TMA.

3 THE PROACTIVE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Integrating “development communication” mindset into a communication course curriculum is

significant because it presents unlimited opportunities to every development communication
practitioner. Dr. Alexander G. Flor emphasized that the “development communication” thinking applies
to different communication-related careers and does not necessarily entail veering away of
communication graduates from the typical relevant professions, such as in media and advertising.

This idea may be considered unusual due to the objectives of certain communication programs (e.g.
advertising is to convincing the audience to buy the product through its features, advantages and
benefits while development communication, according to Quebral (1971), is to aim for a “dynamic state
of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfilment of the human
potential”). When one studies this carefully, some important characteristics of a good development
communication practitioner, if possessed, say, by a marketing and advertising practitioner, then it would
definitely improve the probability of obtaining a positive result in whatever the latter intends to do and
achieve.

Communication education can be improved by training students to have a more purposive, pragmatic
and value-driven mindset. This leads us to say that if each communication graduate is capable to have a
“development communication” thinking, then this means that his or her career path is not only
dependent on number of media and print companies that are being established yearly. Ultimately, he or
she is not also limited to creating his or her own media and print company so that he or she can create

more jobs for communication graduates like him or her. He or she is presented with unlimited
opportunities.

If education pushes the students to be more proactive in the community’s needs rather than adapting to
what is being demanded by the media industry, then they will believe that they themselves can be
catalysts of change. Being a forward-looking graduate, he or she can envision himself or herself to be a
“hero” to certain communities that are facing different challenges, such as hunger, economic collapse,
computer literacy, to name a few.

These people can build any organization, one of which may be related to becoming good ambassadors of
the environment. One of the objectives is be promoting awareness on climate change. Of course, to
sustain the organization, there should be ways on how it can generate revenue. Perhaps one solution is
selling some products that can help prevent or lessen emissions of certain chemicals that harm the
atmosphere. With this concept, a communication graduate should collaborate with a number of
stakeholders, which includes social entrepreneurs, government agencies such as DENR or DOST,
experienced distributors, salesmen and others. With the proper skill set developed from school, this will
create a good impact to the bigger communities.
SOCIETAL PROBLEMS

Activity 1.1

Philippines Jobless Rate At 6.6% in January

The employment rate is estimated at 93.4 percent in January, up from 92.5 percent a year earlier. There
were 37.4 million employed people: 54.6 percent worked in the services sector, 29.5 in agriculture and
15.9 percent in industry sector.

The number of unemployed persons decreased to 2.6 billion in January from 2.9 billion a year ago.
Among unemployed people, 66 percent were males. The age group 15 to 24 years old accounted for 47.3
percent of total unemployed, while the age group 25 to 34 accounted for 31.6 percent. By educational
attainment, 20.4 percent were college graduates, 13.0 percent were college undergraduates, and 34.4
percent were high school graduates.

Among regions, the National Capital Region (9.3 percent), Calabarzon (8.6 percent), Ilocos Region (8.5
percent) and Central Luzon (8.5 percent) showed unemployment rates higher than the national figure
(6.6 percent).

Activity 1.2

1. Low Food Production

According to World Bank Data Indicator, as of 2013, the latest value for Food production index in
Philippines was 121.55.00, which only means that food production in the country is increasing. Note
also that this data covers only food crops that are considered to be edible and that contain nutrients.
Coffee and tea are excluded because, although edible, they have no nutritive value.

2. Illiteracy

As a whole, the line graph shows that the number of people who could read and write in any language
and dialect in the Philippines has dramatically dropped at 2.50% in 2013 compared to 2004 data which
is 8%. Though there are some years that the rate of illiteracy in the country was a bit higher to the
consequent year, for example; 2005 vs. 2006 & 2008 vs. 2009. Predominantly data shows that the rate
of individuals who cannot read and write in the Phils. is only minimal.

3. Spiraling National Debt

 The graph shows that debts of the Phils. is continuously growing in rate. Though in 2006 and 2007, there
is a decline. However from 2008 up to 2014 the debt is steadily increasing which only means that the
cost of living is getting higher.

THE MOTH AND DEVELOPMENT

1. Was Pepito’s action of opening up the pupa case with a pair of scissors, good or bad for the
moth? Explain.

Bad, because this should have been the stage the moth is developing its body to enable itself to fly and
survive outside the pupae.

2. Assuming that Pepito is the change agency and the moth trying to get out of the pupa case is a
farm family, an individual, a community or even society in general, what application can you draw from
this story of the moth?

If the family or community is not ready for the change then it will fail or cannot sustain the changes that
needed to be for their own good and it might have a bad impact to their livelihood or community.

3. If a development worker tries to help the farmer, what is he/she in fact, doing to the farmer? Is
this good or bad for the farmer in the long run? By doing the work for the farmer, what is the
development worker depriving the farmer of?

The development worker is depriving the farmer to learn and cope with the change on their own. To take
in the process and develop the skills to sustain the changes needed for their own farm.

4. When the insect was struggling to get out, what purpose or function was this doing to itself?
What is the importance of the process or struggle in the development of any system?

The struggle of getting out develops the strength of the moth with it’s new wings and understand the
new skills it might have developed while in the cocoon. The same with a community, it should learn by
overcoming the challenges. The community as it develops will have new skills that was developed during
their struggle to sustain them as the community continues to develop and grow.

5. What principles in development can we draw from this?

The development takes time and allow the community or people to learn on their own and develop the
skills to survive with the help of its environment and existing resources.

6. Was Mang Tomas partly responsible for the tragedy? Explain. How could he have avoided the
tragedy? What could he have told Pepito to prevent the thing from happening?
Mang Tomas should have explained for Pepito not to interfere with the moth and its separation from the
papae. Or simply did not give Pepito the pupae of the moth.

7. With respect to question no. 5, what principle can you draw regarding the role of development
worker as educator?

As an educator the development worker should allow his/her student or community to learn on their
own by experiencing the struggles and overcome them as well. It gives them the chance to develop the
skills to analyze, make use of their resources to overcome the challenges they encounter.

Activity 5. 2. Write your own definition or understanding of communication in a sheet of paper.

Now, compare your answer with the definitions of Black and Bryant found in your textbook.

COMMUNICATION is a two- way process of connecting to both living and non-living things. It is also a
means to share and exchange information, ideas and feelings for a mutual understanding.

As I compare my self- definition of Communication to Black and Bryant (1992), I can say that my above
given definition is somehow related to the Item No. 4 definition of Black and Bryant which states “not
simply the verbal, explicit, and intentional transmission of message; it includes all those processes by
which people influence one another”. This only means that communication is not only limited to a
certain extent of spoken words but also concerning non-verbal signals or messages. Nevertheless, the
bottom line of the both is that communication is all about reaching a common goal of better
understanding.

Activity 5. 3. Why should we discuss communication as a process? Write your reasons on the same sheet
of paper you used in Activity 5.2.

The primary goal of communication is to convey information from one person or group to another
person or group. Thus, we can only fully know the in-depth meaning of communication by knowing the
process involves in it. This communication process serves as our guide for much more effective
communication which leads to better understanding. Through this process also, the sharing of a common
meaning between the sender and the receiver takes place. As a result, the individuals or group of people
that follows this communication process has the opportunity to become more productive in every aspect
of their way of life.

Group Members:

Abellar, R-Gel

Dabalos, Diokno

Laping, Jessica
Arnado, Mark Daven

Sambitan Rose Ivy