As Pulse Asia in its latest survey had shown, there had been a decline in confidence in the flood infrastructure probe. But of all institutions surveyed, the most trusted in addressing the corruption problem was the media at 54 percent, followed by civil society at 47 percent, the Senate at 37 percent, the House of Representatives at 31 percent, and President Marcos at 30 percent. We hope that following the EDSA 40 celebration on the 25th, these percentages would increase.

Among the development indicators that bear watching are concepts such as “synergy” or collaboration or teamwork, “volunteerism,” and ethics specifically in media reporting.

I cited synergy and volunteerism as past experiences had shown that their presence or lack of them had hindered our development over the past decades. Too, the rise of disinformation during the recent past necessitates a more sustained focus on ethics in media reporting

Today’s column continues with reports from two scholars of the RB Scholarship Fund, a two-year grant given to seven scholars from six schools in the region, four of whom are from state universities and three from private schools. The scholarship provides mentorship, learning materials and participant observation and reporting of ongoing development projects utilizing media and information strategies.

Rizza Francisco of Bicol University’s report, is entitled “Synergizing Youth Volunteerism in Disaster Response and Ethical Reporting in Bicol.” It is generally known that Bicol is the most disaster-prone province and is likewise exposed to multiple natural hazards.

She cites several reports which show the presence of a strong Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as it combines early warning and evaluation procedures. Many barangays, she notes, rely on reports such as Bantay Bata Reporting Live, as well as training and bootcamps with Bicol University, Philippine Information Agency and Philippine Red Cross.

She also conceptualized and implemented an action project through a seminar entitled, “Synergizing Youth Volunteerism and Ethical Reporting.” This activity brought together youth volunteers, campus publishers, student leaders, and members of the community via online livestream. Her main resource person, Aireen Perol-Jaymalin, founder and editor-in-chief of Bicol PH shared her observations on the importance of safety, ethics, and truth-telling in disaster coverage, and highlighted how volunteer-driven journalism serves as a vital channel for timely and accurate news.

Rizza has likewise put together a useful list of resources that are available on print and other media.

Clifford James Danduan our scholar from the University of Mindanao reports on his two semi-structured online interviews on Messenger with residents of Barangay Dacudao in Calinan, Davao City. The focus was on the challenges faced by the residents. The interviews focused on youth-related concerns such as smoking, drinking and excessive mobile gaming, lax discipline and poor parental supervision, crime, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy.

While the advantages of barangay intervention, parenting seminars and youth initiatives such as Linggo ng Kabataan and sports leagues were acknowledged, many still felt that curfew enforcement and stronger parental involvement were needed. There was frustration over sanitation and waste, noise, and safety management issues.

The above field experiences of these two scholars indicate the importance of interventions not only from government institutions but also from civic engagement and volunteerism.

Although the 1987 Constitution does not explicitly mention volunteerism, it however outlines the duties and responsibilities of the government and citizens. It emphasizes the importance of serving and protecting the people which can be seen as a form of volunteerism.

According to the LawphilProject, Volunteer Act 2007 institutionalizes volunteerism and provides a framework for mobilizing volunteers for public and civic affairs. It encourages participation of various sectors to foster social justice, solidarity and sustainable development. ([email protected])