Harvard, UST, KBP to award best student-produced content on disaster resilience

The following is a press release from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiatives Program on Resilient Communities.

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Program on Resilient Communities (HHI PRC) is partnering with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to award outstanding media contents on disaster resilience produced by students in the Philippines.

“Truly, no aspect of life is left untouched by the challenge that climate change poses and we all take a fundamental responsibility to act in countering the long-term damage we have done. This will require new thinking, new ideas, and a willingness to act with a sense of urgency and purpose. Invariably, it is today’s youth that will bear the brunt of the challenge and will be asked to provide new solutions. This video and radio competition is an example of one of the steps being taken to rise to meet the collective challenges we face,” HHI PRC program director Vincenzo Bollettino said.

The competition, called “PMAC Student Awards,” welcomes entries in the form of short video documentary, public service announcement (PSA), and radio jockeying (male/female), with “Filipinos’ resilience to hazards” as the theme. It is open and free to all college students taking communication, journalism or media-related courses in the country.

“This year’s theme is very important because it places in perspective the power media has to contribute to people’s preparedness and resilience. With media’s development so shall its role develop, too. Responsible reportage of disasters should come hand in hand with raising awareness on preparedness and resilience to lessen the people’s vulnerability to calamities,” PMAC project adviser and UST Assistant Professor Anna Cielo Timbol-Perez said.

The winners for each category will receive P10,000 (1st place), P5,000 (2nd place), P3,000 (3rd place), and P3,000 (fan favorite award). Aside from the cash prize, the winning entries will each receive a plaque and certificate, as well as get a chance to be showcased online and at HHI PRC events to reach a wider audience.

The deadline for the online submission of entries is on February 28, 2020. It will be judged by veteran broadcast journalists in the country, duly selected by the KBP, UST and HHI PRC.

Advocacy journalism

The PMAC Student Awards coincides with the Philippine Media Advocacy Convention (PMAC) 2020 happening on March 18-19, 2020 at UST in España, Manila, where reputable journalists will hold talks and workshops on disaster preparedness reporting, peace building reporting, and environmental protection reporting.

Formerly called ‘Podcon,’ the convention has been known for promoting advocacy journalism in radio broadcasting and podcasting since 2012. It has previously tackled reporting on human rights, voter education, youth empowerment, and fake news, among others, which made it a two-time recipient of the prestigious Philippine Quill Awards.

This 2020, the project has rebranded to include other types of media in its agenda. It focuses on “The Media and its Impact on Public Safety and Security” as its main theme this year.

“We are thankful for the HHI PRC for helping us realize the expansion of the project’s scope to include all types of media to make this convention more relevant to the changing times. The Podcon that has annually undertaken issues relevant to radio is now reborn as the broader PMAC,” Perez explained.

Registration to the two-day convention costs only P150 ($3) each. Proceeds will be funded for emergency kits or “go bags” for the residents of Gigantes Islands in Iloilo province, a coastal community severely impacted by disasters and climate change. Previously, the convention has donated a total of more or less a thousand children’s books to different public school libraries in Metro Manila.

For more information, please visit the project’s page: https://www.facebook.com/PMAC.UST or https://www.facebook.com/HarvardPRC. – Rappler.com