RAFID-BARMM PARTICIPATES IN RIO CONSULTATIVE MEETING-WORKSHOP IN ILOCOS
Reports on 2019 first semester accomplishments, communication workplan, and knowledge and strategies in the digitization of library materials were some of the major highlights of the Consultative Meeting Cum Workshop for Regional Information Officers (RIOs), Library Staff, and Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (AFID) Staff.
A team of three from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) actively participated in the activity that was conducted on July 2-5, 2019 at the EM Royalle Hotel and Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union. They were Dr. Kadiguia R. Abdullah, Al-Hadja, RAFID-BARMM Chief, Salembai A. Abdullah, Website Administrator, and Bai SittieAsmairah R. Abdullah, Al-Hadja, MAFAR-BARMM Facebook Page and e-libIn-charge and Broadcast Livestreaming Facilitator.
Cheryl Suarez, DA-AFID Chief, said the activity is conducted regularly not to be a venue for competition or for the regions to outshine one another. Instead according to her, it has been regularly steered to facilitate sharing and adoption of effective and efficient ways and practices in carrying out the roles and mandates of the information sections. This way, the regional information teams shall be able to gain insights from one another on their good practices that can be added to their strategies to improve the delivery of their services.
In this respective order, the RIOs from Region 9, Region 4-A, Region 8, Region 7, Region 11, Region 6, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 3, Region 2, Region 12, Region 5, CARAGA, Region 1, and BARMM, presented their first semester accomplishment reports and work plans for the next implementation period.
Representatives from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS) also shared their significant programs and activities to the group of information officers and librarians.
To intensify the sharing and access to information through the library in every RAFIS, Abigail E. Altoveros, Chief Librarian of DA-OSEC oriented the group on the dynamics and process of digitization and on the other hand, Edgardo Quiros, IT Chief at the National Library talked about the democratization process.
Quiros emphasized the importance of digitization process which is believed to further secure access to library materials in terms of metadata retrieval, delivery or access mechanism wherein clients shall be able to read the materials wherever they are through the internet, format, language and script, and low cost of access for they do not have to travel far to do their readings and researches.
Digitization process, in its simplest definition, is the course of scanning, editing, and uploading reading materials like books and newsletters to make them available and accessible to those who need them through the internet.
Among the learnings gained, RAFID-BARMM Chief Abdullah gave substantial importance to strengthening official social media sites, display of digital ads in identified peers, conduct and establishment of services like “farmers face the media”, “malasakit help desk”, registration to ISO, and production of more audio-visual presentations.
Abdullah said these approaches, from the other regions, are worthy of emulation for the RAFID-BARMM to further improve and ensure the efficacy of its services and activities in support to attaining meaningful and sustainable development in the region.