A few years ago, I was part of a consultancy team at Silliman University in the Philippines as IEC (Information, Education, Communication) Specialist for the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippine Government. ICRMP was funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Global Environment Facility. Our team, headed by three environmental greats (Dr. Angel C. Alcala, Dr. Ben S. Malayang III and Dr. Hilconida P. Calumpong) was engaged for some three years and handled the Visayas and Mindanao component of the implementation; University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute managed Luzon.

The goal was to establish Regional ICRMP Centers (RICs) in three strategic areas in Visayas and Mindanao: Cebu Technological University and Masbate School of Fisheries in the Visayas, and Davao Oriental State College in Mindanao.

As IEC Specialist, I handled capacity-building for the staff and volunteers of the proposed RICs, among others. The series of training sought to assist them in developing communication plans to facilitate multi-sectoral support, change management, stakeholder engagement, environmental awareness, and development of promotional and information materials that simplify researches for wider public consumption.

One of the presentations that I made is on “The 5Rs of IEC (Information, Education, Communication)”. This breaks down what could be an overwhelming concept of IEC and enables just about anyone to optimise the potential of communication in mobilising communities and inspiring collective action.

This presentation has generated close to 10,000 hits on my Slideshare account. I’m sharing it here as, given the pandemic and its impact on families, communities and organisations, lessons here may be of help in getting back on track.

I’m open to doing presentations and talks, and can be engaged pro bono by student groups, start-up organisations and those in civil society.

E-mail: markraygan@smarkbites.com.