BARMM government reps complete second leg of PMFI’s the Communicating the BARMM Story Training
By Riza Dizon, PMFI Project Staff
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government Communicators attended a three-day Communicating the BARMM Story training on developing IEC materials last August 8 to 10, 2023, at the Grand Summit Hotel in General Santos City. Conducted by the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI), the intensive training aimed to enhance the skills of the participants in creating the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials for a campaign to raise awareness on active citizen participation in the BARMM Parliament, Bangsamoro Electoral Code, and related issues. The first part of the training, focusing on Communications and Campaign Planning, was held from August 2 to 3, 2023. (See previous article for further details)
The workshop started with a Communications/Campaign Plan ‘Kwentuhan’ facilitated by PMFI Project Lead Kath Hernandez. The participants, from the BARMM Offices of the Parliament Speaker, Floor Leader, Legislative Technical Affairs and Information Service, and the PRLS – Legislative Measures and Legal Assistance Division, shared their Communications/Campaign Plan and proposed IEC material outputs targeted to specific audiences in the BARMM.
The masterful resource persons of the training were Director Teng Mangansakan, Writer, Visual Artist, and Filmmaker; Mr. MJ Tumamac (popularly known as Xi Zuq), Writer and Founder of Aklat Alamid; and Mr. Guill Ocampo, Digital Media Communication Specialist. They facilitated the discussions and activities to help the participants with their ability to tell powerful BARMM stories through IEC materials, produce impactful video and audio output, and design meaningful print communication products.
On the final workshop day, the participants worked in groups to craft prototypes of their planned IEC materials. Using existing materials, equipment, and other resources, the teams created a radio plug for electorates in the island provinces, a short video for the Mujahideen*, and plans for a print material for the women of the Teduray Indigenous Peoples Community. The materials promoted the upcoming elections, encouraged people to vote, and talked about the BARMM electoral process. The groups presented their works for constructive feedback and evaluation from their peers and resource persons. *Mujahideen refers to Muslims who participate in jihad or armed struggle concerned with promoting or defending their religious beliefs and seeking self-determination.
From the communication plans created during part one of the “Communicating the BARMM Story” training, the participants left this second leg of the workshop equipped to produce a work plan, budget, timeline, and IEC materials for their target audiences.
“I would like to thank The Asia Foundation for giving us the support, together with the Probe Media Foundation, Inc., (and) our resource persons who are experts in their specific fields. There were a lot of inputs for our work,” Engr. Abdulgani L. Manalocon, Director II of the Legislative Technical Affairs and Information Service, said in his closing speech.
“We saw how important social media, print media, audiovisual presentations, and radio plugs are, and we were able to conceptualize all during this three-day activity. We were able to meet the objectives of the training program. At the same time, the skills of the participants were evidently enhanced based on their presentations, which were very comprehensive,” he added.
Director Manalocon emphasized that a lot of work still needs to be done. “We have to look forward to achieving the plans we created as early as possible, before the 2025 first Parliament Elections. How to implement our proposed program and budgets are on our shoulders. On behalf of our principal, the Office of the Secretary-General, the Office of the Parliament Speaker, the Office of the Floor Leader, including the services, the PRLS, thank you very much. As Salam Alaikum!”
After the workshop, the participants will produce IEC materials and implement their planned campaign for their target audiences. PMFI will support the teams through technical guidance and production fund assistance.
The Communicating the BARMM Story project is implemented by the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI) under the Activate Bangsamoro Phase III: Promoting Active Citizen Engagement with the BARMM Parliament in partnership with the Asia Foundation (TAF) funded by the British Embassy - Manila.
