Villages find their voice: radio brings empowerment to rural communities in the Philippines

UNESCO Courier, Feb, 1997 by Wijayananda Jayaweera, Louie Tabing

The people of Banga, a small town in the province of Aklan, in the Philippines, are quite capable of taking preventive measures of this kind. After all, it was they who set up their small community radio station on the campus of the Agricultural College and mounted its antenna on top of a concrete structure on a small hill nearby. The station, one of five similar set-ups in the less developed areas of the Philippines, was established several years ago as part of Tambuli, a community radio project in which UNESCO, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Philippines are collaborating. (Tambuli is the traditional way of calling villagers to an important meeting.)

In this kind of project, the initiative comes from the communities. The local folk build the radio station, and after group discussions, they set the guidelines for the broadcasters. They organize the radio team, drawing on all sectors of the village. There is no lack of volunteers. At Banga, Lyn Villasis, a beautician turned broadcaster, reads fairy tales to children over Radio Manduyong, modulating her voice to evoke the characters in each story. A health programme is hosted by a midwife. On Radio Tambuli in Laurel, a little town in Batangas province, Nerrie Bihis gives talks on development topics, town cleanliness and good manners, while a local police officer hosts a weekly awareness programme on law and order.

Village problems get an airing

Two Christmases ago the Banga community went carolling to raise funds for the purchase of a karaoke sing-along system for their radio station. In Baranggay Bugtong Bato, where Radio Ibajay did the organizing, Vicente Pagayonan played indigenous songs on a flute made from a PVC plumbing pipe! Whatever the music, people sing to cultivate a sense of belonging and identify with their community in the context of a larger national culture.

In Banga, karaoke is more than just a sing-along machine. Karaoke time is time for their baranggayan sa himpapawid (village on the air). Live interviews, and discussions with local officials are broadcast between spontaneous musical performances, problems are raised and solutions are sought in what amount to village meetings aired over the local radio station.

Olutunga is a small island near the southern tip of the Philippine archipelago, which comprises some 7,000 islands. Toto Val Samonte, manager of Olutanga Island Radio (DXOI), wants it to become "the best island in the world", an ambition that reflects the confidence of his fellow townsfolk in the power of radio to make Olutunga a better place in which to live.

Community radio stations regularly hold forums - often linked to karaoke sessions - on gambling, irrigation, relief during floods and typhoons, fishing rights and education. One programme which revealed that cement used in road construction had not complied with contract specifications alarmed the contractor and persuaded the local authorities to investigate.

Local initiative

In Banga, local radio mobilized community efforts to build a footbridge. Another station successfully campaigned to clean up a big poultry farm to reduce air pollution. Some families and neighbourhood groups have started small pig farms, fish traps and prawn production. In Laurel, Batangas teenagers used the radio to collect donations for the construction of their basketball court. Often people tune in to community radio to find out whether the local bus has arrived! On islands like Batanes, which only has three flights a week to the mainland, it is very important to know the arrival and departure times of local flights.

Community radio stations have made a lot of difference to these "sleepy towns", usually found at the bottom of the development list. They have encouraged people to analyse their problems and come up with their own solutions, with contributions from the local political and administrative authorities. Live discussions on the air ensure a continuing dialogue on issues of concern to the community and perform a watchdog function by making sure solutions stick. More civic organizations are being formed, and new income-generating activities are being started by families and neighbourhood groups. There is a more constructive dialogue with local officials.

"Were it not for Radio Tambuli, the Bangans would still be sleeping," said one municipal officer. "Tambuli has made the big people listen to the voice of the small people." Added Porfirio Bullo, Banga's station manager: "Before we used to just listen to radio; now we are the ones who are listened to."