Agri Info Officers Train On Photography, Success Story Writing

Agri Info Officers Train On 

Photography, Success Story Writing

Information and report officers of the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 6 and attached agencies underwent a three-day workshop on photography and success story writing. It was held at Ilo-ilo Midtown Hotel recently in order to enhance skills in packaging salient communication materials for the benefit of the farming and fishery sectors.

Joselito Villasis, photojournalist of Panay News Iloilo, provided a hands-on training on the basic skills on photography. “You (information officers) have to be a mobile journalist. You may use your cellphone or your point and shoot cameras, not necessarily the DSLR in capturing important photos in agriculture,” said Villasis to the participants.

A field exposure was organized by the DA 6 Information Section wherein the participants were tasked to apply the knowledge they gained from the photography workshop. They took action and still agriculture-related photos at WESVIARC in Hamungaya, Jaro, Iloilo Research Outreach Station and Solinap Strawberry Farm in Sta. Barbara.

Bombo Radyo Ilo ilo station manager Henry A. Lumawag emphasized to the DA employees the need for a prompt response to the media in times of management crisis. “One way to get rid of further speculations is to offer the media men the right and direct information on the crisis or problems confronted by the agency, “he added.

On the other hand, Robert Ladera of the DYRI-RMN discussed the important tools needed by agricultural information officers in order to strengthen its exposure to the broadcast industry.

The regional information officer from DA-Region 11 Noel T. Provido trained the participants on how to write effective success stories and the importance of communicating agricultural development.

Through success story production, “we could invite and encourage the community that farming isn’t just a livelihood but an enterprise as response to the present administration’s call for inclusive economic growth,” said Provido. He has been producing success stories of the Mindanao Rural Development Program, the forerunner of the World Bank-assisted Philippine Rural Development Project.

Provido said the information and report officers should go down to the rural communities, listen to the testimonies and predicaments of every farmer and fisherfolk, and always adhere to the truth in packaging their stories.

Information officers have big role in the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) integration, thus, Regional Agriculture and Fishery Council chairman Ricardo Provido Jr. prepared the said workforce on the challenges and the opportunities of the agriculture sector to this free-trade policy. /MP