Staying informed should be more than a habit

During the enhanced community quarantine, Jamael Dimaampao’s business of designing weddings reached its lowest point. He and his team did not have any income due to the restrictions on mass gathering for almost two months. Because of the downtime, he always listens to the radio to get information, but the program S’bang Ka Marawi has captured his attention.

“Very local ang content, very engaging ang program at talagang sa authorities mismo nanggagaling ang balita kaya hindi ka matatakot na ishare sa iba.” [The program’s content is very local and engaging. The information comes straight from the authorities and you won’t be afraid of sharing it to other people.]

Jamael listens to the program for various updates on the COVID situation in Lanao del Sur. He shares that his favorite part of the program is when the anchor breaks down the Integrated Provincial Health Office’s report into something more understandable for ordinary people like him. It makes the relevant information more digestible and easier to process. 

When MGCQ was implemented and mass gatherings are already allowed, Jamael got very busy due to a surge in clients. 

While designing a wedding in the afternoon a day before the wedding day, he found himself still listening to the program in the background since it has become his habit. He shared that since he is an avid listener, his staff also have no choice but to listen too. This provides them with fruitful discussions about the COVID situation in Lanao del Sur and how they can improve their services to comply with the standard health protocols. 

“Sobrang malaking tulong ang S’bang sa mga tao kasi nakakakuha kami ng balita galing mismo sa CHO, IPHO, CDRRMO at hindi tsismis ng kapitbahay.” [The program helps people a lot in getting access to information from CHO, IPHO and CDRRMO and not just hearsays from our neighbors.] 

Jamael also got the chance to be a guest in one of the program’s episodes and he is very grateful for the opportunity to share his experience being a wedding designer in a not-so-normal setting and to promote his business.