NEWS

NCAF holds seminar-workshop on Leadership and New Media

The Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, in partnership with the Unites States Embassy in the Philippines and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), held its first ever seminar-workshop entitled, “Leadership and New Media:  Understanding the Age of New Media in Democracy” on July 25, 2017 at the American Corner in De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.

The seminar-workshop brought together thirty-eight (38) alumni of NCAF’s Leadership Journey Program who are youth leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Ryan Bradeen, gave the welcome remarks, expressing his admiration for the participants’ impressive involvement and accomplishments in various aspects of social development.  He hoped that the seminar-workshop would open opportunities for them to link with other young leaders in different sectors and with the more experienced fellows of the U.S. Embassy.

Ms. Melinda De Jesus, CMFR Executive Director, opened the workshop with an introduction to the concepts of freedom, democracy, and the current understanding of social media in the Philippines. She gave a brief history of CMFR which was created soon after the EDSA People Power Revolution as a means to properly organize the media and act as an ethics review body. She then emphasized the urgent need for media literacy among Filipinos as technology and social media continue to evolve and advance.

Filipino journalist and Rappler CEO, Ms. Maria Ressa, shared her learnings as a CNN war correspondent and their uncanny applicability to today’s social media environment. She challenged the participants to combat the culture of fear and intimidation by educating one’s self on the responsible use of social media and by using one’s voice to connect communities and bring about positive change.

The participants were then divided into four (4) groups tasked to create a campaign strategy battling fake news and promoting responsible use of social media.  Each group had to pitch their campaign strategy in front of an esteemed panel of judges namely, Ms. Cheche Lazaro, Ms. Paulynn Sicam, Ms. Marites Vitug, and Mr. Vergel Santos, all of whom were Ninoy and Cory Aquino (NCA) Fellows for Journalism of the U.S. Embassy.  Also in the jury were Mr. Melvin Gascon, this year’s awardee of the NCA Fellowship for Journalism, and Ms. Krista Bustamante of the U.S. Embassy.

The judges then awarded the group with the best proposal a P50,000 project grant, the runner-up with P35,000 and the rest with P10,000 each.   All groups  had until end of October 2017 to implement their project with the help and supervision of NCAF and the U.S. Embassy.

NCAF President and Executive Director, Mr. Rafael Lopa, closed the workshop by reminding the participants to be vigilant and socially aware especially in these trying times.  He said that “in spite of these seemingly dark times, there is always hope” and that “we must not tire of loving others as we have been first loved.”

Workshop participants attend ceremonies at the U.S. Embassy

As part of the Leaderhip and New Media seminar-workshop, the participants attended the ceremonies for the 29^th Ninoy and Cory Aquino (NCA) Fellowship Awards of the U.S. Embassy held on July 26, 2017 at the historic Charles Parsons ballroom in the embassy complex along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Ms. Kris Aquino represented the Aquino family in awarding the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Fellowship for Journalism to Mr. Melvin Gascon, a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Nueva Vizcaya, and the Fellowship for Public Service to Dr. Alinader Minalang, Provincial Health Officer of Lanao del Sur.

After the Fellowship awarding ceremony, the participants were then introduced to the opportunities offered by the embassy to youth leaders, especially the Young Southeast Asian Leaders’ Initiative or YSEALI program.

They also got to know more about this year’s NCA Fellowship awardees in an interview and open forum facilitated by Ms. Luz Rimban, another NCA Fellow for Journalism.

The seminar-workshop concluded with the awarding of certificates to the participants.