SORSOGON, November 17, 2021 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in Bicol Region initiated training on effective technical writing, documentation, and interviewing to upskill all SAAD staff in covering project implementation activities and doing story write-ups.

On November 4, the SAAD Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon program implementers attended the training conducted in Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon.

Jay Ogaya, Information Officer (IO) of SAAD Masbate, shared “Sana matuto hindi lang IOs, pati na rin ang mga Area Coordinators (ACs) in writing technical outputs and conducting interviews (I hope that not only the IOs but even the ACs will learn in writing technical outputs and conducting interviews).”

Francois Detera, Master Teacher I and Technical Editor of The Premier Page in Sorsogon National High School, emphasized that collaboration is one of the key elements to produce quality output.

The disciplines discussed by Mr. Detera include effective technical writing in the workplace and managing the documentation and publication and the behavioral event interviewing (BEI) process.

The BEI is the sourcing of information that centers on the principle that past performance and behavior predict future performance and behavior of an individual. This can be used to resolve conflicts or issues in the organization or association.

Meanwhile, Mayreen Origines Janer, Teacher III and Focal Person of The ABM Journal in Sorsogon National High School, covered the topic of photo and video documentation.

The speakers also reiterated the importance of creating concise and accessible articles taking into consideration the target audience.

Mr. Detera and Ms. Janer prepared conditioning activities such as basic grammar review and photo essay as a supplement to the topics presented.

Dr. Mary Grace DP. Rodriguez also showed full support by attending the activity and expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the speakers and participants.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa satong speakers, sa mga nag attend sa activity na ini. Minsan na lang kita magkahirilingan kaya nauugma ako na yaraon kamo digdi ngunyan, sana dakol kamo manudan (I am grateful to our speakers, and to the participants of this activity. We barely see each other so I am happy that you are here, I hope you learn a lot from this).”

The DA-SAAD communication strategy generally focuses on communicating the program’s undertakings, influencing decision-makers, and to fulfill the responsibility of transparent communication to the public.

The training is part of the SAAD Bicol-led activities that aim to capacitate SAAD hired staff involved in the implementation of the program in the region.

Further, the DA-SAAD Bicol intends to conduct other training activities for its staff in 2022. ###

Writer: Angelica A. Blanco, RPMSO Information Officer

Sources: RPMSO & PPMSO Sorsogon

Photos: Pauline Trixia D. Borja & RPMSO