Ten FM radio stations will go on air by January 2021 in 10 selected schools in Palawan as support for the Department of Education’s Modular Distance Learning that will benefit teachers and students who are coping with the new normal in schooling.
The 10,000 watts radio station that can cover a 7-kilometer radius will be used to broadcast teaching modules by the public school teachers, and it is being put up by Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) along with its partners: The Palawan Tourism Council was in charge of logistics and mobilization; additional funding worth P100, 000,000 for radio monitors was provided by Palawan Chamber of Commerce, Inc.; and JCI Kiao was in charge of strict monitoring.
PSFI Program Manager Marvi Trudeau said that their foundation spent P35,000 to P40,000 per station and they want it to be the start—that’s the very reason they gathered some notable organizations in the province to help in this cause.
“Hirap na hirap din ang mga teachers. I know that they are so stretched in these challenging times, hindi nila alam kung paano nila gagawin ang pagtuturo sa mga bata. Considering the restrictions or the protocols that are imposed to all of us in these trying times, kailangan natin ng bagong solusyon at kailangan nating magsama-sama para gawan ng solusyon ang pagtuturo sa mga bata,” stated Trudeau.
For DEPED Palawan Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Dr. Natividad Bayubay, this is a great way to not abrupt learning during a pandemic. Radio-based Instruction (RBI) is a proven system in Palawan, environment-friendly, and cost-efficient since they have a limited budget for printing paper modules. RBI, according to Bayubay, was first used by the Alternative Learning System in the province during the early ’90s and it is proven effective and successful.
“Kaya po kami sumulat at nag-appeal sa mga stakeholders ng SDO (Schools Divison Office) Palawan, na kung ano man po ‘yung kaya nila, giving them a choice that either they can support RBI, they can provide tablet if they can. Basically discouraging printing of modules. Sa printing kasi ng modules, marami na pong nawawalang papel, tapos destructive po ito sa environment,” Bayubay said.
Among the areas that the 10 radio stations will be put up are Narra, Roxas, Bataraza, El Nido, and some other geographically-isolated disadvantageous areas of Palawan. As per Trudeau, this undertaking is just a start, and they want to involve many local organizations and foundations for the good of our future, which relies on the students of today.
“We wanted to kickstart this convergence. ‘Yung sampu, sampu muna. Hanapan natin ng solusyon yung iba pa. Kaya nga tayo tumatawag ng call for actions [ay] para ma-engganyo ang lahat, and it is costing us a lot of money. Baka puedeng ito ang ma-consider na matulungan ng DEPED na marami pang maipagawang FM station,” Trudeau added.
The said project, called “Tulong sa Bagong Normal: Tulong Para sa Bayani” was launched last November 24 at Kinabuchs Grill and Bar here in Puerto Princesa.