ISU Attends Coordination Meeting to Put Up Community Radio Station in the City of Ilagan
CITY OF ILAGAN, ISABELA – Representatives from three campuses of the Isabela State University System namely Ilagan, Cabagan and Echague attended a multi-sectoral meeting regarding the establishment of a community radio station in the City of Ilagan on February 27, 2020.
Spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office 02, the coordination meeting was held at the Cagayan Valley Research Center (CVRC) in Brgy. San Felipe.
Aside from ISU, other participants came from the Provincial Government of Isabela (PGI), City Government of Ilagan, PhilRice, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), media personalities from broadcast and print media, Department of Agriculture (DA) and the private sector.
The meeting focused mainly on organizing different sectors of society and enlisting their support to the DA’s project to put up a rural FM Station that will air its different programs meant to benefit farmers in Isabela.
According to Engr. Rolando Pedro, Manager, DA-CVRC, establishing a rural radio station will greatly help the Department of Agriculture disseminate various information and knowledge that shall make the farmers resilient and technologically equipped, thus increasing their farm productivity.
Providing farmers with the right information or education shall help cushion the impact on them of Rice Tariffication and globalization, Engr. Pedro explained.
He, therefore, emphasized the need for ‘convergence’ effort among the different sectors of society to help in the realization of the project particularly the academe who will serve as knowledge resource.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hector U. Tabbun, Chief, DA-Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Information Section (RAFIS) and lead convener of the meeting, stressed that the DA “cannot do it alone” without the help of other agencies of the government and the private sector.
While the DA could provide funds for establishing and operating the Radio station, he acknowledged that it lacks manpower which other sectors like the academe could supply.
The Radio station will be needing farmcasters or rural broadcasters for its various airing programs.
The Role of the Academe
ISU Echague and Cabagan Campuses with BS Mass Communication and Developmental Programs have committed to provide the necessary manpower. Likewise, ISU Ilagan has given its commitment to provide support through its IT and Engineering Programs.
In the project, ISU shall play a great role of not only supplying the needed manpower for potential broadcasters but also for conveying the necessary knowledge and information that is very much helpful to farmers.
Non-profit, Non-commercialized Rural Radio Station
Dr. Rogelio Matalang, Station Manager of DZDA, a rural radio station based in DA Regional Office 02 in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, emphasized that the Community Radio Station DA is going to put up in the City of Ilagan is non-profit and non-commercialized such that it will not accept any kind of paid advertisement.
He added that the rural broadcasters would not receive any honorarium or pay because everything should be voluntary on their part.
Citing previous studies conducted in the country, Dr. Matalang explained the importance of the radio being the most effective and efficient medium to educate farmers about the different programs of the Department of Agriculture.
Another meeting shall be set soon to identify people from different sectors who shall undergo training on broadcasting and to organize a council who shall oversee the operation of the community radio.
[ Correspondent: Romel R. Costales, Ph.D. ]