’s powered by good.

Activity 7: Noise

Noise I deal with everyday at work:

1. Guests at the school’s office which often interrupt creative work. I see creative work as requiring a certain degree of isolation, much more silence.
2. Poor Internet connection
3. Lack of communication between supervisor and staff
4. Meetings at the start of the day, especially when I have just arrived at work
5. Meetings after lunch
6. Prejudices towards certain personalities; tendency to avoid certain personalities
7. When it gets too cold in the office
8. When tasks pile up it becomes difficult to focus, especially when there is no clear instruction which task to prioritize
9. A lack of physical space where I can work comfortably
10. Age or generational gap when it comes to discussing creative work
11. Encountering legal terminology at work

Noises at home:

1. Our pet dogs bark whenever they see people around, making it difficult to have a quiet moment at home. They can can also be too energetic, running around the house, making it impossible to maintain peace and order for extended periods of time during the day
2. Lack of soundproofed walls makes it hard to have private conversations with family members
3. Lack of space
4. Familiarity with parents and siblings often make me less attentive to their needs
5. Blackouts, brownouts; unannounced water service interruptions
6. When my parents speak in Ilocano or Ibanag, especially when I can only understand the languages at a surface level
7. Everyone is busy with their smartphones, computers, tablets, and television

Activity 6.2 and 6.3: Communication Media

Activity 6.2.

1. Based from my experience, Filipino households commonly own radio sets. When visiting relatives in the province, I notice not all families own a television set. And while few also own actual radio handsets, many are able to access radio broadcasts through their mobile phones, or have radio applications on their mobile devices. I would say, however, that TV is perhaps is a close second as the most commonly owned device of Filipino households.
2. Newspapers are the least commonly owned medium. Very few families in our neighborhood actually subscribe to the major Philippine broadsheets on a daily basis. Most of my own family and friends read the news through the newspapers’ digital version accessed via smartphones and tablets. Those who do have newspapers at home more often than not purchase broadsheets only when the headlines interest them. On a personal note, our family is subscribed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. My parents still prefer reading the news through its printed format.
3. Filipinos, I believe, are most exposed to radio. Apart from physically owning them in the household or accessing it through their phones, radio is the medium that you will also find in public transportation. Buses, taxis, Uber and Grab, UV Express and point-to-point shuttles: radio is ubiquitous in this regard. On the other hand, I believe Filipinos are least exposed to folk theater. The other mediums listed in the chapter are mostly materials that I’ve encountered i.e. flip charts, leaflets, diagrams in school, museums, and other educational institutions. Folk theater is more local and specific, and is not as readily available for mass consumption except through recorded materials.
4. I think Filipinos depend most on television in terms of information. The medium is highly informative while providing entertainment, and is far more interactive than radio. Considering how fake news is spreading through the web like wildfire, my own experience shows that Filipinos rely on television, with radio and newspaper coming in at close second, in order to verify information. TV news stations are considered credible. They carry authority and the content they disseminate.

Activity 6.3: Place a check on the boxes of the statement that explain some of the impact of new communication technology on development.

Check	Statements
	Job displacement
	More, generally better jobs generated
✔	Globalization
✔	Streaming of business opportunities
	Reducing importance of middle management
✔	Change definitions of community
✔	Focus on the credibility of sources
✔	Offer new ways of learning

Activity 6.1: Interpersonal Media vs Mass Media

 

CHARACTERISTICS	INTERPERSONAL MEDIA	MASS MEDIA
Senses stimulated at a time	3 or more at a time (sometimes all)	One or two at a time
Opportunity for feedback	Immediate	Delayed and minimal
Control of pace	Can be controlled	Uncontrolled
Message codes used	Verbal and non-verbal i.e. body language	Verbal (for TV visual, close to face-to-face communication)
Multiplicative power	Weak	High
Direction of message flow	Two way	One way
Message accuracy	Low	High
Power to preserve a message	Low	High
Ability to select receiver	High	Low
Ability to overcome selectivity and noise	High; very flexible	Low; constrained by the medium
Ability to meet specialized needs	High	Low
Speed to a large audience	Slow	Fast and often, immediate
Possible effects	Affects attitude and behavior	Information, knowledge

Activity 4.1 to 4.4: Blind Men and Paradigms

Below is a problematique map analyzing the problem of flooding using the four major development paradigms.

Activity 3.2: The Moth and Development

Question No. 1:

Pepito’s action of opening up the pupa case with a pair of scissors was bad for the moth as it was not yet “fully developed” to survive outside its cocoon. Moths, like butterfly, come out of their cases after maturing and transforming via metamorphosis, with the act emerging from their pupa crucial for fluids to be pumped to the wings of the insect. Tampering with the natural process resulted in an underdeveloped moth.

Question No. 2:

The change agency must understand the conditions of the farm family, individual, or community they are working with/on. Development interventions must be undertaken with respect to the needs and potentials of the family, individual and/or community; with an understanding of the environment, culture, and existing habits that will be affected by these development programs.

Question No. 3:

If the development worker helps the farmer in such a way that the farmer is unable to learn progressive farming techniques on his own, then “helping” here is detrimental in the long run. In “helping” the farmer, the development worker is depriving the farmer of the opportunity to learn by experience, to think critically, and to act autonomously.

Question No. 4:

As I answered in question no 1, the struggle of the moth was necessary for the full development of its wings. In development, struggles are sources of learning and experience, necessary for steps forward, and steps to the right direction. Progress does not happen overnight; it goes through stages which are usually marked by setbacks and failures. These points in the development timeline are periods where development workers refine their approach and improve their methods, learning the hard way what is the right way, and discovering new concerns as they explore new opportunities.

Question No. 5:

Our understanding of development, too, is changing. What we can glean from the story of Pepito and the moth, however, is that development must always focus on the subject – the individual, family, or community – more than, and before its methods.

Was Mang Tomas partly responsible? Yes, in so far as his failure to inform Pepito of the negative effects of tampering with the moth’s process of emerging from its pupa case. Had he informed Pepito that any “intervention” during the moth’s process of emerging from its cocoon could quite literally kill it, Pepito would have been more cautious in handling the moth. Mang Tomas could and should have given a stern warning with clear, definite language.

The role of the development worker is to assist in making development and progress achievable and sustainable with as little negative impact to the culture and environment as possible. He or she must understand the process and conditions before implementing or intervening, relaying this information to the people he or she serves, or works with. As an educator, the development worker must be truthful, using language that is clear and easy to understand, without compromising the facts, and excluding information that could spell the difference between progress or backwardness, life or death.

Activity 3.1: The Hatching Process

1. Why was the eggshell broken? – The eggshell was broken because it’s now beginning the hatching process.
2. Where did the force come from? – The force came from inside the egg, from the developed chick.
3. In the life of the chick inside the eggshell, is there a right time for it to move and break-open the  eggshell? When is this time? – Yes. After the sufficient incubation period and with the chick well-developed to live outside its egg, it will break open the eggshell.
4. If somebody tries to break the eggshell from the outside, what is likely to happen to the underdeveloped chick inside? – Since the chick is underdeveloped, it will most likely die when the eggshell is forcibly broken from the outside. If not, it will have defects as a result of the natural hatching process being disrupted, and may not survive in life outside the egg.
5. What viewpoint(s) of development is (are) portrayed by this picture? – One thing that immediately came to my mind reading this question is Dudley Seers idea that “development should provide the realization of the potential of human personality” with particular emphasis on the word “potential”. Development is an aid to the realization of an individual, community, or society’s potential, and oftentimes, requires an understanding of the conditions where the individual, community, or society operates. Outside forces which break the eggshell may refer to natural forces (meteorological, geological) which lead to calamities, or man-made interventions with either positive or negative effects on the development of the chick which is an image of society. The incubation period means that development takes time. It must be “cared for”, “nurtured”, and “sustained” to reach its end goal of progress and maturity.
6. What can science do to the egg-hatching process? – Science can help us understand how life inside the egg begins, develops, and matures. It can help measure the time period required for development, and identify what are the best conditions that would lead to the egg, and thus the chick’s optimum development. Science enables the individual to determine what interventions have negative or positive effects on the egg-hatching process.