Following Rappler’s anti-corruption roadshow
By Dhel Sue Cabiara
Digital media Rappler marked its first anti-corruption roadshow at Silliman University, Dumaguete City last Feb. 2 to 5, immersing nine student and media volunteers in civic reporting and crafting of community monitoring campaigns.
The roadshow, titled “#CorruptionWatch: Spot, Report, Stop it,” taught the participants how to spot corruption red flags as community watchdogs through a workshop and townhall forum.
Sam Bagayas, head of Rappler civic engagement, said the campaign aimed to start conversation on community corruption monitoring, emphasizing the recent issue on flood control projects.
“We wanted to train communities and that could be manifested by a selected group of civic engagement volunteers who might be able to start this movement in terms of corruption monitoring here in Dumaguete,” she explained.
The trainees are Lysander Kendrick Tiu, Jasper Dominic Miranda, Kean Andrei Bagaipo, Deorafe Basong, Franz Acaylar, Gemma Minda Iso, Zarelle Villanzana, Lara Charmaine Lagorra, Dorothy Wynn Marie Vendiola.
Dubbed Dumaguete movers, they will develop a community plan to encourage locals in monitoring and reporting corruption through public forums, workshops, and community gatherings.
The workshop also included sessions on citizens as watchdogs and how they can contribute to the media, data gathering and reporting, effective video creation, field coverage, and dealing with sources.
Moreover, Bagayas said that one of their goals is to expand the campaign beyond Dumaguete and explore working with other student publications in Negros.
“We hope that they could actually inspire other communities as well to showcase that student journalists are capable of so much more,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Rappler multimedia reporter James Patrick Cruz said they hope the participants will continue the campaign since they are more aware of local issues and have a “more nuanced way of covering issues.”
“I think it’s a great opportunity in this event or in this workshop that we get to share our technique, our process in doing our own investigation and hopefully that could be replicated here locally,” he furthered.
The movers also attended a town hall forum last Feb. 6, where they were involved in panel discussions with community advocates and local officials on transparency, accountability, and strengthening Dumaguete against corruption.
Some key figures who attended the event are Dumaguete councilor Renz Macion, Msngr. Christian Durango of the Diocese of Dumaguete, Engr. Greg Uymatiao Jr, women’s rights activist Shamah Bulangis, and faculty union leader Karl James Villarmea.
The roadshow was held to celebrate the 60th Founding Anniversary of the SU College of Mass Communication organized by the Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators.
