By FRANKLIN Q. DE GUZMAN
Archdiocesan Social Action Apostolate Lingayen-Dagupan
BINMALEY, Pangasinan. — Come May 10, expect an organized group of citizen journalists in Central Pangasinan to give a blow-by-blow account of the election, said to be a first in the province’s history.
“Our Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) volunteers will serve as the media’s extended arms, ears, nose and mouth,” said Archdiocesan Social Action Apostolate (ASAP) coordinator Janice Hebron. PPCRV-Lingayen Dagupan (LD) hopes to have 15,000 volunteers.
On Saturday, 30 PPCRV volunteers from the parishes of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan (ALD) underwent a training on citizen journalism held at the Mary Help of Christians High School Seminary in Binmaley. Professional journalists shared their skills on news gathering and reporting and taking photos.
The citizen journalists will be reporting via a Media Desk. Stories, tips and leads sent through text or email will be vetted before they appear on the Facebook and Twitter pages of PPCRV. The pages will be accessible to media and the public.
“If more people are informed about what is happening through news reporting, the candidates will be more afraid to do evil,” said Fr. Oliver Mendoza, ASAP-ALD executive chairperson.
Organized by PPCRV-LD, the event forms part of the PPCRV’s program to ensure clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful elections next month. The participants will echo the training to co-parishioners who will also be PPCRV poll watchers
Before the training-workshop, PPCRV-LD’s Media Desk entered into partnerships with the local media and VERA Files, a nonstock, nonprofit media organization, for wider dissemination of news.