One advocacy that I have been passionate about is the setting up of a public broadcast system (PBS) that is owned not by the state or commercial enterprises, but by local residents and local people’s organizations. For the past twenty years or so, I have been an advocate of a PBS as author of a number of papers, and a panel participant at local and international forums on this concern. In fact, together with fellow advocates, we had prepared draft bills and lobbied with media leaders who were quite sympathetic. But it was not yet the right time. In a highly commercial and entertainment culture such as ours, the first consideration is financial or profitability. This mindset appears to be changing as some now realize that social impact such as happiness, harmony, and deeper awareness of cultural identity can contribute to the material and economic goals in the long run.

That we now have a local FM radio operating as a public broadcast system has given me renewed hope.

Radyo Sagada in the Cordilleras is an in indigenous community radio station which started operating in 2011 with funding from Cultural Survival and other nongovernment groups. It is the first and only surviving community radio run by indigenous people. Its vision is “to be a well-informed people living in a harmonious community with rich culture and tradition, working for sustainable development, good governance, and community development.” In 2023, the people behind Radyo Sagada took a dramatic step when it decided to integrate digital tools and platforms. And it focused on the goal called “Ipeyas Nan Amay,” a rallying call for the people of Sagada to attain and work collectively for the common good.

Last May 2024, its executive director, Gwen Gaongen received the Ka Louie Tabing Achievement Award in Community Broadcasting at UP Los Banos for its contribution in facilitating student internships, promoting disaster preparedness, enhancing election reporting and supporting agricultural innovations.

This third report in our series is based on the draft masters thesis of our intern, Jesusa Legua, a student working on a masters degree in Journalism at the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, and one of the six recipients of the RBSFI Scholarship Fund. Her thesis is entitled, Iyebkas Mo, Ibikas Ko: The Effectiveness of Radyo Sagada’s Digital Adaptation in Preserving and Promoting Indigenous Culture in Sagada, Mountain Province.

Starting with the framework of participatory communication in preserving local culture, she examined Radyo Sagada’s transformation from a traditional to a digital form, the strategies used in community participation, local ownership and cultural continuity as well as the challenges in digital adaptation The latter includes the integration of social media platform, online streaming and digital content production. Her methodology includes case study of archival and historical records, analysis of the digital tools and platforms such as Facebook, live broadcasts, multimedia storytelling and online community engagement alongside traditional FM broadcasting, focus group discussions, in-depth discussion with station managers and community immersion.

Hopefully, her study can demonstrate how the digital tools employed can “amplify the voices of indigenous people who had encountered red tagging and other challenges to media freedom.” It will be remembered that the people in this region had faced earlier challenges when a respected elder of the Butbut tribe, Macli-ing Dulag opposed the construction of the Chico Dam. His advocacy for land rights that galvanized the indigenous people to fight for justice and self-determination led to his assassination in 1980.

The focus group discussions she intends to hold with staff members of Radyo Sagada, local government officials, and other stakeholders in the community and members of the indigenous people could hopefully provide answers to questions on perceptions on the use of digital tools – whether the content would be able to contribute to the vision of Radyo Sagada which includes “being well informed, being able to live in a harmonious community with rich culture and tradition, and being able to achieve sustainable development, good governance and community development. “

Jesusa intends to produce a video documentary based on her field experience.

It is important to evaluate the economic and social costs of setting up similar public or citizen-owned media systems. Especially at this time when we are witnessing a gradual democratic backsliding and creeping authoritarianism as shown in the rise of political dynasties. ([email protected])