Technology at the heart of community development

MANILA, Philippines - In a small municipality in Surigao del Sur called Barobo, a group of students and teachers is inspiring change in their community through online videos and content. 

Barobo, a coastal community, is home to rich marine life and other natural resources. However, rampant illegal fishing and mining activities have degraded the land, water, and natural habitat of Barobo.

Thanks to Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA), an annual community mapping competition of Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), students of Barobo National High School have taken it upon themselves to raise public awareness about these issues. More than that, their actions have prompted the local government to take a proactive stance on environmental issues.

“Our entries are already recognized in the community. When we published ‘Sumbada: Buhay Lambat’ featuring our local fishing industry, our local government subsequently pushed for the strict implementation of local ordinances and national laws concerning municipal waters protection,” said Alex Mistula, ICT coordinator of the school. Sumbada is an illegal method of fishing that makes use of fine mesh nets and active gears.

On the third year of the competition, the students decided to tackle the local mining industry, urging the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the local government to conduct water sampling on areas that the team had helped identify as being contaminated with mercury and cyanide. Acting on the findings, the local government intensified the regulation of mining operations in the area.

According to Mistula, since the students are part of the change in their community, they become more responsible and empowered. They feel accountable for developments in their community and become more conscious of their social responsibility.

Their participation also helps boost their confidence as they learn new skills such as photography, photo and video editing, and mapping in the course of their participation.

“One of the things I like about Doon Po Sa Amin is the adventure,” said Nhorlex Balbin, one of the team members who thoroughly enjoyed learning new things while having fun with her teammates.

“At Smart, our advocacy is to enable communities through technology. This is why we are happy to know that through this program, we are able to connect citizens and the local government and help them work together for the advancement of their community,” said Smart public affairs group head Ramon Isberto.

Barobo National High School and the local government continue to work hand in hand to address the needs of the community. Last year, the school did a music video entitled Dali nagdi sa Barobo (Come visit Barobo) featuring the diverse seafood available in the locality.

DPSA is an annual search for the best hometown stories which can be about a town’s history, traditions, festivals and activities, places to visit, notable people, unique plants and animals, special delicacies, and local products. The stories are presented through a music video, documentary, short film, or an animation, and are mapped and made available online via www.doonposaamin.ph. Registration and submission of entries are also done online.

The team competition is open to all Filipinos. Deadline for entries is on December 21, 2014.

Now on its 7th year, DPSA is the biggest, longest-running multimedia crowdsourced community mapping activity in the country, generating over 1,500 hometown stories. It is aligned with Smart’s digital inclusion advocacy that aims to make technology and information accessible to all Filipinos. In tandem with Smart services such as Smart Free Internet and Wikipedia Zero, the company is promoting the responsible use of digital and mobile Internet technologies for community development and social good.