"Some people look for a beautiful place. Other make a place beautiful."
- Hazrat Inayat Khan.
In a well-preserved barangay, located in the province of Bulacan, with 4,152 population maling it the 4.03% of the total population of San, Rafael— the Barangay of Talacsan has always been the center of the eyes of either the people who desires to live on a place where there is a touch of provincial non-toxic lifestyle or the people who wants to start an investment and business to an outlying places, not to mention the probability of having a credit for its development progress for the next coming years. During the pandemic, tourist's spots were discovered in Talacsan. For example, the San Rafael River Adventure and the Talacsan Park. And that is why the Barangay who used to be concealed are now being visited by a lot of people. Without a doubt and with certainty, it is now the "some people look for a beautiful place" referring to.
Now speaking of the people, those who are living in Talacsan, just like all the situations on any other provinces, most people here are all relatives. A whole compound could consist every generations and even the extended families. People are tight, values are respectfully being followed, and news and information does not need a flying ear to spread a word. That's how small the Barangay Talacsan is and how relevant the people are. Even the officials of the Barangay, no matter how many terms came in, every one of them runs a blood line of the families originated in the community. Basically, the residents and the local officials complimented each other due to their shared connection throughout the years and the history talking itself. And so, they are "the others [that] make a place beautiful."
Nevertheless, the times gone by of the community might be admiring and systematic, but that doesn't mean that a problem is not occuring and entering the frame. As we endeavor this last sequence on my take addressing the community of Barangay Talacsan, I'm hoping for an action and a clear vision towards the perceptions between the residents and their local officials.
On the first article published in the series entitled "Talacsan: Takes on the Citizen", the insights from the respective views of the citizen of the community were featured and highlighted with proper centralism. By the use of google form, an interview was conducted. The respondents was able to have the opportunity through the produce questionnaires to retain transparency on their answers with both negative and positive assessments in the direction of the system within the community. 9 people was kind enough to give us time to reflect and share their thoughts and opinions with the assurance of their data privacy.
Figure 1. The responses of the residents regarding the issues that they would most likely want to address.
When asked about the good qualities of the community the frequent answers are: quiet and not crowded, respectful, the progression of projects, and cleanliness. And if they were given a chance to address an issue in the community, 3 out of 9 people established that they want to focus on the lack of communication between the residents and the local officials. 5 respondents discuss issues such as noises of neighbors, pending post of electricity, schedule of garbage collections, and a few cases of stealing, which will then also lead to the end of lack of connection within the officials and the residents. How the tables have turned from being a systematic and complementing course of the people and their officials, to the absence over the years period.
"Talacsan: The forgotten Bayanihan" which finally focuses to the standpoint of the Barangay Officials of Talacsan. Almost the same questions were given and 2 officials gradually accepted the invitations for an interview— the Barangay Secretary and a Barangay Health Worker. Surprisingly, both have collectively answered lack of communication for the question on what issue in the community they would most likely want to address, they even used the terms "Bayanihan" and "Unity" to create a clarity on their statements. This article shows a well determined and balance arguments from the residents and now the local officials
Figure 2. The initial summary from the interview with the people and the officials.
An example of the major negative feedback of this unresolved absence of connection is how the usage of the application of Facebook can bevome a public instrument to rant out and indirectly incursion people instead of straightening out the issue to the people who are supposed to be in charge within the community.
Figure 3. A facebook post of a citizen in Talacsan mentioning a poultry farm.
In the Figure 3, a citizen from the Brgy. Talacsan ranted out about the massive attacks of flied from a poultry farm near the residential area that is pestering the community. In regards to this issue, this is an example of when a community does not have a connection with their people. Most prefer publicity act where they can be heard as a substitute of gaining a solution and closure if they bring it to the in charge in the community.
From then on, I started to visualize the points of both sides. Out of the 11 chosen interviewee (9 residents and 2 barangay officials), only 1 declared a satisfaction with the current state of the community. In contrast to the other respondents who specified the lack of communication that often leads to confusion, inconsistency, and misunderstandings. I believe that the leading problem is also from the privation of conversational method— in terms of opinions, perspective, and propose ideas. It was rather mainly ignored or may not have been heard. The people who are not having the appropriate platform to voice out. Thus, the officials at the moment does not have the proper resources to connect with the people. Resulting to what we can assume as a dead air within the community.
Figure 4. An assembly meeting in the Brgy. Talacsan.
A turn over sequence where there will be no absence of anything using the alternative ways of improving the vision of the community was set including their stands on the path they wanted to take, and we are also talking about any forms of communicated and balance approach. I, myself, would want to propose is (1) to have a recommendation/suggestion box that can be located at the barangay hall and is accessible for 24/7 for the residents feedback, and (2) to conduct a weekly or monthly assembly meeting handled by the local officials to inform and update their people on the state of the community and is absolutely not mandatory but open for everyone who wants to engage and be part of it.
A formula to address both sentiments.
Figure 5. The current captain of the community having a speak. (ctto. Barangay talacsan, SRB. official fb page)
The method and the outcome of this final report leads to the rheostat of a citizen journalism. An establishment of an effective communication for a citizen journalism possessed more conversational approach rather than a coming up confrontation, and bias production of subjects are way out of the list. However, unlike the traditional or the professional journalism, a citizen journalism has a different way of background researching and verification of information is puzzling, not to mention the fact that it has to be mostly done on the internet and not on a physical communique.
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