University News

COC faculty bags 2nd prize in Global MIL Awards 2023

Aaron Ernest Cruz, News, PUP Campus Journalists

Dr. Jose Reuben Alagaran II, an associate professor from the Department of Journalism, College of Communication (COC), secured the second prize in the Global Media and Information Literacy Awards 2023 organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance on January 19, 2024.

This award is annually given to individuals and organizations who have excelled and made significant contributions in the field of media and information literacy, specifically in the areas of education, research, policy, advocacy, and the media and communication/information industries.

Alagaran is the only representative from the Southeast Asia region to win the prestigious award.

Early contributions
Aware of his contributions to MIL, Alagaran was among the other MIL practitioners and organizations nominated by his colleagues for the 2023 Global MIL Awards.

In an interview, Alagaran recalled being part of organizing the First International Forum of MIL in Fez, Morocco, in 2011, at the same time that UNESCO decided to redefine media education to media and information literacy.

“Wala pang MIL sa Pilipinas andoon na ako. Marami na rin nangyari actually, but that is the very first time that MIL was launched in 2011. There have been many projects put up by UNESCO regarding MIL. Among other things was the MIL Global Feature conference, where they invite experts all over the world to present their papers, research, or even insight on MIL, especially in terms of how MIL [is practiced] in different parts of the world,” Alagaran told PUP Campus Journalists.

(“MIL has yet to be introduced in the Philippines, but I already took part in it until it was launched in 2011. There have been many projects put up by UNESCO regarding MIL. Among other things was the MIL Global Feature conference, where they invite experts all over the world to present their papers, research, or even insight on MIL, especially in terms of how MIL [is practiced] in different parts of the world.”)

He was also invited as a lone Filipino MIL expert to UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, in 2013 to develop and validate MIL indicators.

In 2015, he introduced the Explore, Engage, Empower Model of MIL, which was published in the UNESCO MIL and Intercultural Dialogue Yearbook at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and is now used in schools and other educational institutions around the world.

Alagaran was also the founder of the Philippine Association on Media and Information Literacy (PAMIL), a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered organization of MIL professionals in the country and the official Philippine Chapter of the UNESCO MIL Alliance. According to its website, the organization aims to sustain the MIL movement in the nation through seminars, events, and lectures.

Significant contribution to PUP
At the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Alagaran introduced MIL-related courses to the curriculum.

“We’re the only university offering Media Deconstruction and Construction, including also the Digital Citizenship [subject course],” he mentioned.

These subject courses aim to equip students with the skills to be responsible and critical when using media platforms to avoid consuming or disseminating false information.

Media literacy in the digital age
Alagaran also emphasized the greater need for the general public to be media and information literate, especially now that society is in the digital age.

“The fact na gumagamit tayo ng media dapat mas equipped tayo with the needed skills to be more discerning or more critical. At the same time, kailangan natin maging mapanuri.”

(“When we use media, we have to be equipped with the needed skills to be more discerning or more critical. At the same time, we have to be very observant.”)

For him, the award that he received is not the only basis for how far he is now advocating MIL, but also the changes that his works have made that have helped people become critical and responsible media users and creators.

“Dapat lang din na maging basehan is how you have helped the media industry, community, and society to help them become more critically aware of media and information. Kung magkaroon ng changes, baka ayun na yung measurement dahil nakikita mo ’yung pagbabago sa mga tinulungan mo. Kung nakikita ko na nagiging critical and responsable kayong user and creator masaya na ako roon.”

(“Our main advocacy is how you have helped the media industry, community, and society to help them become more critically aware of media and information. If we are to expect changes, then one of the clear metrics we can use would be the impact of MIL—if we’re able to see more critical and responsible users and creators. It is a happy outcome for me.”)