By Renen Collao
November 29, 2021 – The Department of Education-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DepEd DRRMS) and Association Youth Environment Journalist (AYEJ) expressed their full support to the advocacy to take care of the environment during the culmination of the second phase of the virtual environmental training for school paper advisers and campus journalists last November 22, 2021.
DepEd DRRMS Director Ronilda Co, and AYEJ Executive Director Val Amiel Vesti honored the youth journalists as they completed the four sessions of The Green Beat Initiative Plus (TGBI+) #LetTheEarthBeHeard, which aims to train campus journalists to use campus journalism to protect the Earth.
“The face of the climate crisis is getting worse, but I want your stories about the impacts of climate change and community’s adaptation mitigation strategies to spark hope that this climate crisis holds for the world,” Director Co expressed during the National Climate Change Conference on DepEd Philippines’ Facebook live.
On the other hand, Vestil emphasized the program’s advocacy, #LetTheEarthBeHeard literally as they used radio broadcasting to spread environmental awareness amid the pandemic.
“This year we are doing radio broadcasting. Ang misyon po namin na ginagampa’t sinasabi #LetTheEarthBeHeard. As I said, we will literally let the Earth be heard through this second year of The Green Beat Initiative, together with the Department of Education, because we are using radio broadcasting as a medium. Kaya sabi namin dito, louder and louder!” Mr. Vestil stated.
The Completion ceremony recognized exemplary performances through special awards where Division of Imus City’s “Radyo Luntian” was hailed Most Outstanding Radio Magazine Show; SDO Quezon City’s “Envirotalks,” second; SDO Makati’s “Let’s Go Green,” third; SDO Meycauayan’s “EarthTalks,” fourth; and SDO Mabalacat’s “Green talks,” fifth.
SDO Imus City School Paper Adviser Ms. Melanie Mae N. Moreno dedicated a poem as a pledge for taking care of our environment – encouraging us to be earth warriors to protect Mother Earth at all cost.
The speakers and mentors congratulated campus journalists and their SPA’s for joining and completing The Green Beat Initiative Plus journalism training. They hoped that this advocacy for the environment would continue and apply to everyone’s life.
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