Left photo: NNC Region III’s NPC Ana Maria Rosaldo & NO III Angelita Pasos interviewing Radyo Kaedup Radio Station Manager Maribie Buenaventura during the monitoring visit. Right photo: NPC Rosaldo, NO III Pasos, and NO I Antonette Garcia, meeting with MNAO Analyn Pajarillo, Ms. Buenaventura, and Hon. Shierwin Taay, Mayor of Dingalan, to feedback the results of the monitoring visit.
On the 7th of February 2020, Nutrition Program Coordinator (NPC) Ana Maria Rosaldo, Nutrition Officer (NO) III Angelita Pasos, NO I Antonette Garcia, and Administrative Aide (AA) III Joie Sicat of the NNC Region III visited Dingalan, Aurora to monitor Radyo Kaedup 102.9 FM, one of the 50 Nutriskwela Community Radio stations in the country.
The NNC RO III staff met with the station’s Community Radio Council (CRC) – which serves as an advisory group on all matter regarding station directions and programming. The CRC of Radyo Kaedup 102.9 FM is composed of members from the Municipal Nutrition Committee, Sangguniang Bayan (SB), Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD), Municipal Health Office (MHO), radio news writer and programmer, and radio announcers. During the meeting, the CRC members introduced each of their assigned radio program, voiced out their opinions and feedbacks received from their constituents, discussed the problems encountered during operation, and gave suggestions to further improve the service of the station. The monitors learned that Radyo Kaedup operates 126 hours per week or 18 hours a day, starting at 4:00 A.M. until 10:00 P.M. in the evening. Nutrition programs are aired twice a day, including the segment “Katumbas ay Biyaya,” in which the constituents eagerly awaits for its broadcast. Development programs and updates on news and current affairs are also aired alternately with the nutrition programs. The radio station received feedback from its listeners via text messages and comments posted on their official Facebook page where they also provide livestreaming of their radio broadcasts. Radio Station Manager Maribie Buenaventura shared to the team that the news updates, press releases posted on the facebook page of NNC served as the sources of nutrition information that is being disseminated every radio broadcast. Nutrition information are sourced from the Rural Health Units, Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs), and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs). According to the CRC members, the feedback they receive from listeners through platforms mentioned before are always positive which serves as motivation for them to continue and strive to work harder in the service of the Dingaleños through radio broadcasting. A quick feedback report on the results of the monitoring and meeting with the CRC members was shared with Mayor Shierwin Taay, who is also the Chair of Dingalan Municipal Nutrition Committee.
Mayor Taay expressed his appreciation of the NNC-Region III team’s monitoring visit and affirmed that Radyo Kaedup indeed helped in bringing the programs and services closer to the people. One example he cited was how gaps between the Dingaleños and the Aurora Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AURELCO) were resolved and led to improvement of service of the said electric cooperative.
It is clear that the passion of the Dingaleños for radio broadcasting is really unprecedented and that they are headed to a path towards excellence. As Mayor Taay stated in his Facebook post, “Para sa patuloy na pagtataguyod ng nutrisyon at kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan para sa tamang impormasyon.”
Author:
Antonette Gail D. Garcia
NO I
