The Department of Communication (DOC) has conducted a series of communication campaign activities in line with its three-year externally funded extension project in collaboration with the Mabuwaya Foundation Inc. entitled “INSPIRE to SOS: Investing in Sustainability and Partnership for Inclusive Growth and Regenerative Ecosystems (INSPIRE) to Save our Species (SOS)”. The DOC extension project uses a Communication-Centered Framework for Mobilizing People’s Participation in Managing Community Conserved Areas (CCAs).

Last March 29, 2025, DOC assisted Mabuwaya Foundation in the conduct of the  Science Teachers Training with the theme “𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇, 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄’ held at the Saint Anthony’s College, Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

                The science teachers’ training was participated in by 59 teachers from five departments, elementary to college level in Santa Ana, Cagayan. The training aimed to capacitate teachers in incorporating biodiversity conservation lessons in their science classes. It is hoped that the trained teachers, can help create awareness, inculcate positive attitude and promote action among elementary pupils and high school students about the community’s role on the establishment and management of sanctuaries for threatened species that will lead to forest, wetland and biodiversity conservation.

During the training, participants were provided with the CEPA (Communication, Education, and Public Awareness) materials, such as storybooks, flipcharts, and e-copies of the flipcharts and storybooks as part of a media-based learning aid to support lectures on biodiversity education which they could integrate into the lesson plan.

Forester Marites Balbas, Chief Operating Officer of Mabuwaya Foundation, explained to the teachers the lessons on the Northern Sierra Madre’s biodiversity and its conservation. The invited resource persons include For. Augel Delos Santos and For. Kristine Ranay-Calegan,  BS Forestry graduates of CFEM, who are now presently employed at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from CENRO Aparri. Their lectures provided information on Environmental Laws and Policies; Republic Acts on Forestry and provisions on Natural Resources  Conservation.

Another lecture was also delivered by Dr. Myrna C. Cureg, the Chairman of the BSDevCom of the College of Development Communication and Social Sciences (CCSS) She talked about the teaching materials as part of a media-based learning system developed by the DOC faculty and BS Development Communication students which were distributed to schools to help teachers further integrate biodiversity conservation as a supplementary lecture in teaching science subjects.  CCSS Extension Coordinator Henedina Ponce and Mabuwaya Foundation Information Officer Elisa Gulatera served as the Masters of Ceremonies during the training.

On a separate occasion, the BSDevCom fourth-year students also staged a puppet show on April 05, 2025 among elementary pupils of Saint Anthony’s College. The puppet show presented the importance of the conservation of habitats of threatened species in the community. Jovilyn Mamauag, a DevCom graduate who is now a staff of Mabuwaya Foundation, delivered a lecture on biodiversity conservation to the pupils. She also emphasized the needed support from the people in the community to participate in this advocacy of the government and non-government organizations for biodiversity conservation. After the puppet show, an interactive puppet quiz was led by DOC faculty Rico Martin Dumale, and winners were awarded with t-shirts, stuffed toys, and school supplies from Mabuwaya Foundation’s long-time donor Zoos Victoria of Australia,  represented by Mabuwaya BOT Member Chris Banks.

The two-day extension activities culminated with the contract signing of a thesis grant from the Mabuwaya Foundation Incorporated, represented by its Chief  Executive Officer, Merlijn van Weerd, awarded to two BSDevCom graduating students of the Department of Communication, Pichee Baccay and Erica Laddran.

Dr. Myrna C. Cureg, faculty of the Department of Communication encourages science teacher-participants to integrate biodiversity conservation into their lesson plan on March 29, 2025 at the Saint Anthony’s College, Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

Participants of the Science Teachers Training together with the DevCom faculty and For. Maritess Balbas posed for a souvenir photo during the closing program on March 29, 2025 at the Saint Anthony’s College, Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

Meanwhile, the collaborative efforts of the MFI and the Department of Communication  were not left unnoticed, Dr. Cureg and Ms. Elisa Gulatera received the  5th Lagerwey Awards for Communication Excellence  to Mabuwaya Foundation in recognition of their exceptional contribution to Environment Stewardship through their 2024 programs. This was awarded by the Communication Foundation for Asia during a ceremony held on May 16, 2025, at Lagerwey Hall, Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA). 

Dr. Cureg together with Ms. Elisa Gulatera all smile as they receive the Plaque of Recognition during the  awarding ceremony on May 16, 2025 held at the Lagerway, Communication Foundation for Asia.

(Below) Dr. Cureg expresses gratitude to the awarding body for recognizing the collaborative efforts of the Department of DevCom and Mabuwaya Foundation on its advocacy for natural resources conservation.