OPENING OF EXHIBIT. Xavier University Development Communication department chairperson Evans I Yonson, College of Agriculture assistant dean Veneranda Laroza, and DevCom professor Dr Ma Theresa Rivera frontline the ribbon-cutting ceremony of "Andam Kagay-an" exhibit on October 3 at the LimKetKai activity center.
Text by Samantha Isabelle H Bagayas
Photos courtesy of XU Development Communication
In an effort to raise awareness on disaster preparedness, third-year Development Communication (DevCom) students of Xavier University, in partnership with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), conducted a social marketing campaign exhibit titled “Andam Kagay-an” from October 3 to 5 at the LimKetKai activity center.
Andam Kagay-an featured various DRRM-lensed communication materials dedicated to 11 disaster-prone communities in Cagayan de Oro City, namely, barangays 10, 13, 18, Consolacion, Carmen, Kauswagan, Macabalan, Puntod, Macasandig, Nazareth, and Bonbon.
In his opening message, DevCom department chair Evans Yonson told the guests that the said exhibit was aimed at improving the DRRM consciousness and measures at the ground level.
E-BALDE. During the Andam Kagay-an exhibit, DevCom students perform a skit on how to prepare an e-balde (emergency pail) and what are the essential things to put in it.
Aside from the showcase of communication materials, Andam Kagay-an also featured skits, multimedia presentations, and original song numbers that followed the central theme of disaster preparedness.
The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team 1 of CDRRMO also held demonstrations on rescue operations and emergency medical services during the exhibit.
ANDAM NA. Madam Andam is one of the campaigns at the Andam Kagay-an exhibit, dedicated to the mothers of Barangay 10.
Andam Kagay-an was the culminating project of the Development Communication 28 (Communication Strategies) class. DevCom professor Dr Ma Theresa Rivera elaborated on the background and importance of communication strategies in social marketing.
“We have already moved past the time when we were only making communication materials for the sake of producing them for our audiences. Nowadays, we are teaching our students to be more strategic in terms of producing [social marketing] materials,” said Rivera.
She also encapsulated the process in the presentation of these campaigns such as holding knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) surveys in the respective barangays and understanding various communication strategies to be used according to target audience segments.
City councilor Romeo V Calizo, who represented CDO Mayor Oscar Moreno, also commended Andam Kagay-an for promoting disaster preparedness. ∎
READY TO RESPOND. Andam Kagay-an not only features communication materials on disaster preparedness, but also some rescue and emergency equipment from Cagayan de Oro City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.