A Participatory Assessment of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera in the Philippines

Part I by

Arvind Singhal Professor and Presidential Research Scholar email: [email protected]

Elizabeth Rattine-Flaherty Doctoral Student

and

Molly Mayer Undergraduate Senior

School of Communication Studies Ohio University Athens, OH 45701, USA

Part II by

Cecilia D. Noble email: [email protected]

A Report to the Population Media Center, Burlington, VT December, 2005

1 Part I

A Participatory Assessment of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera in Metro Manila and Boracay Island

by Arvind Singhal, Elizabeth Rattine-Flaherty, and Molly Mayer

Executive Summary

The present report documents the results of a participatory assessment exercise, comprising of participatory sketching and participatory photography, conducted in the Philippines to gauge how avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw (“Hope After the Dawn”), an entertainment-education radio soap opera, engaged with the radio program, deriving personal meanings from its plot, characters, and educational messages.

Three research questions guided the present study. These questions, and their respective answers -- gleaned from our participatory assessment, are provided below.

Research Question #1: What is the radio drama Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw about?

Our respondents’ sketches and photos suggest that they (1) comprehended the various intersecting plotlines of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, (2) could accurately describe the qualities of its main characters, and, in so doing, (3) could articulate its various educational messages: That is, a more empowered status for women, causes of family disharmony and how to overcome it, how not to be infected with HIV, and preserving youth health and responsibility.

Research Question #2: As a female (or male) listener, which scene from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was most meaningful to you and why?

Our respondents’ sketches suggest various degrees of emotional and personal resonance with the key plotlines and characters. The domestic violence scenes between Miguel and Amelia held the most personal meaning for most of our female respondents as it closely paralleled their lived realities. Some respondents highlighted the importance of caring and supportive “parent-to-child” type relationships such as those depicted in scenes involving Kapitana and Amelia and Amelia and her children. Others remembered scenes which persuaded them to stay away from cigarettes, drugs, and criminal activities, and to value honesty and trust in relationships.

Research Question #3: How has your life has changed as a result of listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw?

Our respondents emphasized that by listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw they learned about, or were reinforced in, the following: The importance of taking care of siblings; learning to forgive; supporting others in need; staying away from vices; sharing of parenting and household responsibilities between husband and wives; working hard to support and educate one’s children; and the role of engaging, realistic radio storylines to guide people’s social behaviors.

2 A Participatory Assessment of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera in Metro Manila and Boracay Island1 by

Arvind Singhal, Elizabeth Rattine-Flaherty, and Molly Mayer

The present report documents the results of a participatory assessment exercise conducted in the Philippines to gauge how avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw (“Hope After the Dawn”), an entertainment-education radio soap opera, engaged with the radio program, deriving personal meanings from its plot, characters, and educational messages.

The present report (1) describes the Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw project, including the underlying theory and methodology behind the radio program’s plot and character delineation, (2) lists the research questions guiding the present research, (3) discusses our participatory methods of data-collection, including the rationale for using participatory sketching and photography techniques, (4) presents our key results, and (5) raises implications for employing participatory methods in the assessment of entertainment- education programs.

The Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw Project

The Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw (literally "hope after the dawn or “when the sun shines”) radio project was implemented in the Philippines by Population Media Center of Burlington, Vermont, USA with financial support from UNFPA, Philippines.

Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was a 120-episode entertainment-education radio soap opera, broadcast in the Philippines from July 18, 2005 to December 30, 2005. Five episodes of the program, each 15 minutes in length, were broadcast each week from Monday to Friday on the powerful 50,000 watt DZRH AM radio station whose signal covers the entire land area of the Philippines, some 300 Radyo Natin stations, the largest FM radio network in the country, and YES FM 91.1 on Philippines’ Boracay Island.

Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw’s educational purpose was four-fold: To promote (1) a more equal status for women, (2) family planning, (3) HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support, and (4) youth health and responsibility. To achieve this purpose, four intersecting storylines, each promoting one main educational theme, were created. For each educational storyline, a set of positive, negative, and transitional role models were carefully delineated, drawing upon Albert Bandura’s social learning and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977; Bandura, 1986), and an accompanying methodology to operationalize it developed by Miguel Sabido, a Mexican writer-producer-director of entertainment-education telenovelas (“television novels) (Singhal & Rogers, 1999; Singhal & Rogers, 2002; Singhal, Cody, Rogers, & Sabido, 2004).

Positive, Negative, and Transitional Role Models

Drawing upon theories of Stanford University social psychologist, Albert Bandura, about how audience members learn from media role models, Miguel Sabido, a creative writer-director-producer at Televisa, the Mexican national television network, produced a series of seven entertainment-education telenovelas from the mid-1970s to

3 early 1980s (Singhal & Rogers, 1999; Singhal, Cody, Rogers, & Sabido, 2004). In each of these telenovelas, Sabido incorporated Bandura’s principles of role modeling in carefully delineating the key characters. Remarkably, each telenovela was popular with its audience, made a profit, and met its educational objectives (Singhal & Rogers, 1999).

In operationalizing the concept of modeling, Sabido was well aware that the relationship between a media consumer and a media model goes beyond the cognitive domain to include the emotive and affective domains. Sabido, for instance, knew that audience members engage in parasocial relationships with media models, defined as the seemingly face-to-face interpersonal relationships that can develop between a viewer and a mass media personality (Horton & Wohl, 1956). The media consumer forms a relationship with a performer that is analogous to the real interpersonal relationships. Thus, audience members tune in at a pre-appointed hour to welcome the media model into their homes. Incredibly, some audience members even talk to their favorite characters (that is, to their TV or radio set) as if the characters were real people (Papa et al., 2000; Papa, Singhal, & Papa, 2006). Thus, Sabido designed his entertainment- education telenovelas in ways that viewers could become affectively involved with the role models and learn socially desirable behaviors from them.

Each of Sabido’s entertainment-educational telenovelas has three types of characters: (1) those who support the educational value (positive role-models) (2) those who reject this value (negative role-models), and (3) those who sit somewhere in the middle (or on the negative side) and, as the storyline unfolds, gradually begin to adopt the positive behaviors (transitional characters). When a positive character models a behavior that is socially desirable, the character is rewarded. If a negative character emulated a socially undesirable behavior, he/she was punished. The transitional characters, designed to mirror the attitudes and beliefs of the target audience, carefully watch the consequences accruing to the positive and negative role models, and gradually move toward the positive end of the continuum.

Four Educational Storylines and Character Delineations

As noted previously, the plot of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was designed around four intersecting storylines, each centered on an educational purpose. Patterned after the Sabido methodology, each storyline was delineated by a set of positive, negative, and transitional role models.

Storyline #1. A More Equal Status for Women. The first storyline revolves around the trials, tribulations, and (eventual) transformation of Amelia, who is married to Miguel, an abusive husband with vices such as drinking, gambling, and womanizing. Submissive, sacrificing, and tolerant, Amelia (a transitional character) experiences domestic violence, but continues to stay on with Miguel (a negative character), caring for her four children, hoping that someday he would change. A local woman chieftain, Kapitana Pilar (a positive character), supports Amelia emotionally and provides opportunities for Amelia’s socio-economic empowerment by hiring her as a supervisor of her seaweed farming business. With the wages she earns, Amelia sends her children to school, and saves for a rainy day. With Miguel’s behavior worsening, and refusing to bear any more abuse, Amelia moves out to Kapitana Pilar’s house with her children. Miguel promises to change, they reconcile for a while, and when Miguel returns to his

4 abusive behaviors, Amelia decides to take more control of her life. She becomes a trader of seaweeds, launches her own business in food delicacies, and economically empowers herself. Miguel, on the other hand, suffers consequences of his wrongdoings. He is stabbed by a relative of a prostitute that he impregnated and abandoned, and loses his arm while practicing dynamite fishing, an illegal activity. In the climax, Amelia finds out that she is the long lost daughter of Kapitana Pilar.

Storyline #2. Family Planning. The second storyline revolves around the life of a Muslim character, Ahmed, a hardworking, industrious, and loving man, and his wife Jezreel, who together have six daughters. While Ahmed (a transitional character) gives up hope of ever having a son, his mother, Epang (a negative character), insists on more children. Epang is a traditional midwife in the barrio, and she encourages all residents to continue having children, as her livelihood depends on it. Epang’s antithesis is Dr. Lazaro (a positive character), a kind widower and trained medical doctor, who often treats patients for free, and promotes family planning. Epang hates Dr. Lazaro, and looks for any opportunity to discredit him. When a storm devastates Ahmed’s crops, Epang refuses to lend her son money, but Dr. Lazaro steps in, making Ahmed a business partner in agriculture. Epang tries to burn their crop, but instead ends up burning her own house. Meanwhile, Jezreel is pregnant again and an ultrasound shows that, finally, a boy is on the way. However, just before birth, Jezreel develops pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening condition. Ahmed has to choose between saving the life of his wife or the unborn baby boy. He chooses Jezreel’s life. Through this event, Ahmed begins to more fully appreciate his daughters, and the importance of his wife’s reproductive health.

Storyline #3. HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Support. The third storyline centers around Jeff Lazaro (a transitional character), who is a popular basketball player and known to be promiscuous, and his friend and fellow basketball player, Vince (a positive character) – who is even more popular, and is a one-woman-man. Estella Roman (a negative character), an actress-singer is obsessed with Vince, but Vince is faithful to his girlfriend Esther and not tempted by Estella, even after he and Esther broke up. Jeff Lazaro, on the other hand, is in love with Estella, and because Estella plays with anyone available, they have a one night stand. To break into the movie industry, Estella, meanwhile, has been sleeping around with film producers, one of whom is infected with HIV.

When Jeff learns that Estella is HIV positive, he opts to be tested, finding out that he is also HIV-positive. He undergoes counseling and is put on a regimen of anti- retroviral drugs. He also is careful about his daily nutrition and exercise. His father, Dr. Lazaro, his family, and his circle of friends still treat him compassionately. The girl, who admired Jeff since he started his basketball career and with whom he has a baby, still loves him despite his sickness, and cares for him. They get married, and live a fairly normal life. Estella, when she learns about her HIV-infection, however, has a different experience. She becomes a loner, fearful and afraid of being seen by others. Her family disowns her, and her friends disappear. Her health fails and she is at death’s door.

Storyline #4. Youth Health and Responsibility. The fourth storyline revolves around the life of Paula (a transitional character), who is Eliza’s younger sister, and who envies her elder sister for her looks, talents, and admirers. Eliza (a positive character) is a youth leader and advocate for youth issues. Joaquin (a negative character), the rogue son

5 of the town’s Mayor, likes Eliza, but Paula, envious of her sister’s suitors, seduces Joaquin. Joaquin is a very bad influence on Paula. He teaches Paula many vices, including use of illicit drugs, resulting in Paula dropping out of school, and running away from home. When Joaquin is jailed (as a result of his mother’s – the Mayor’s – selfless actions), Paula goes to the city to compete in prestigious teenage TV talent contest. She does well but does not win the contest as the organizers find out that she is a drug user. Unable to make ends meet in the city, Paula returns to her family, rehabilitates herself, and resumes her studies. She becomes the top student in her school as she models the life of a responsible Filipino youth.

Research Questions

In order to gauge the personal meanings that avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw drew from its plot, characters, and educational messages, our participatory assessment exercise centered on asking the respondents the following three questions:

Research Question #1: What is the radio drama Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw about? In essence, what is nature and scope of its plot, its characters, and its educational themes?

Research Question #2: As a female (or male) listener, which scene from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was most meaningful to you and why?

Research Question #3: How has your life has changed as a result of listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw? In other words, what aspects of your life have been influenced, changed, or impacted by your engagement with the radio program?

Participatory Assessment Methodology

In recent years, participatory sketching and photography have emerged as novel, audience-centered, and low-cost qualitative methodologies for assessing the meanings that audience members of entertainment-education (E-E) programs derive from their engagement with the mass media (Singhal & Devi, 2003; Singhal & Rattine-Flaherty, 2006). Such participatory methodologies offer a different perspective on audience engagement than can be gathered, for instance, through survey data2.

The inspiration for participatory sketching and photography comes from the work of noted Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire. In 1973, while conducting a literacy project in a barrio of Lima, Peru, a team led by Freire (author of the seminal 1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed), asked people questions in Spanish, but requested the answers in photographs. When the question "What is exploitation?" was asked, some people took photos of a landlord, grocer, or a policeman (Boal, 1979, p. 123). One child took a photo of a nail on a wall. It made no sense to adults, but other children were in strong agreement. The ensuing discussions showed that many young boys of that neighborhood worked in the shoe-shine business. Their clients were mainly in the city, not in the barrio where they lived. As their shoe-shine boxes were too heavy for them to carry, these boys, rented a nail on a wall (usually in a shop), where they could hang their boxes for the night. To them, that nail on the wall represented "exploitation." The “nail on the wall” photograph spurred widespread discussions in the Peruvian barrio about other forms of institutionalized exploitation, including ways to overcome them.

Drawing upon Paulo Freire’s work with participatory photography in Peru, researchers have employed participatory sketching as a method to obtain rich, nuanced narratives from audience members of E-E programs. For instance, two of the present authors (Singhal & Rattine-Flaherty, 2006), employed the participatory sketching methodology to assess the effects of an on-going entertainment-education initiative in the Peruvian Amazon, spearheaded by Minga Perú, a non-governmental organization that promotes gender equality and reproductive health. For over four years now, Minga Perú has broadcast – three times a week -- a popular radio program, Bienvenida Salud (Welcome Health) in the Amazonas, and dove-tailed the E-E broadcasts with several community-based empowerment activities for local women (Singhal & Rattine-Flaherty, 2006). In 2005, using plain paper and colored markers, some 30 avid women listeners of Bienvenida Salud were asked to sketch out their perceptions of Minga Perú’s contributions to reproductive health, gender equality, and social change. For instance, one of the questions posed was: “How has my life changed as a consequence of listening to Bienvenida Salud and participating in community-based activities of Minga Perú?” Participants were asked to draw two pictures – one to sketch how their life was some five years ago (i.e. antes, in the past), and how their life is today (i.e. ahora, now).

The antes and ahora sketches of Emira, a 21-year old, including her narrative, was highly revealing:

Antes Ahora

Emira noted: “This is my early life. I didn’t know how worthy I was; I was ashamed, I was sad. Now my personal life has changed, I feel myself as being capable of exerting a public function; I don’t feel ashamed any more, I don’t have fear. I am proud of my body -- my femininity. Before I didn’t want to cut my hair but when I went to live to the city, I cut them. With the trousers it was the same. Now I feel capable to wear trousers; previously I wore loose clothes. The same with the shoes, now I wear high heels.”

Emira’s sketch and its accompanying narrative provided a highly rich, highly poignant, and highly textured/nuanced insight on the long-term effects of E-E initiatives on certain audience members. As noted previously, such insights are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain through structured personal interview surveys.

As both the Peruvian examples of participatory photography and sketching demonstrate, in privileging visual forms of expression, E-E researchers position themselves to question the dominant hegemony of textocentrism that legitimizes the 7 lettered, literate, and text-based ways of knowing (Conquergood, 2002). Participatory sketching and photography validate other non-textual ways of knowing by privileging the performative dimensions of sketches and photographs.

Inspired by this Freirean technique and Conquergood’s (2002) call for incorporating more visual, performative methods, our assessment of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw in the Philippines included both participatory sketching and participatory photography.

Participatory Data-Collection for Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw

Our participatory data collection activities in the Philippines comprised of a total respondent pool of 41 avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, of which five individuals hailed from Metro Manila3, the national capital region, and 36 individuals hailed from the island of Boracay, where the local FM station broadcast the program. Table 1 lists the characteristics of our 41 respondents.

Table 1. Respondent Characteristics. Respondent Boracay Metro Manila Total Characteristics Listeners Listeners N=36 N=5 N=41

Gender 34 4 38 Female Male 2 1 3

Marital Status Single 12 0 12 Married 24 5 29

Age 20 years or younger 9 0 9 21 to 40 years 24 3 27 41 years or older 3 2 5

Education None 2 0 2 Up to high school 23 3 26 College 11 2 13

Monthly Household 33 2 35 Income less than $100 (U.S.) between $101 and $200 3 3 6 (U.S.)

As Table 1 shows, a majority of our respondents who were avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw were married women, between 21 to 40 years old, with education up to the high school level, and belonging to the lower socio-economic strata. Such an audience profile of married stay-at-home mothers is fairly consistent with the audience profile of daytime radio soaps in most countries.

8 Participatory Sketching. As part of the participatory sketching exercise, we asked our respondents, either as individuals or in pairs, to answer the three questions that guide our present research study: (1) What is the radio drama Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw about? (2) As a female (or a male) listener, which scene from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was most meaningful to you and why? And, (3) How has your life has changed as a result of listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw? However, rather than having them respond orally to our query, we asked them instead to sketch their responses on white cardstock using colored pencils. The participants were encouraged to draw whatever they wanted, regardless of their drawing ability, and no rigid time limits were set in order to not rush them. This participatory sketching activity with 41 respondents yielded a total of 67 drawings (as noted previously, some of these sketches were constructed in pairs, especially the drawings in response to the first question). After the sketches were completed, individuals (or pairs) responsible for the drawing narrated what the sketch was about, including how it answered the posed questions, in front of the entire group. These narrations were audio-recorded while translators simultaneously translated the participants’ narratives from Tagalog to English for the present researchers, providing opportunities to seek clarification and/or ask follow-up questions. The audiotapes were then translated and transcribed into English-language transcripts by bi-lingual speakers fluent in both languages.

Participatory Photography. To further assess the effects of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, 29 of our 41 respondents (all five from Metro Manila and 24 out of 36 from Boracay island) took part in a participatory photography exercise. To them, only one question was posed, similar to the third question posed in the sketching exercise: That is, How has your life changed, or what aspects of your life have been affected, by listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw? Once again, rather than having the respondents provide an answer in oral or written form, we asked them to provide answers through photographs. The participants were given the freedom to interpret the question as they wished, emphasizing that there were no right or wrong answers.

The 29 participants who took part in the participatory photography exercise received disposable cameras, and a brief training on how to correctly operate them. They learned about framing through the viewfinder, when and how to use the flash button, how to press the shutter, and how to advance the film to take the next picture. Given each disposable camera yielded 27 exposures, we requested each participant to take about 8 to ten pictures to answer the question we had posed, and the remaining pictures could be of their friends and family members. The participants were given a time-frame of about 24 hours to take their pictures. All participants got the process underway by two to three practice shots as soon as they received the training.

A day after the cameras were handed out, our respondents either returned the cameras to us, or we made arrangements to have them collected from their homes. All five cameras in Metro Manila, and 17 out of 24 cameras in Boracay Island, were returned. After we got the pictures developed (approximately 500 of them), the respondents returned the next day to narrate – in front of the group -- what each picture was about, what it meant to them, why they took it , and how it answered the posed question. In Boracay Island, out of the 17 participants who returned the cameras, only 13 could return at the appointed time to review and narrate their photographs. Coupled with the five participants in Metro Manila, our total

9 respondent pool for the participatory photography exercise comprised of 18 avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw (this included 17 women and one man). Interestingly, some five (all women) of these 18 respondents had never operated a camera before.

Of the 8 to 10 photographs that our 18 participants took to answer the posed question, we asked them to select their top four or five photos that they believed best answered the question and were most meaningful to their lives. Interestingly, some of our respondents chose to narrate only one photo, while some others narrated up to 12 photos. A total of 90 photos were narrated by our 18 participants in front of their respective groups, while willingly and knowingly being audio-recorded. Translators aided the process by translating the participants’ photo narratives from Tagalog to English to ensure concurrent opportunities for seeking clarification or asking follow-up questions. The audiotapes were then translated and transcribed into English-language transcripts by bi-lingual speakers fluent in both languages.

Audience Interpretations of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw

To gauge the personal meanings that avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw drew from its plot, characters, and educational messages, we organized our results around the three guiding research questions. Also, given the understandable overlap in the thematic content of our respondents’ narratives across the three questions, for both the participatory sketching and participatory photography exercises, we draw upon the sketching and photo narratives interchangeably.

Grasp of Intersecting Plots, Characters, and Educational Messages

Research Question #1 asked: What is the radio drama Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw about? In essence, what is nature and scope of its plot, its characters, and its educational themes?

In response to above question, Amelita, a 33-year old married woman from Metro Manila, drew the following sketch (Sketch #1), describing the importance of several specific characters in Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, including their interrelationships in the intersecting storylines.

Sketch #1. By Amelita, 33 years, Metro Manila.

Amelita pointed out that the image on the top left of her sketch is of Amelia and her children. She noted: “Amelia’s husband is Miguel [shown on Amelia’s right] and she is a battered wife who fled from their home.” Amelita continues by explaining how “Kapitana Pilar [shown on the top right of the sketch], a woman chieftain of the community helped Amelia provide for her children and helped support her emotionally.” Amelita also describes Dr. Lazaro and Epang, the traditional doctor, in the lower right part of the sketch, pointing to the dangers of being treated by a non-trained doctor. She also mentions the roles of Joaquin and Stella, negative characters in the radio drama, showing Joaquin in jail on the lower left side of the sketch: “Joaquin is an addict. He’s in and out of prison and manages to escape. Stella is a singer, star. She claims that she has a boyfriend but he doesn’t like her because she’s a socialite.” Ahmed’s family house (labeled “Amad Family”) is also shown in the top right of the sketch, as is Vince shown with a basketball in the lower left side of the sketch. Amelita had clearly grasped all the key characters, messages, and intersecting plotlines of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw.

Liza and Fe -- 24 and 32 years, respectively, and both married women from Boracay Island, provided the following narrative along with their sketch (Sketch #2).

Sketch #2. By Liza and Fe, 24 and 32 years, respectively, Boracay Island.

“Amelia is crying because of the crisis she has been experiencing with her husband. She is having a hard time working for her family.” The picture depicts Amelia [on the lower right of the sketch] standing in front of her house, next to her children, with tears on her face. Off to her upper side, there is a sketch of a smiling Miguel with a beer bottle to his mouth. Liza and Fe also talked at length about Stella [shown on the bottom left side of the sketch], a young woman “who is a socialite and after making poor choices, becomes infected by HIV/AIDS.” They describe Stella as “a very beautiful actress who had a ‘boyfriend’ Jeff although she didn’t really like him. She just wanted someone around.” In the top right corner, we see a picture of a person’s face and torso behind sketched bars, labeled Joaquin, representing his stay in prison due to illicit drug use and other criminal activities. With their detailed sketch and narration, Liza and Fe also provided a fine overview of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw’s plot, characters, and key educational messages.

Sha and Ella, 29 and 23 year old women residents of Boracay, drew the following sketch (Sketch #3), and noted:

Sketch #3. By Sha and Ella, 29 and 23 years, respectively, Boracay Island.

“There is a house w/ flowers, kids playing, and the sun. We include the sun because it ties into the meaning of the radio drama which translates -- The dawn that arises.” Like others, they also described the story of Amelia and Miguel “One family is of Amelia and Miguel. They always fight [shown on the middle-right of the sketch]. Amelia takes care of her family and is responsible while Miguel is irresponsible, asks for money from Amelia, and has another woman. Miguel has many vices, and when Amelia gives him money [coins shown on the lower left of the sketch] it ends up being used for his vices [two alcohol bottles are shown in the sketch on a dining table] or towards women. But a time did come when he went back to his wife. He did have other women….but he came back to Amelia because she still loves him.” Included in the sketch is an image of Miguel’s other woman [lower middle part of the sketch] and a drawing of an empowered Amelia [on the top] working in the seaweeds farming business to help support her family.

One of the most interesting responses about what the program Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw is all about came from a set of 12 photos that Arlene, a 34-year old married woman from Metro Manila, took to talk about her intense engagement with the radio soap opera. Arlene’s first photo (Photo #1) shows a rough road in the wilderness, and her accompanying narrative was brief: “Picture 1 shows a rough road that seems very hard to travel.”

Photo #1. By Arlene, 34 years, Metro Manila

Arlene’s last (12th) photo (Photo #2) shows a paved street, and in narrating it, she notes: “So this is the same road we have seen on Picture 1. It is now better- cemented, smooth and strong.”

Photo #2. By Arlene, 34 years, Metro Manila

Interestingly, the imagery and narrative of Arlene’s in-between photos (photos 2 thru 11) laid out the path and steps required to get from the rough road to the paved, smooth road, including highlighting the importance of listening to radio, relating to the program [Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw], overcoming the vices depicted in the program, parent- to-child modeling, education for children, belief in church and god, and the vital role of mothers like Amelia to make the world a better place for their children and all community members.

Arlene’s photonovela (photo novel), summarizing the key educational message of the program -- primarily from the perspective of Amelia, who goes from a state of tremendous hardship to a state of empowerment -- represents a terrific illustration of narrativity both within and across the 12 photo images. Interestingly, Arlene shot the 12 photos sequentially, showing Amelia’s path from a rough “lonely” existence to one of strength and empowerment. 14

In sum, our respondents sketches and photos suggest that they (1) comprehended the various intersecting plotlines of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, (2) could accurately describe the qualities of its main characters, and, in so doing, (3) could articulate its various educational messages: That is, a more empowered status for women (such as Amelia), causes of family disharmony (including domestic violence inflicted by a vice-ridden Miguel), how not to be infected with HIV (by not emulating characters like Stella), preserving youth health and responsibility (by following characters like Vince, and not emulating characters like Joaquin).

Personal Resonance, Emotions, and Meanings

Research Question #2 asked: As a female (or a male) listener, which scene from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was most meaningful to you and why?

For a majority of our female respondents, the domestic violence scenes between Miguel and Amelia held strong personal and emotional resonance with their lived realities. Many of the married women were victims of domestic violence; and the unmarried ones did not wish to ever be in such a circumstance.

Sketch #4. By Irene, 22 years, Boracay Island.

The sketch of Irene (Sketch #4), a 22-year old woman from Boracay Island, depicts Amelia crying as she is slapped in the face by her husband Miguel. Miguel is shown smoking a cigarette, representing the “many vices” he embodies. Additionally, Irene’s sketch shows Amelia and Miguel’s home “divided” with a wavy red line: “The line separates Amelia from the rest of the family,” emphasizing her lonesome existence. Although Irene is unmarried, she emphasizes that “she doesn’t want to one day become separated from her husband and quarrel with him and disagree with him.” She notes: “A house should have peace and people should try to understand each other and not separate or else the relationship will be ruined. No matter what, you can work through fights and misunderstandings.”

Erl, a 23 year old female participant from Boracay Island, tearfully described her sketch (Sketch #5) of Amelia and Kapitana Pilar, closely relating it to her own life experience.

Sketch #5. By Erl, 23 years, Boracay Island

Erl noted: “In the radio drama, Kapitana Pilar treats Amelia as her long-lost daughter, supporting her, economically, emotionally, and psychologically”. Erl, who herself was separated from her mother until she turned eight, depicts Amelia and Pilar with outstretched arms, reaching out for one another. Her narration highlighted the importance of “children receiving support from parents,” especially in their early formative years.

Ella, a 23 year old woman from Boracay Island, chose to describe another set of personally meaningful scenes from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw.

Sketch #6. By Ella, 23 years, Boracay Island

Ella begins by describing how Paula, a young attractive teenage girl, comes “under the bad influence of Joaquin who convinces her to smoke and use illicit drugs.” We also see a drawing of Joaquin [on the extreme left of the sketch] who Ella says “has many vices.” Appropriately, in Ella’s sketch, Joaquin is pictured next to marijuana, Marlboro cigarettes, and two bottles of liquor. Ella also described how Paula “competes in the national talent search for a rising star, and how she is supported by her sister Eliza and her mother, but betrayed by her friend Beverly. Beverly has another plan for Paula since she was cheated by her friend.” Beverley is depicted as standing behind Paula, implying a stab at the back. Ella, breaking down in tears, emphasized that that she doesn’t want “such betrayal to happen to her” because she believes that truth will determine the future of Philippines, suggesting that current political leaders are not truthful. She continued: “We need to love our friends and in friendship there should be love and trust. This scene meant a lot to me because my best friend betrayed me and really hurt me.”

In sum, our respondents’ sketches suggest various degrees of emotional and personal resonance with the key plotlines and characterizations. The domestic violence scenes between Miguel and Amelia held the most personal meaning for most of our female respondents as it closely paralleled their lived realities. Many of our respondents freely and openly shared the debilitating consequences of their spouse’s vices on their family life, calling for more understanding, harmony, and support from their husbands. Some respondents highlighted the importance of such caring and supportive “parent-to- child” type relationships as was depicted between Kapitana and Amelia (as also between Amelia and her children); some emphasized the importance of staying away from cigarettes, drugs, and criminal activities; and some others stressed the importance of honesty and trust in relationships.

Learning and Impact

Research Question #3 asked: How has your life has changed as a result of listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw? In other words, what aspects of your life have been influenced, changed, or impacted by your engagement with the radio program?

Our respondents answered this question about the influence of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw on their lives in various ways.

Mae, a 29 year old married woman from Boracay Island, tearfully explained the change in her life as a result of listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw: “I learned to forgive from Amelia. I used to not forgive, but now I have learned to forgive.”

Ella, a 23 year old from Boracay Island, noted that she “did not want to make friends because most of her friends were fake and not true to her. However, by having faith in God, she has learned to love, forgive and move on with her life.”

Sketch #7. By Ella, 23 years, Boracay Island

Ella’s sketch (Sketch #7) illustrates the importance of love, unity and helping others. In her sketch we see an image of Dr. Lazaro (in the bottom middle) and below him is a label “Helping the people of Apolayo” (the village in which he works). We see four people in front of his clinic. In contrast, the house of Epang, the faith healer is shown as much smaller, and there are no people around. Ella also said she learned that “faith healers are quack doctors and shouldn’t always be trusted.” We also see a picture of Kapitana Pilar and Amelia holding hands with a label “Helping Hand,” highlighting the importance of mutual support. We also see Miguel entering the local beerhouse with a table and several bar stools (on the upper right of the sketch). Pointing to Miguel, Ella Noted: “All the men that have new women….most of the mistresses will leave them because all they want is a man’s money. A wife, on the other hand, loves you for who you are, not for what you have.” Ella finished by saying that “It is very sweet to forgive….and it is okay to ask for the Lord’s help,” highlighting Amelia’s compassionate attitude toward Miguel, despite his vices.

Several respondents talked about a more heightened awareness about their marital relationships, including the importance of cooperation between the husband and wife in raising children and sharing household responsibilities. Amalia, a 33 year old married woman from Boracay Island, took a photo (Photo #3) of a man drinking liquor, in broad day light, outside of his home, while a young boy and a girl look on.

Photo #3. By Amalia, 33 years, Boracay Island.

Amalia noted: “The man in the picture represents Miguel. The drama affects my life personally so that is where I got the idea to take the picture. The man in this picture is my husband, drinking in front of my kids. He has many vices and is not responsible.” Similarly, Adelaida, a 30-year old married woman, explained that her family was happy until her husband acquired vices: “When he is drunk, he destroys everything in the house. He is drunk at night and sleeps all day. The kids ask why he drinks so much. I have to take care of the family and clean the house even though my husband is irresponsible. I focus on my kids and provide for them even though it really is my husband’s responsibility.”

Jun, a married man of 45 years from Metro Manila, also took a photo (Photo #4) of a group of men, engaged in socializing and drinking.

Photo #4. By Jun, 45 years, Metro Manila.

19 Jun noted: “In this picture I see the image of the companions of Joaquin, the Mayor’s son. Everything starts from here, a little drinking, a little smoking, which develops into graver vices like drugs. And it also suggests that if a person has a form of vice, it can branch out into different other forms, thereby multiplying it. As we can see in the picture, these men are so enveloped by their habit of smoking and drinking, that their characters are already moulded for greater vices.” Jun noted that Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw provides lessons on what people should not be doing; that is, staying away from alcohol and smoking, and being responsible members of their family, community, and nation.

In contrast, Jenny, a 25 year old married woman from Boracay Island, took a photo (Photo #5) of her husband feeding their daughter dinner at their home.

Photo #5. By Jenny, 25 years, Boracay Island.

Jenny explained: “My husband is like the character Ahmed. He helps takes care of the kids and does chores around the house. Ahmed takes care of his family and so does my husband.” Similarly, Amalita added, “My husband and I have a garden that he works on with the children. It is important to plant your own vegetables and plants because they give you money and food. We are a lot like Ahmed and Jezreel because we work together and share responsibility. We may not have a lot of money, but we are happy.” Here both Jenny and Amalita emphasize that Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw provides important lessons for both the husbands and wives to work together to provide for, and care for, the family and children.

Erl, a 23 year old woman from Boracay Island, shared with us a photo (Photo #6) that showed her wading in the beach waters, picking up things from the ocean.

Photo #6. By Erl, 23 years, Boracay Island.

Erl elaborated: “This picture represents Amelia working. She is picking up shells and sea weeds to eat and sell. What she earns from sales, she uses to buy milk and food for her kids.” Erl emphasized that Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw highlights the importance of women taking care of her children and providing for them if the husband is unwilling or unable to (as was the case with Miguel). Women can take care of themselves and their children, empowered and independent from their husbands.

This sense of women not losing hope, despite hardships, was also part of Liza’s photo and accompanying narrative. Liza’s picture (Photo #7) shows a house with a young child crying on the doorstep, while her mother (with her back to the child) does laundry.

Photo #7. By Liza, 24 years, Boracay Island.

Liza noted: “This is my house and while the woman in the photo is me, she represents Amelia. We can see the real situation of her home with her doing laundry while her baby is crying.” She added: “Because of poverty, I cannot fully provide for my children but I do the best that I can.”

This theme of parents, especially mothers, taking care of their children, providing them educational opportunities, and helping them grow into responsible citizens was reflected in the photos and narratives of several other respondents. For instance, Amelita, a 33 year old married woman from Metro Manila took a picture (Photo #8) of a mother walking her child to school.

Photo #8. By Amelita, 33 years, Metro Manilla.

She noted: “Even though the road is too difficult to travel and there is no available public transportation, she diligently walks her child to school.” The photo shows the child holding an umbrella while the mother carries his bag. Similarly, Arlene, a 34 year old woman from Metro Manila, took a photo of several children going to school, pointing to the importance of parents encouraging their children to earn an education: “These are children, the ones who are greatly affected by what their elders. If their parents are gamblers, they will also grow up to be gamblers….They can, however, go to school and acquire education. There are still parents like Amelia who work hard to be able to send her children to school.”

Arlene’s sketch (Sketch #8) about how Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw influenced her life provided an overarching insight into how entertainment-education radio soap operas can spur conversations and contribute to social good.

Sketch #8. By Arlene, 34 years, Metro Manila.

Arlene noted: “Before listening to this program, I was not really interested in following a long-term storyline. However, now I feel differently. I love the realistic storylines and the multi-dimensional characters. Additionally, I feel that the storylines in Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw can be a guide for people who find themselves in similar situations.” Finally, as the “After” part of Arlene’s sketch illustrates, Arlene now feels comfortable sharing the stories and the educational messages she has heard on the radio program with others in her family and community.

In sum, our respondents’ sketches and photos, and their accompanying narratives, suggest that listening to Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw affected their lives in various ways. Listeners emphasized that they learned about, or were reinforced in, the following: The importance of (1) taking care of siblings (as Eliza took care of Paula); (2) learning to forgive (as Amelia did to Miguel); (3) supporting others in need (as Kapitana did to Amelia); (4) staying away from vices (as Miguel should have done); (5) sharing of parenting and household responsibilities (as was modeled by Ahmed and Jezreel); (6) working hard to support and educate one’s children (as Amelia did); and (7) the role of engaging, realistic radio storylines to provide models and guides for people’s social behaviors.

Summary and Conclusions

The present report documented the results of a participatory sketching and participatory photography exercise conducted in the Philippines to gauge how avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw (“Hope After the Dawn”) engaged with the radio program, deriving personal meanings from its plot, characters, and educational messages.

Our respondents’ sketches and photos suggest that avid listeners of the program comprehended the various intersecting plotlines of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw; could accurately describe the qualities of its main characters, and, in so doing, could articulate its various educational messages: That is, a more empowered status for women, causes of family disharmony and how to overcome it, how not to be infected with HIV, and preserving youth health and responsibility. 23

Our respondents’ sketches suggest various degrees of emotional and personal resonance with the key plotlines and characterizations. The domestic violence scenes between Miguel and Amelia held the most personal meaning for most of our female respondents as it closely paralleled their lived realities. Some respondents highlighted the importance of such caring and supportive “parent-to-child” type relationships as was depicted in scenes involving Kapitana and Amelia and Amelia and her children. Others remembered scenes which persuaded them to stay away from cigarettes, drugs, and criminal activities, and to value honesty and trust in relationships.

What implications does our work with participatory sketching and photography have for researchers of entertainment-education initiatives? First, these participatory methods lie at the interface of theory, method, and praxis (see also Morphy & Banks, 1997). In taking stock of the sociology of visuals – whether in the form of sketches or photos – it is not difficult to discern the obvious conclusion: Almost all paintings, sketches, and photos are usually produced by “the powerful, the established, the male, the colonizer” to “portray the less powerful, less established, female, and colonized” (Harper, 1994, p. 408). Through participatory photography and sketching, E-E researchers hand over the means of visual production to the oppressed, the silent, and the muted. While recognizing that visuals allow the “oppressed” to make statements that are not possible by words, E-E researchers should remember that all sketches, paintings, and photographs are socially and technically constructed (Harper, 1994). Thus it is as important to foreground the absence of particular characters or scenes, as it is to explicate what is present.

24 References

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Boal, A. (1979). The theatre of the oppressed. New York: Urizen Books.

Conquergood, D. (2002). Performance studies: Interventions and radical research. The Drama Review: A Journal of Performance Studies, 46 (2): 145-156.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. NY: Continuum.

Harper, D. (1994). On the authority of the image: Visual methods at the crossroads. In N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. (pp. 403-412). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Horton, D., & Wohl, R.R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction. Psychiatry, 19, 215-229.

Papa, M.J., Singhal, A., Law, S., Pant, S., Sood, S., Rogers, E.M., & Shefner- Rogers, C.L. (2000). Entertainment education and social change: An analysis of parasocial interaction, social learning, collective efficacy, and paradoxical communication. Journal of Communication, 50, 31-56.

Morphy, H., & Banks, M. (1997). Introduction: Rethinking visual anthropology. In H. Morphy & M. Banks (Eds.), Rethinking visual anthropology (pp. 1-35). New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Papa, M.J., Singhal, A., & Papa, W.H. (2006). Organizing for social change: A dialectic journey of theory and praxis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Singhal, A., Cody, M.J., Rogers, E.M., & Sabido, M. (Eds.) (2004). Entertainment-education and social change: History, research, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Singhal, A., & Devi, K. (2003). Visual voices in participatory communication. Communicator, 37, 1-15.

Singhal, A., & Rattine-Flaherty, E. (in press). Pencils and photos as tools of communicative research and praxis: Analyzing Minga Perú’s quest for social justice in the Amazon. Gazette, pp. in press.

Singhal, A., & Rogers, E. M. (1999). Entertainment-education: A communication strategy for social change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Singhal, A., & Rogers, E. M. (2002). A theoretical agenda for entertainment- education. Communication Theory, 12 (2): 117-135

25 Endnotes

1 We thank the following individuals and organizations for their support of the present research in the Philippines: Kriss Barker, Vice President of International Programs and William Ryerson, President of Population Media Center (PMC), Vermont; Maggie Cudanin, PMC Representative in Philippines and her team in Boracay Island comprising of Filipina, Shellah, Grace, and Cherry; Jan Bacani of TNS-Global in Manila; Cecilia Noble, scriptwriter of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw; research associates Abigail Fabrigas and Cheska Camille San Diego in Manila; and Indu Sharma of Ohio University for help with the electronic scanning of photos and sketches. Also, we thank the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for their support of this PMC project.

2 Clearly, all methods of data-collection – whether quantitative or qualitative -- have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

3 In Metro Manila, TNS-Global, a market and social research company, identified and screened the listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, provided their facilities for the conduct of the participatory assessment activities, and helped in the electronic scanning the documents.

26 Part II

A Participatory Assessment of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera in the Philippines in Mt Province and Eastern Samar

By Cecilia D. Noble

Participatory Data-Collection for Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw

The methods of data collection for Eastern Samar and Mountain Province match those listed previously by Arvind Singhal-et-al. for Metro Manilla and Boracay Island.

Our participatory data collection activities in the two selected provinces comprised of a total respondent pool of 29 avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, of which fifteen (15) individuals hailed from Eastern Samar4 and 14 individuals from Mt Province, where the Radyo Natin station broadcasts the program. Table 1 lists the characteristics of our 29 respondents.

Table 1. Respondent Characteristics. Respondent Samar Mt Province Total Characteristics Listeners Listeners N=15 N=14 N=29

Gender 11 12 23 Female Male 4 2 6

Marital Status Single 8 2 10 Married 7 12 19

Age 20 years or younger 4 2 6 21 to 40 years 10 7 17 41 years or older 1 5 6

Education None 0 0 2 Up to high school 14 12 26 College 1 2 3

Monthly Household 15 13 28 Income less than $100 (U.S.) between $101 and $200 0 1 1 (U.S.)

27 profile of married stay-at-home mothers is fairly consistent with the audience profile of daytime radio soaps in most countries. Background on Mountain Province and Eastern Samar

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE

Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc and borders, clockwise from the south, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, and Isabela.

Region: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Capital: Bontoc Population: 2000 census—140,439 (6th smallest) Density—67 per km² (10th lowest) Area: 2,097.3 km² (20th smallest) Divisions: Highly urbanized cities—0 Component cities—0 Municipalities—10 Barangays—144 Congressional districts—1

Languages: Iloko, Tagalog, Kankanaey

Governor: Maximo B. Dalog (2004-2007)

Mountain Province is the full name of the province and is sometimes incorrectly named just Mountain in some foreign references. The name can also be shortened to Mt. Province. The province is named that way because it is found in the Cordilleras mountain range of north central Luzon.

Mountain Province was also the name of the historical province that included most of the current Cordillera provinces. This old province was established by the Americans in 1908 and was later split in 1966 into Mountain Province, Benguet, Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao.

Mt Province is famous for the Maligcong Rice Terraces which are just like the more famous Banawe Rice Terraces, with one exception - This Rice terraces were carved from the mountainside and were reinforced with stones. The Maligcong tribe labored harder than those who made the Banawe Rice Terraces, cracking boulders to more manageable sizes, or carrying stones from the river and stream beds in order to reinforce these rice paddies, and thus conserve more water. These terraces are not easily accessible, where one can either hike from Bontoc, Mountain Province, or wait for one of the small jeeps that ply the very rough and steep road to the terraces.

Bontoc is a 4th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. It is the capital municipality of Mountain Province. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 22,308 people in 5,035 households.

28 Bontoc is politically subdivided into 16 barangays.

• Alab Proper • Guinaang • Alab Oriente • Mainit • Balili • Maligcong • Bayyo • Samoki • Bontoc Il (Hon Merriam Falag- • Talubin ey) • Tocucan • Caneo • Poblacion (Bontoc) (Hon • Dalican Saavedra) • Gonogon • Calutit ( Hon Antonio)

Bauko is a 4th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. It is the province's most populous town. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,729 people in 5,266 households.

Bauko is politically subdivided into 22 barangays, divided into the upper and lower areas. (Hon Bonifacio Lacuasan)

• Abatan • Mabaay • Bagnen Oriente • Mayag • Bagnen Proper • Monamon Norte • Balintaugan • Monamon Sur • Banao • Mount Data • Bila (Bua) • Otucan Norte • Guinzadan Central • Otucan Sur • Guinzadan Norte • Poblacion (Bauko) • Guinzadan Sur • Sadsadan • Lagawa • Sinto • Leseb • Tapapan

Surveys on avid listeners were conducted in Bontoc and Bauko. Bauko is the hometown of the research coordinator for this area, Honorable Boni Lacuasan. However, Radyo Natin is mostly heard in Bontoc and barely in Bauko, even though it’s the most populous town. Most of the respondents came from Bontoc, namely, Poblacion, Calut-it, Bonto Il and adjacent barangays.

EASTERN SAMAR

Eastern Samar comprises the eastern portion of Samar Island. The province occupies a total land area of 4,470.75 sq. km. It is bounded on the north by Northern Samar, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the west by Western Samar, and on the south by the Leyte Gulf. The province is composed of 23 towns. The capital is Borongan. The major dialect spoken in the province is Waray-waray. Interestingly, the population of Samar under the 1999 census was 329, 335 (1999), which is a 500% growth rate from the 1995 data of 58,285.

29 Coconut growing is the leading industry. The people also raise cacao, tobacco, root crops, rice and corn for local and regional needs. From the forest, they get logs, rattan, dyre bark, nipa and firewood. Fishing, cattle and poultry raising are also important industries

Brief Description

Eastern Samar had been a significant backdrop of the country’s rich colonial history through the island of Homonhon, where Ferdinand Magellan first set foot on Philippine soil in 1521 on his way to conquer the Philippines for the western world. Its tiny island of Suluan Guiuan was where the U.S. Army rangers had their first encounter of the Philippine territory in 1944, three days before General Douglas MacArthur made his historic landing in Leyte.

In his account, Pigafetta, the chronicler aboard Magellan’s ship, describes the island of Humumu, now Homonhon, in the following statement: “We found two fountains of very clear water, we called it the `Waters of Good Signs,’ having found the first sign of gold in the said island. There also can be found much white coral and tall trees that bear fruits smaller than an almond and looking like pines. There were also many palm trees, some of the good kind, some of the bad. Thereabouts are many neighboring islands. Hence, we called them the St. Lazarus Archipelago because we stayed there on the day and feast of St. Lazarus.”

Historians have since described this part of Samar Island as the “eastern gateway to the Philippines.” The coast of the small province faces the Pacific Ocean and much of the land is rugged with the vast part being forested. The interior part is rough and hilly and covered with dense tropical vegetation but drained by numerous rivers and creeks. Mountain ranges and peaks abound in an interior. Narrow plains hug most of the coastal areas and, in some instances, the banks of its principal rivers and their tributaries.

Aside from Borongan, the main site of the research, focus group discussions were conducted in Basay which is also part of Samar Province.

Audience Interpretations of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw

To gauge the personal meanings that avid listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw drew from the plot, characters, and educational messages, we organized our results around the three guiding research questions. Also, given the understandable overlap in the thematic content of our respondents’ narratives across the three questions, for both the participatory sketching and participatory photography exercises, we draw upon the sketching and photo narratives interchangeably.

Grasp of Intersecting Plots, Characters, and Educational Messages

Research Question #1 asked: What is the radio drama Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw about? In essence, what is nature and scope of its plot, its characters, and its educational themes?

30 Mountain Province Group 1

Respondent 1: Minda, originally from Pangasina, migrated to this place, has 7 children (3 are adopted).

“For me as it is expressed in my rough drawing, the drama is about the life of a family in society. Each character, whether rich or poor can and will experience various trials in life. Nonetheless, they all need to just go through it and they will experience the rising of the sun.”

Respondent 2 : Sharelyn, 25 years old, married, with two children, plain housewife.

“For me it is about Kapitana Pilar, who helps married couples who have physical abuse problems. She talks about things so that family with such problems can fix it, for the sake of the family and for the children. Kapitana Pilar is a wise and caring woman, she cares about women and children.”

Respondent 3: Milagros, 44 years old, housewife.

“The drama is a good program. To me it is about AIDS. You can see that people with AIDS will go to two places, first is the hospital and the next one is the cemetery. AIDS is common to women who are prostitutes. I say, women should only get decent jobs in order to avoid getting AIDS.”

Respondent 4: Michelle, 24 years old, married, no children yet

“The drama is about family planning. It is about a poor family who has many children. The other family is not so poor because they have fewer children. In order to avoid hand to mouth existence, we need to practice family planning. I say, go for this drawing of a little family.”

Follow-up question: “How many children do you have?” Michelle: “None yet.” FFUP: “So maybe you are thinking more of fewer children, right?” Michelle: “Yes.”

Respondent 5: Hazul, 28 years old, married

31 Incidental listener because the family listens to the drama

“The drama is about pathways, the pathway of God and the pathway of man. Man decides and hopefully he chooses the path to life – the path of God.”

Respondent 6: Crizel, 27 yrs old

“The drama is about a Filipino family struggling between good and evil. The drama portrays which family to imitate, which characters to choose as a model and which not to follow, like Stella.”

Respondent 7: Melchie H Sabangan, 52

“The drama is about increasing the common people’s knowledge about life’s issues such as drugs, violence and other problems of society. After listening to the drama for a long time, the listener would have more knowledge about the things that he doubts. The listener will also have assurance and hope.”

32 Respondent 8: Miguel Sabangan, 51 years old, married

“It is about the family. The family should unite towards change and progress.”

Samar Group #2

Respondent 1: Melba Clima

“The drama program is about lessons for the family. The main lesson is that bad people can change to have better lives.”

Respondent 2: Sheryl Capones, 25 years old

“Amelia suffered from the beating of her husband named Miguel. Now, she has learned to fight and survive.”

Respondent 3: Erma Egay, housewife, 34 years old

33 “In this drama, people can learn a lot about lessons in life. Sometimes when we listen, we get irritated because Miguel often hurts and abuses Amelia. We hope Miguel changes even for a bit.”

Samar Youth Group #3

Respondent 1: Camille Ani, 15 years old

“The drama is about how young people pursue their ambitions in life. One approach is obeying what your parents usually tell you –study and finish college. Some would take that path of studying and finishing so that someday one can go abroad and earn dollars and help the family. There is an emerging path now, it’s like a fad.

The drama is also about pursuing one’s ambition such as joining Star Struck to become a star. But just like in the drama, it is not easy. There are those who will be envious of you, there are temptations such as drugs, sex and falling in love. The results may be broken hearts, AIDS and failure.”

Respondent 2: Arthur Bual, 15

“There is future in basketball. But it is important to finish one’s studies, to have your truest friends, to avoid drugs and never ever forget God.I love basketball, but I still want to be an engineer someday. The character in the drama was a basketball player and it was his career. If you are really good and you get discovered, it can be a career. But for me, I would like to get a job as an engineer and still play basketball.”

Respondent 3: Jojo Gonzales, 15

“The drama is about a super hero who warns about the spread of AIDS.”

Respondent 4: Argee (did not do sketches, said he cannot draw)

“The drama is about avoiding bad company or barkada that could lead you to drugs.”

Personal Resonance, Emotions, and Meanings

Research Question #2 asked: As a woman (or a man) listener, which scene from Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw was most meaningful to you and why?

Samar Group #2

Respondent 1: Melba Clima

“As a woman, it’s the situation of Paula and Eliza that is most meaningful to me. Eliza is very good while Paula is very, very bad. Later on, Eliza’s goodness won Paula.”

Respondent 2: SheryL Capones, 25 years old, housewife

“I like the situation about Amelia and Miguel because it has lessons for us. It is the story of common couples who fight and struggle. I believe each couple has the chance to unite and be happy together.”

Repondent 3: Erma Egay

35 “Amelia is often hurt and suffers in silence. Even though it is painful and difficult, she just accepts things. I had hoped she would fight even for a bit and she did. I felt really good when she started to fight back.”

Respondent 3: Erma Egay

“Amelia is often hurt and suffers in silence. Even though its painful and difficult, she just accepts things. I had hoped she would fight even for a bit and she did. I felt really good when she started to fight back.”

Respondent 4: Dina Jaime, 25 years old

“I like it now that Amelia has learned to fight her husband and stand up on her own. I just want Miguel to change too. I would like Miguel to change because the men in our community imitate him and it would be great for them to learn that Miguel has changed.”

Learning and Impact

Samar Group #2

Respondent 1: Melba Clima

“The drama provides lesson for family life. Hopefully our own family lives would not be like that of Amelia’s. Amelia has done everything for her husband, but still she is not appreciated and she ends up suffering from his cruelty. I hope this does not happen to me. I don’t want my husband to be like Miguel. I know it will not because my husband is a very kind man.”

Respondent 2: Sheryl Capones

“The radio program has lessons for us because through the drama we come to realize that is it not good to make your wives suffer. The men should not imitate the example of Miguel. They should realize it is cruel and very bad.”

Respondent 3: Erma Egay

“The drama gives us inspiration that we should not lose hope because situations and people can change. Even if it seems very bad things still can get better and tomorrow comes.”

Respondent 4: Dina Jaime

“The drama teaches women like me how to become a good mother like Amelia. Even though she is suffering in the hands of her cruel husband, she still manages to be a good mother to her young children.”

Youth Respondents on the HIV/ AIDS Issue

Samar Group #3

Respondent 1: Bernadette Asinas, 25 years old, single

Q1: What are the issues about the youth that you can relate to in the Radio Drama?

“The drama talks about drugs and having relationships. These two issues were shown in the life of Paula. Paula took drugs and it ruined her life. She was influenced by her boyfriend, Joaquin. But now, Paula realized her mistakes and has changed for the better. She vowed not to take drugs and avoided Joaquin.”

Q2: What have you learned about HIV/ AIDS in the drama?

“One should not be very trusting with relationships. One should be very careful. Some people have AIDS because they had sex with someone whom they don’t really know. I also learned that AIDS can be transferred through sex and blood transfusion. Stella, the artist, got AIDS. She got it from having sex with too many partners.”

Q3: What did you learn about taking care of people with AIDS

“People with AIDS should not lose hope in themselves. People taking care of them should see to that. I believe that everything happens with the Lord’s permission and situations can change for the better, if the person would choose to straighten his / her life. Even people with AIDS can still have good lives.”

“I say that we should not shun people with AIDS. Now that we know about it, we should be examples of how to treat them properly. We should not avoid them but instead encourage them. However, I strongly say, that people with AIDS should stop having sex.”

Q4: Which of the youth characters can you can relate to? Why?

“I choose Paula because even though she took drugs, she stopped and changed her way of life. She lost in a competition, but she got up and moved on. She is fighting to have a better life. She has refused Joaquin and vowed not to take drugs anymore.”

Q5: As a young person, which scene / situation is most meaningful to you? Why?

“The most meaningful to me is Paula’s quest to become a star by joining the competition. Her best friend Beverly became envious and squealed on her dark past, but Beverly realized her mistake and asked forgiveness. Paula rose up from her defeat and did not wallow in it. She has learned to humble herself. I liked that part.”

37 Respondent 2: Dennis Apura, 27 years old, single

Q1: What are the issues about the youth that you can relate to in the Radio Drama?

“The drama is about drugs and vices. I remember that part in the story where there was a robbery that happened as a result of drug addiction. Drug addiction leads to desperation that later leads to theft, murder and other crimes. It is also about sex and AIDS. There is a wild woman in the story named Stella and she got AIDS.”

Q2: What have you learned about HIV/ AIDS in the drama?

“One can get AIDS from having multiple sex partners.”

Q3: What did you learn about taking care of people with AIDS

“People with AIDS should be taken care of and counseled so that they will not spread the disease. I would also suggest that the public should be informed of the names and identities of people with AIDS so they can protect themselves.”

Q4: Which of the youth characters can you can relate to? Why?

“I like Vince the most. I remember this part where there was this lady who was pursued by a man with a gun. Vince came to her rescue. I think the girl was Eliza and the man was Joaquin. I like Vince because he is good and heroic. I like people with heroic character. I would like Vince and Eliza to end up with each other.”

Respondent 3: Nora (works at the bakery and always listens to the radio)

Q1: What are the issues about the youth that you can relate to in the Radio Drama?

“The drama discusses AIDS. AIDS can be transmitted through sex.”

Q2: What have you learned about HIV/ AIDS in the drama?

“I learned from the drama that if you have doubts whether you have AIDS or not, you should have yourself tested. Jeff got tested as advised by his father.”

Q3: What did you learn about taking care of people with AIDS

“People with AIDS should be cared and given due consideration.”

Q4: Which of the youth characters can you can relate to? Why?

“I like Jeff most because he is sweet and a good son. I also like Stella because she is “maldita” or a crazy girl. I am fond of their love team because I can see myself in them. I also have a boyfriend.”

38 Samar Group #1

Question 2: What have you learned about HIV/AIDS from the program?

Response 1: “AIDS/ HIV is contagious. And it would be very pitiful for anyone to acquire it. “

Response 2: “AIDS can be acquired from having sex with multiple partners. Having sexual intercourse with members of the third sex is also one of the causes of HIV. And this disease is deadly.”

Response 3: “One should not have sex with just anyone if he/she doesn’t want to have AIDS, just like what happened to Stella. I also learned in the drama that AIDS can be detected by blood examination.”

Response 4: “Even young people are not exempt from having AIDS, so everyone should be cautious. I also read that this disease has no cure.”

Question 3: What have you learned about taking care of those with HIV/AIDS?

Response 1: “AIDS is contagious. But I learned in the drama that people who have AIDS should not be discriminated against. They should be given support especially from their family, like in the case of Jeff.”

Response 2: “For me, having AIDS does not mark the end of life. One just needs to have strong will and faith in God. He/she should also be supported by his/her family. A person who has the disease should never lose trust on herself/himself. He/she should learn to fight. “

Response 3: “One of our neighbors was rumored to have AIDS and was driven out by her relatives. She didn’t know where to go. One day, we just learned about her death at the Manila General Hospital. That was very pitiful. Her family should not have treated her that way, for she only went abroad to get a job to sustain her family. They should not have let her down when she got ill.”

Response 4: “The days of people who have AIDS are already numbered and so they deserve to be taken care of very well. If the family can’t afford the expenses, it is ok, just never leave and take the person for granted.”

PHOTO NARRATION Group #2 Borongan, Samar

39 BERNADETTE ASINAS- Samar

Photo 1 This is me. I am the one that was affected by the drama. It is my view about drug abuse and immature love relationships. I can sympathize with Paula, the way she was influenced by Joaquin, the manner that she got hooked on drugs. Young women tend to do anything if they are crazily in love. I don’t want that to happen to me and my sisters.

Photo 2 This is my neighborhood. It is a poor neighborhood and families have many children, more what they could provide for. Aside from poverty, there are other problems but the people have learned to take it in strides. You can always see smiling faces in our neighborhood despite the problems of life. Women and men have been listening to the radio drama and I hope people will apply what they have learned.

Photo 3 These are the young people in my neighborhood. The young woman in the middle is an avid listener and the rests have been listening too, but not as regular. They all enjoy the stories in Sa Pagsikat ng Araw and they don’t want it to end.

Photo 4 This is my sister’s house. I was encouraging her to be part of the survey on sa Pagsikat ng Araw. On the background is another listener Nora.

Photo 5

41 This is my friend Nora who works in the bakery. She is an avid follower of radio drama. She listens from the bakery.

Photo 6 Nora is talking to one of her co-workers in the bakery who is a passive listener of the radio drama as her radio is often turned on.

In sum, my life, family and friends have all been affected by the radio program “Sa Pagsikat ng Araw” Some are regular and some are passive listeners. They do not mind that it is in Tagalog, but they wish there were a Waray drama too.

ERMA EGAY - Samar

Photo 1 This is me doing my household chores, the most common of which is taking water from the deep well pump. I can imagine that Amelia has so many household chores and has to take care of many children, just like me. But she has to endure the beatings from Miguel. I don’t have that problem and the drama has made me appreciate my life because I realize that there are other women who have more problems and are in more difficult situations that I am in.

Photo 2 This is me again and three of my children. They love photo shoots. They always pose, especially my daughter. Sometimes, when I scold or reprimand my children, I would quote situations from the drama – they seem that real to me. I would tell my daughter to study hard so she could marry a learned man and not someone like Miguel.

Photo 3 I am pregnant again. I was affected by the situation of Jezreel’s pregnancy because she also had too many children and she has grown weaker and her pregnancy has become more complicated. I feel the same thing, I feel becoming weaker not only because of so many pregnancies but because of the fact that I have to take care of them all. And our house is really too small to handle a big family.

Photo 4 This is me cooking our dinner. Mealtimes are always a challenge for me. How to feed my family given my husband’s very meager earnings? I wish I had known about family planning before.

Photo 5 This is my youngest daughter who wants to be like Paula who joined the Star Search. She said, she just would like to try and if she loses it is okay, she will not be too disappointed.

MELBA CLIMA - Samar

Photo 1 44 This is Dina, a neighbor who is an avid listener of Sa Pagsikat ng Araw. Dina has deformed face, but this has not been a hindrance for her in becoming a jolly person. She is a woman of hope, that maybe explains the reason why she loves sa Pagsilkat ng Araw, because it is about not losing hope no matter what

Photo 2 This is Dina and her three children. This is where they live. She has a transistor radio where she listens to all the drama in Radyo Natin. There are other women like Dina who are drama fanatics.

Photo 3 This is Dina at the water pump taking a pail of water for her family

45 SHERYL CAPONES – Samar

Photo 1 This is me posing behind our little sari-sari store built in our hut. I take care of this little business as I only stay at home. Because I stay at home, I can always listen to the radio drama and have followed Sa Pagsikat ng Araw. There is very little income derived from the sari-sari store and I wish there is something more that I could do. Amelia is into seaweeds and sells rice cakes as well. It is my biggest dream that my business will expand. That is quite impossible to think of at the moment but I never stop dreaming.

Photo 2 As you can see, another photo of my little business. Children mostly buy from me. They like the chips and candies. There are so many children here and that is due to the lack of family planning practice. I wish people would learn from the drama and consult doctors like Dr. Lazara and not just rely on “traditional birth attendants”. I have only one child and I intend to space my births. Hopefully my husband will cooperate.

Photo 3 46 This is my sister and her three children. She is breastfeeding her youngest. She also listens to the drama and I hope she also would adopt family planning. She is supposed to have four children, but one died of measles complications. It is so hard when you don’t have money and an illness occurs in the family. I hope she also learned much from the radio drama.

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION PHOTO NARRATION

Samar, Group #1, Dec 26, 2005

JOSIE MAGSISI, 30 years old, married, a regular listener of the radio drama.

Photo 1 In the picture you’ll see a family with a lot of children. To them, the effect of the drama is some knowledge on how to control the birth spaces of their children.

Photo 2 This is my neighbor. Through the program, the parents of these children have learned about family planning. They have two kids and they are planning to stop having more.

47 RAFAELITO, 25 years old, married

. Photo 1 As a result of listening to the drama, I tend to just focus on my roosters and to avoid drugs. (Rafaelito is into sabong, or cock-fighting). Another effect of the drama is more time spent taking care of these animals as a hobby and source of additional income.

Photo 2 This man is a friend and he is serious in his job as a public utility driver. He wants to provide for his children. He has vices too, but does not neglect his family. His wife is lucky, he is not the Miguel type.

ARLETA, 35 years old

Photo 1 The effect of the drama is a happy relationship like what you see in this picture. These are my neighbors and they have a relationship, sweethearts.

Photo 2 In the picture you can see a child and a grandmother cleaning their garden/surroundings. They live a harmonious life even though the woman is living without her husband. She is like Amelia.

Photo 3 Like Amelia this woman maximizes her free time with her children. When she is not away at work, she spends time with them. I try the same thing with my children.

CAMILLE ANI, 15 years old Camille is an incidental listener. She has a 5 year old retardate brother, paralyzed and cannot speak but can hear. This brother’s name is NJ, whom they expose to the radio drama so he could listen to human voices. They listen to all the dramas on Radyo Natin and because of this Camille came to know about the story of Paula and Eliza in the drama sa Pagsikat ng Araw. Camille is in her third year of high school and plans to go abroad like her mother after finishing her studies.

Photo 1 A Bicycle and a tree. The tree symbolizes life. Each person has a life that is destined to face tragedies and successes. The bicycle symbolizes a game, a sport, for life is also like that, you either win or lose.

Photo 2 Me and my education. I study hard to achieve what my mother, now working in Saudi Arabia, dreams of me.

Photo 3 This is my uncle and his friend Jeff. This picture illustrates how friend trust each other, how they empathize and help each other, just like what Vince and Jeff did.

Photo 4 Langka (Jackfruit, a native fruit) Whatever you sow, you shall reap. So it is in life. Vince and Eliza were obedient, responsible and diligent. In turn, they achieved success and a good life.

Photo Narration

Mt. Province Youth Group #1

MARY ANN, 14 years old

Photo 1 This is me taking care of my youngest brother called Ading while my mother works. I don’t have a father who takes care of us. So in a way, we are like Amelia’s family. Amelia works and provides for her children. Her children help her, too. We are like that in our family, we help each other.

Photo 2 This is me again doing household chores. I am boiling water here. We use firewood in cooking. This is my way of helping my mother. I saw in Amelia how hard the life of my mother is, being a single parent and taking care of all of us six children.

Photo 3 This is Adeng Warren again and me. This is our house. I can imagine that Amelia’s house is like ours, too. They are poor. The drama affected my view of our poverty. One can be poor and have many problems and still have a good life. Hardship teaches a person how to be strong like what happened to Amelia and Kapitana Pilar.

EMIE DUNGO, 23

Photo 1 This is my stepfather and his grandchildren. My stepfather is the father of my husband. I had hoped that he has listened to the drama that I always play in the house. It is my prayer that he has listened to the story of Amelia and Miguel, and he will be able to counsel his son, my husband to change.

Photo 2 This is my grandmother who stays with me. She also listens to the drama and helps me take care of the three children in the house while I work. Two of the children are mine, the third one is an abandoned kid. It is especially difficult because this third child is retarded

Photo 3 This is me. I am walking towards my house. I feel good to have a friend take this picture. The feeling of being free came back to me, as if I am single again enjoying my youth. I saw myself in Amelia, who married young and suffered young. But she grew to be strong and learned to survive.

Photo 4 This is me and my eldest son. I hope to be able to give my children a good future the way Amelia did to her children.

Photo 5 This is me and my son again. I love him very much and I hope to give him a good future. I don’t think my husband shares this dream for our children. (Crying) Actually, I see myself in Amelia. Like her, I work and take care of the children. My husband takes my earnings by force and wastes them in gambling. (Breaks down in tears) I saw in the drama that sometimes the husband won’t change at all and therefore the woman should be the one to change, to grow strong and fight for the future of her family. I hope my husband grows up and changes, but I cannot wait for that. I have to do something because my children need me.

VANESSA, 13 years old

Photo 1 This is me taking care of my sisters’ baby and our niece. My sister is the one who makes me listen to the drama. I am reading at the same time. The drama has taught me to study hard because I need it for my future.

Photo 2 This is me teaching my nieces how to pray. The drama has taught me that life is really hard but God is there to help people who help themselves like Amelia.

56 MT PROVINCE HOUSEWIVES GROUP

PURING, 68 years old

Photo 1 This is me and my husband. I am 68 and my husband is 66. We have survived more than 40 years of marriage.

Photo 2 This is me and my radio. I listen to the radio all day long. I follow the drama series because I like the way they bring out the good lessons about life.

Photo 3 This is me cooking our lunch. Even though I do my household chores, I keep on listening to the radio. It’s a whole day thing for me. From sunrise to sunset.

57 VIRING, 51

Photo 1 This is a photo of me in my little store. Like most of the characters in the drama, I am a widow. I engage in all kinds of work and business so I can give a good future to my children. They are grown up now, the youngest is 19.

Photo 2 These are my grandchildren playing basketball. I hope they grow up as good boys and will not try drugs.

Photo 3 These are my other grandchildren in front of their colorful house. My daughter works abroad as a domestic helper in Dubai, and the husband takes care of the children. I help take care of the children, too. As a result of the drama, I am more diligent in overseeing the welfare of my grandchildren. I don’t want the tragedy that happened to Pilar to

58 happen to my daughter. My son-in-law doesn’t want my over-protectiveness, but I said to myself, better to be strict than sorry.

ELSIE

Photo 1 This is me and you can also see in the background the fighting cocks that I am raising. I sell these. But sometimes, those who want them just steal them. I lost 6 fighting cocks to the gamblers here in our barangay. Well, I don’t know really, I hate gamblers but I make a living out of the fighting cocks. My own children, NO, I don’t want them to gamble. In the drama, it was Miguel who was the gambler and it has made his family poor and miserable.

Photo 2 I remember Miguel the drunkard. Maybe he was named after San Miguel beer. This was part of the Noche Buena of my neighbors. It has made them very rowdy last Christmas eve. There were more of these actually.

59 MILA, 35 years old

Photo 1 This photo is about me and my role as wife and mother.

Photo 2 These are my children. As a result of listening to the drama, I think I will only have two. I plan to consult at the health center for family planning.

MILAGROS, 44 years old, married

Photo 1 The husband and wife in the picture are living a miserable life then. They often quarrelled with each other. But listening to the program helped them live a more peaceful and harmonious marriage life.

Photo 2 Here you can see young people playing basketball. Instead of engaging in vices and drug addiction, they spend time playing sports.

MICHELLE BOTALON, 24 years old

Photo 1 This is a family abandoned by their deceased father. Listening to the drama helped them move on and continue their lives.

Photo 2 This one is the grand mother and this is her grandson. They are asking for help. They agreed to be photographed hoping someone will notice and help them.

61 MINDA OGANIA, 39 Years old

Photo 1 This is my daughter Mycel in our mini grocery or “sari-sari store”. My husband is an overseas contract worker and I support him by managing this mini store. I think it is important for a woman and a mother to have some income and not to be fully dependent on the husband. The ability to earn money boosts my confidence and I believe that’s what happened to Amelia. When she was finally earning money she thinks she can survive, that’s when she learned to fight her cruel husband. I finished college but my husband wants to just take care of the children, now seven, but at least he supports my little business.

Photo 2 These are two of my children. The second to the youngest boy and the youngest girl and I think I don’t want to have any more children. I have four, plus three adopted ones left with me by my brother, and I had no choice. I wish they had listened to the drama and learned how to properly take care of their family.

Photo 3 This is me. I am originally from Pangasinan, but my husband is from here (Bontoc) that is why we moved here. We had planned on migrating to Pangasinan but life is much easier here because we have a field and I have some business. The radio drama has kept me abreast with societal issues and I like that. I hope we continue to have good drama programs like these that are not just fully for entertainment but also have good lessons to impart.

Summary and Conclusions

In summary, our respondents’ sketches and photos suggest various degrees of emotional and personal resonance with the key plotlines and characterizations. The domestic violence scenes between Miguel and Amelia meant the most for most women respondents, while the misadventures of Paula and Joaquin resonated most with the youth respondents.

In addition, the role of community leaders mattered most to the adult respondents, especially the men and older women. They admired the Mayor who had Joaquin, her son, jailed due to drug pushing. Housewives on the other hand admired Kapitana who supported the struggling Amelia. The barangay hall was vividly depicted in sketches and this underscores the role of community leaders in the life of trouble families.

Many of our respondents openly shared the consequences of their husband’s vices on their family life. Some respondents highlighted the importance of caring “parent-to- child” type relationships as was depicted between Kapitana and Amelia, and between Amelia and her children. The perseverance of the sister-to-sister relationship between Eliza and Paula was important, as this is characteristic of the Filipino family, regardless of geographic location.

Older mothers who have teenage children, and youth respondents emphasized the importance of staying away from bad company, drugs, and criminal activities. Some also stressed the importance of fidelity and trust in relationships.

Overall, akin to the responses in Metro Manila and Boracay Island, respondents’ sketches and photos in Mt Province and Eastern Samar suggest that avid listeners of the program comprehended the various intersecting plotlines of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw; and could accurately describe the qualities of its main characters. Respondents could also articulate the various educational messages of the soap opera: including gender equality, causes of family disharmony and how to overcome it, how not to be infected with HIV, and staying away from bad company and drugs. Not much difference was observed in the responses between the Manila, Boracay, Mt Province and Eastern Samar respondents. The issues and positive outcomes presented in the drama resonated to most of the target audiences regardless of local culture and geographical location.

References

Philippines Department of Tourism Website, “WOWPhilippines.” (2006) http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/

Endnotes

1 Clearly, all methods of data-collection – whether quantitative or qualitative -- have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

2 In Mt Province and Eastern Samar, the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (League of Barangay Chieftains), a non-profit political organization with a network of 42,000 barangay chieftains, identified and screened the listeners of Sa Pagsikat Ng Araw, provided the facilities to conduct the participatory assessment activities, and helped coordinate the focus group discussions.

3 Ms Cheska San Diego helped in translating transcripts.

4 Sincere acknowledgments go to Hon James Marty Lim, Hon Ed Tiongson, Hon Boni Lacuasan (Mt Province) and Hon Joseph Escober (Samar Province).