by Nina Somera

On its celebration of International Women’s Month, Bahay ni Isis International Women’s House was a full house. In the afternoon of 10 March 2008, over 100 guests flocked to Isis for the launch of People’s Communications for Development/PC4D, the book and campaign.

Attended by mainly women from various grassroots communities and organisations, the launch was an opportunity for Isis to share the results of PC4D as well as some feminist communication strategies.

Dubbed as “Show & Tell on ‘People’s Communications for Development (PC4D),’” the launch consisted of a plenary session and communication stations. At the early part of the programme, Isis General Membership member Aida F. Santos presented the highlights of the book while Isis Associate Director Tesa de Vela spoke on the PC4D campaign, which aims to make the research findings feed into policy-making and planning processes of various stakeholders, including national governments.

Six simultaneous interactive communication stations on radio, film, poster, publications, website development and PC4D later drew the attention of the crowd as these discussed how feminist movements and other social movements effectively use communication for their advocacy work. Following the technique of speed- dating, each station presented a 15-minute programme, after which guests were asked to move on to the next station until they have completed all 6 stations within a span of 90 minutes.

In the Philippines, PC4D entailed interviews with more than 20 groups scattered in Mindanao, Visayas, Luzon and the National Capital Region and a focus group discussion with some grassroots women. The study reinforced the popular belief that traditional technologies such as radio and television rather than computers and the internet remain more useful and empowering for communities.

During the press conference in the morning, Isis board member and former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani considered PC4D as a material which can inform policy-making and project initiatives around ICTs. “What the book shows is very humbling. Grassroots women still come from the bukid (rural community). Nothing is (being done) at the grassroots yet culture is very important for them,” she said.

She added that, “The introduction of ICTs [new technologies], like in the case of the National Broadband Network (NBN) is based on the notion that these will lead to empowerment and development for all. This ICT-centric development is the reason that we are interrogating this framework to determine the most effective communication tools used by intermediary groups to reach grassroots women.”

The NBN deal stirred controversy and reinforced criticism against the current Philippine administration. The US$330 million NBN project intends to connect government offices and other critical institutions via a broadband network but an overpricing of nearly half of the amount occurred.

Columnist Rina Jimenez-David also expressed the need to review existing initiatives which put a premium on new technologies like computers and internet especially in remote areas. “ICT4D [information and communication technologies for development] must reflect its direction for development to ensure that it is not contributing to counter-development.”

Jimenez-David also lauded the study as it constitutes a sound feedback to media practitioners, leading them to ponder: “Are we communicating to everybody? How have the media helped create a more knowledgeable population?”

The Philippine study reinforced the popular belief that traditional technologies such as radio and television rather than computers and the internet remain more useful and empowering for communities.

Fifty-nine percent of the respondents affirmed that radio is still the most effective tool because of its accessibility, affordability and coverage. Radio was followed by cellular phone with 49 percent and television, including film and video with 29 percent. Rounding up the top five communications tools are theatre and computer. But of all the communication tools,oral communication was cited as most empowering especially among grassroots women.

“Still, tools that create interaction, participation, reflection, and dialogue were considered most empowering. Oral communications [which happen in meetings and trainings] is still most empowering because of [its] immediacy, dialogue and direct interaction,” according to the book.