LET’S GO THE NATURAL WAY

By: Faye Margarette L. Tallow, student-producer

Episode aired last August 20, 2014

Guests:  Ms. Julie Reyes

                Dr. Karen Ubana

           “What am I doing here?” These were my thoughts when I was preparing for my radio episode. I had no idea of what I have to do first, what I should prepare next… I had no idea about anything for that matter. I kept telling myself that this is not what I signed up for, at least not for now. You see, I just transferred from UPLB to Diliman. Though my course was somehow related, I had no background on radio productions and the likes. So, everything I did was all from scratch.

             I was given less than a week time frame to be ready for my episode; and every single day that passed, the thought of what a failure it will turn out just kept dawning on me. However, I can consider myself one of the lucky ones; because for that day, I already had a topic which was about the use of herbal remedy for animals. Plus, I already had a guest too, Ms. Julie Reyes. In addition to that, my professor and the host of the program, Prof. Khrysta Imperial Rara, was there to guide me and help me throughout the process. So, the biggest challenge for me was to find a second guest for the show, a veterinarian, given the short notice. For the first few days, I e-mailed everyone I found online, from professors to experts regarding the topic, but all of them couldn’t make it. When I was really desperate already, I called all the clinics that were registered in the directory along Katipunan. Unfortunately, all of them couldn’t make it nor had any knowledge on the topic. Then, I browsed on Facebook and again, messaged every vet clinic I could get my hands on; this was a day before my episode schedule. You wouldn’t believe what happened next. Someone replied to my Facebook message and referred me to one of their vets, and I swear if I couldn’t compose myself at that time, I would have never put the phone down and stop thanking her. That was it; I got a veterinarian to appear on our show, Dr. Karen Ubana of House of Pets.

           Then, the radio episode schedule came. This would be my first time to be on-air, produce an episode, and write a script for it. I was really, really nervous that day. I didn’t know what to expect. When we went on-air, we talked about two perspectives in the herbal medicine, the maker and the user, with Ms. Julie Reyes as the maker, specifically of an ointment out of madre de cacao or locally known as “kakawate” and Dr. Karen Ubana as the user. We got a lot of insights on how to use alternative medicine for our pets. Ms. Julie shared how she was able to create the ointment. It was because of her love to her pet cat who was suffering from a skin disease that the madre de cacao came to be. We were also able to know some of the different plants that could be used for certain ailments and also the guidelines on using them, as which was eagerly given to us by Dr. Ubana. I am surprised that in a time of modern age we are going back to the basics and a few veterinarians are open to the idea of using it.

            Along the way, Prof. Khrysta would remind me of how I should perform. Then, all of a sudden, I got lost on-air. I was overwhelmed by what was unfolding before me. I got lost, and if I would quote my professor, I became more of a listener than a co-host. I really could attest here the importance of research as a guide and weapon for a good discourse. Fortunately, the program ended with me still in one piece.

           I would never forget this experience in my life. Though, I would admit it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to be, at least I gained a lot from it. I guess it is true that we do learn from our mistakes. I hope I would be ready for my next productions after this. I also gained a lot of information on treating certain ailments of our pets especially for my dog, Toby, who is suffering from a skin disease. I hope that from what I learned, I could help him get better. Herbal medicines would be a good alternative especially if you don’t have the money to bring your pet to a vet clinic; but, as Dr. Karen would say, a vet’s professional opinion is much needed before starting treatment for the benefit of our pets and for us too. Anyway, you could suggest to your vet if you want to use the natural remedy or alternative medicines and hear what they have to say about it.

If you missed the show or want to learn more of the topic we had for that day, just click on the links below:

Episode:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1PghF-6JkFMaUFaTGtUZzFQM3c&usp=sharing

Transcription: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1PghF6JkFMc2NKTXFxcFFhYldHaEg5MW1MR2xhUExDekR3/edit?usp=sharing

News: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1PghF-6JkFMeEthek1XamR0aEwtQ0F2d21YcWU5dVEwV3pz/edit?usp=sharing

Say, “No to Dolphins and Whales Captivity!”

              

By: Arvin Carlo B. Sicat, student producer

Episode aired last August 27, 2014

Guest: Ms. Trixie Concepcion, Regional Director of the Earth Island Institute Asia-Pacific

              When our professor in Broadcast Journalism 101, Ms. Khrysta Imperial Rara, told us on the first day of class that our midterm exams will involve radio production, I got instantly excited because of the thought that popped on my mind- listeners in their homes would finally get to hear my voice on radio. How cool is it right? But what my professor said next just slowly killed my excitement and turned my face into shady. Our midterms would start the week after and I would be the third one to take the hot seat! That announcement terrified me, knowing that as a transferee, I purely had no background in radio production compared to the most of my upperclassmen classmates who have taken production class. But since I am a man who hates to run away from challenges, I accepted it with all pride and courage.

            

            Exactly on my birthday, I was tasked to research about the condemnation of dolphin and whale captivity in Taiji, Japan. I immediately thought that my topic would be very boring because I had no interest on dolphins or whales before at all. All I knew back then about them was that they were smart and total performers in ocean parks. Apart from it, I was also worrying of finding a guest that would explain the issue to be tackled. Too good to be true, my professor added that we already had a guest on the next episode of her animal show! Yahoo! (That was my best gift ever.) She was none other than the Regional Director of the Earth Island Institute Asia-Pacific, Ms. Trixie Concepcion.

            

            To be honest, I took pleasure in the production process, especially the part in which I had to write the script, including the choosing of appropriate songs and quotation to be used in relevance to the show’s topic. But what I found really challenging in this whole production was researching about the dolphins and whales. In this process, I read a lot of articles in the internet regarding the dolphin and whale killings in Taiji. I also had to bombard myself with the information about the organizations involved in this issue in order for me to better understand it. The night before the showtime, I got to see “The Cove”, a documentary film dealing with the dolphin and whale captivity in Taiji. I must say that the last 20 minutes of the film got me. The film served as an eye-opener for me to see the cruelty behind exploiting these innocent creatures whose freedom was being stolen by mankind. This documentary film is definitely life-changing and deserves to be shown in every part of the world.

            

          On the day of the radio show, I was literally shaking as I was walking upstairs towards the DZUP room. Ma’am Khrysta even added up my anxiety when she said that our guest would  be late for the show. Who would be relaxed if the main host of the show would ask you to do adlib while waiting for the guest , knowing that it was your first time to go on-air? But as soon as I heard the theme song of Kwentuhang Pets Atbp, somehow, I gained confidence and started to talk. It was a magical experience indeed! I did not even notice  that our guest already arrived. During our discussion, I was overwhelmed on how Ms. Trixie answered the questions being thrown by Ms. Khrysta with power and conviction. I almost forgot that I was part of the show so I slowly took turns in asking questions with Ms. Khrysta and injected additional information about the issue.

            

         After we tackled the issue about the killings of whales and dolphins in Taiji, Japan, I realized how serious this issue really is. Everyboy should get involved and join the campaign to stop this very brutal practice in Japan. Our guest, Ms. Trixie, also shared helpful tips on how to support their campaign. One good example is ousting local shows in ocean parks that promote dolphin performances."Whales and dolphins should live freely in the ocean because in the first place, it is their right, not their privilege.", she added. The ocean parks all over the world, including the Philippines, import dolphins from Japan and train these pitiful mammals live shows. In this sense, we can show our love and support for the whales and dolphins.

            

         Truly, my whole experience in radio production was something to hold dear. Because of this opportunity, I was able to unleash my soft heart for the dolphins and whales. The way I view life will never be the same now after covering this issue. Freedom is not a privilege but a right and should always be exercised not only to us humans, but also to all that possess life.  

         How about you? Are you one of us in protecting the wildlife animals? Share your thoughts and comments!

If you missed our episode, don't worry! 

Here is the link for the complete episode:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxD95LhnDD1FV0NhOHJ4QWVob0k&usp=sharing

Here is the link for the transcription:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxD95LhnDD1FYnVmUVd6enpQYldlT1RCVjI5Q1hRTGdKNW9j/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the link for the other news:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxD95LhnDD1FdGpxbVloMURFRmFfWjU3Q0xoLXVVekxodDUw/edit?usp=sharing

Surprise! Pawikan Spotlight

By Jeanette May Trinidad, student-producer

Episode aired last August 13, 2014

Guest: Mr Nilo Ramoso (Head of Pawikan Conservation Project)

It is truly a surprise when, on your first day of class, you are already tasked to work on a major production with less than a week preparation. But that was what happened to me. And while it had its difficulties, it was an experience that I would be thankful for throughout my whole life.

Being the first in my Broadcast Journalism 101 class to work on the student productions for Kwentuhang Pets, ATBP., the production was difficult for me in a lot of ways. Firstly, I was not used to the program because it was the first time I heard of it. I usually have classes during the program’s timeslot, so I couldn’t really tune in and know how the program exactly went. Secondly, it had been almost a year since I last produced for radio in my BC 102 (Radio Production) class, and even then, the most I did for an airing program was producing a segment. Fortunately, Prof. Khrysta Rara (who was the host of the show and my BJ 101 professor) helped me with the conceptualization of the episode, and the topics we thought of doing revolved around wildlife conservation mostly, with differences being only on whether the wildlife is on land or water.

But what really challenged me was finding a guest who would be willing to go on air on such a short notice. When I finally decided to push through with making the episode majorly a pawikan “spotlight” episode (which came about after Prof. Rara’s suggestion of pawikans being a possible topic), I tried contacting every NGO related to marine life or pawikans, and even the DENR. The people reply to my e-mails or answer my calls but say they are unavailable. I only managed to find a guest from the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources a day before the episode aired, and it had been through the help of my family (particularly my sister whose friend’s friend is in the Bantay Pawikan in Morong, Bataan). The guest was Mr. Nilo Ramoso, the Pawikan Conservation Project head, and an expert on Pawikans.

Another topic that had taken up my episode was rescued cats and dogs, particularly because Ms. Hanna Sanchez who is a tri-athlete and swimmer had an event coming up to raise funds for rescued cats, dogs, and pitbulls by the Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) group. We also had her on the show to talk about her and CARA’s fund-raising endeavor, but only through phone patch.

Both guests had been, fortunately, very kind and willing to be part of the program, and it was through them that the episode pushed through. The in-booth experience as a co-host of Prof. Rara during the episode was also nerve-wracking in the beginning (especially because it had also been a year since I last went live on air for BC 102), but then it became a thrilling experience for me later on. There were a lot of topics that we managed to cover: from the difference of a marine turtle to a land turtle or tortoise, conservation efforts on the pawikan, the issues involving pawikans like poaching, different trivia like why the turtle "cries", and most importantly the significance of the pawikan to the environment and why it should be conserved. The discussion was very lively and animated, and it was honestly very fun.

At the end of it all, the production experience imparted something big in me aside from learning the details of production. It made me much more aware about animals, about marine wildlife especially in my episode, and how vital they really are to the lives of every person and every organism. It opened my eyes to the pawikan’s role in the environment and the rest of our natural resources, and that it must really be preserved.

And, surprise! Now, I have “Going to Morong, Bataan to see a Pawikan Hatching” in my bucket list.

If you’ve missed the episode, then here are the links to the recording and transcript:

Episode: 

https://soundcloud.com/jeanettetrinidad/kwentuhang-pets-atbp-episode-aug-13-2014

Transcript:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kEolCCCsgBSD2mNP0u0ALi5rO4xqWY27TnmVU8J1vBw/edit?usp=sharing

It's Chow Time!

by Jiru Nikko Rada, student-producer

Guest: Professor Tony Mabesa

It was Prof. Khrysta Rara’s story about the “Agila” episode of Kwentuhang Pets Atbp. that drove these two hopeful students of BJ101 to produce a noteworthy and special episode of the show. Princess and I were given three weeks to conceptualize for KPA. There were lots of ideas at first, probably most types of animals and animal lovers were mentioned during the brainstorming – from birdwatchers to plain dog owners, from exotic insects to marine animals.

Luckily, Princess knows someone who loves scorpions. On the other hand, I had my eyes set on the Dulaang UP Director who walks with his two Chow Chows around the campus almost everyday. It was very taxing to get these two busy people say yes to our invitation. Princess was able to book her prospect earlier while I have to literally stalk and search for the director for three mornings and two afternoons around the campus.

The famous theater director is Professor Tony Mabesa. He lives a block away from where I board that’s why I usually see him with his dogs. My arteries thickened every time I tried to approach him to guest for the show. His presence is very intimidating because my friends who were able to work with him in a production told me that sir has a loud booming voice.

Fortunately on my third attempt, I was able to talk to sir, join him for a walk with his dogs and finally heard him say yes. That day, there were only three days left before the episode so Princess and I had to do a number of revisions on the script.

On the day before, Prof. Rara informed us that we have to focus on only one topic since we have two contrasting subjects (scorpions and dogs). So we decided that we will focus on Prof. Mabesa’s dogs instead of the scorpions.

It was an episode full of laughter. Professor Mabesa talked about how his two Chow Chows, Chimra and Gabby, changed his life and gave the listeners some tips for those who plan on having a Chow Chow as pet.

Horse Riding for Beginners

by Marisse Gabrielle Panaligan, student-producer

Episode 75, aired on March 15, 2012.
Guest: Mr. Steven Virata, Secretary-General, Equestrian Association of the Philippines

Conceptualizing an episode was no easy task. My partner Trixia wanted to do something on farm animals, while I had my eye on horses ever since I read a short fiction work on rodeos. It was a while since we finally decided on doing horses, since we took into consideration what the listeners of program might want to hear about. After all, horses are not your common household pet, not to mention the fact that they are a lot more expensive compared to domesticated animals such as cats and dogs. However, the uniqueness of the topic held our interest. We later found out from our adviser, Ms. Khrysta Rara, that she has always wanted to do an episode on horses, but so far the topic has not yet been featured in the show.

Initially, we wanted to focus on the hazards of rodeos on the health of horses, but we weren't able to find rodeo groups available for guesting. We then changed our topic to horse riding instead and contacted concerned organizations to invite possible guests. We worked on the script while waiting for replies. We realized that writing the script was a lot easier than ensuring the attendance of guests. It was only the day before the airing of the episode that we finalized the presence of our guest.

On the day of the episode, all our doubts on whether we made the right choice regarding our topic went away. Despite being a hobby of the upper class, the topic proved to be a lot interesting to the listeners. Our guest, Mr. Steven Virata, was not able to answer some of the questions raised by the listeners because we had run out of time. Nevertheless, we learned a lot both about the horses and the sport from the very comprehensive discussion on air. The successful airing of the episode gave us a sense of fulfillment as first-time producers.

You can access the episode on the links below, and we hope you enjoy watching.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPlqOCgGvK8
Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=R6U9_HDp2bk
Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lCC7kWW9Sis
Part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3gDwN503VdU