Barangay Bahagi:

Collective Citizen Photojournalism

for a Visual Local Government
Feedback System

Analyn Lao Yap

FA199 – Seniors Creative Project
Fine Arts Program
Ateneo de Manila University

http://barangaybahagi.com

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I. Introduction
1.1 Overview
Years of little or no progress in the socio-political and economic arenas of post-Marcos
Philippines have led to increasing citizen dissatisfaction. Throughout these years, the
media particularly, journalists, have constantly documented the chain of events of recent
Philippine history-in-the-making. With the onset of more sophisticated equipment and
technology, especially the proliferation of the Internet, journalism has become more and
more real-time and accessible, giving the ordinary man the capacity to publish anything
at the click of a button.

The project aims for photojournalism for the common man, and how images could
potentially flow from a user’s simple point-and-shoot or cellular phone camera to an
interactive website that could easily be accessed by an area’s local governing body. In
other words, the project is an update on what we know now as the situation report. Its
ultimate aim is for intra-community problems or issues to be pinpointed and addressed
with speed, effectiveness, and relevance, using a contributed cluster of images that will
be organized and designed into an interactive system of information flow.

Additionally, the project also seeks to create a medium to empower individual citizens
into contributing pertinent images, eventually clustering into a collective collage of
pictures that will communicate the trending or general issues of a certain area. It is a
project on how an individual contribution enriches the collective and how the collective
enriches the individual.

1.2 Project Background and History

The proliferation of the Internet and connectivity, as well as the growing access to
imaging equipment such as cheaper cameras and cellular phones led to the possibility of
this project’s fruition. Furthermore, a growing anxiety of the Filipino people over a
period of socio-political and economic difficulty instills a sense of dissatisfaction that is
crucial to citizen involvement in public governance. It aims to make a currently non-
existent link between the citizen and the governing body, so that the latter may address

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the former’s everyday problems and understand the status of his jurisdiction more
clearly and concretely. The onset of the Aquino administration as a new regime also
instills high degrees of hope into the hearts of many Filipinos. Today is a time when
Filipinos, more than ever, clamor for change and expect better governance from their
local or national officials.

Local governments typically conduct citizen assemblies from time to time to understand
their constituents’ concerns, but these assemblies occur only at certain times.
Constituent feedback is usually taken in the form of blotter entries and verbal reports.
The bigger problem is actually an apparent lack of involvement from the constituents’
side of the spectrum. Most of the time, only a few people close to the barangay officials
take the effort to report a problem. A consistent medium containing pertinent data is
thus imperative to spark the barangay members’ sense of involvement and eventually,
their sustained usage of the medium.

Throughout the years, many other similar projects have been done to promote citizen
journalism. During the recent 2010 elections, common citizens helped in monitoring the
ballot and obtaining election-related stories with the use of new media to supplement the
broadcasted stories done by the network’s writers. Other similar efforts to this project
will be discussed in further depth and detail in Section II.

1.3 Theoretical Background

1.3.1 Documentary Photography
Photojournalism began as a straightforward branch of photography that was merely
news-centered (news photography), and only secondary to the news article. Frank
Luther Mott came up with the term ‘photojournalism’ that changed the importance and
respectability of the photograph from being a mere space filler to becoming a meaningful
journalistic piece in itself. Greg Lewis, author of Photojournalism: Content and
Technique elaborates: “A journalistic photo informs and motivates…It is an image that is
created in reality, keeps a string connection with it, and reveals facts and information on
the first look.” (Lewis, 7)

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In Photographic Communication, Arthur Rothstein talks about the two approaches to
being a documentary photographer in his article, The Documentary Tradition. The two
approaches to photography are realism and romanticism, and the former more aptly
describes how a documentary photographer should be. Unlike in romantic photography
where there is a contrived notion of reality, realism believes that “life is so exciting that it
needs no further embellishment…The documentary photographer finds it worthwhile
and satisfying to use his camera in immortalizing the common lives of ordinary people.”

From these theories and perspectives, there is a certain richness to be found in realistic
photojournalism, one that is grounded on the truth and an awareness that leads to social
utility. Simplicity and integrity are critical values to be upheld in the maintenance of
ethical responsibility. (Schuneman, 90)

1.3.2 Narrative Theory: Structure and Logic

Reality can be rendered in many ways, and one of the most effective, powerful, and
humanistic forms of rendering is called the narrative. Gretchen Barbatsis writes in her
discourse of narrative theory: “A good story makes good sense of the world. Put in
another way, “storytelling makes arguments” about the nature of reality.” She also writes
that people use narrative in order to “make sense of disordered, raw experience.” (Smith,
332) Photographs are the medium of this thesis project’s output, in order to create a
feedback system for what is presumably a disorderly, and unorganized community.

It aims to create a system of specialized storytelling that entices public discourse and
involvement. However, it is a misconception that the project will only focus on content
that is negative in nature (complaints, criticisms, etc.). Positive feedback, good news, and
favorable announcements are to be equally accepted in the system, however its main
purpose is to address the concerns set by its members. A barangay does not thrive on
complaints alone.

The structure of a narrative is composed of Story (Content) and Discourse (Expression).

Deconstructing the actual narrative or plot, it can be said that events and existents
comprise the story, while discourse is composed of manifestation and structure. Simply

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put, documentary photographs fall perfectly into this discussion because it is a visual
narrative, relaying events (actions & happenings) in a pictorial manifestation.

The logic of a narrative comes from two important elements, its probability and fidelity.
Narrative logic is what gives sense to a narrative. It is that cohesive quality inherent in
narratives that enable them to resonate sound conclusions regarding a situation.
Narrative fidelity is the reliability of the image that is created by the medium and how
faithful and truthful the story is to the social reality. This concept can also be used to
establish and justify the choice of medium of the project (the documentary photograph).

On the other hand, the other component of narrative logic is “probability”, and this
concept is “concerned with the internal coherence or integrity” with itself and with other
images. This concept justifies the project’s collective image gallery format. The manner
in which the images are presented, calls to mind the notion of narrative probability. The
images in the website must form an internal coherence and create a trending situation,
or a truthful collective picture of one particular community

1.3.3 Public Journalism

More specifically, the project is largely grounded on the principles of public journalism,
or the encompassing term for the more specific ‘community journalism’, ‘citizen
journalism’ or ‘grassroots journalism’. Decentralization and the establishment of local
government in the Philippines emphasized the pressing needs of the local community.

Red Batario, the foremost proponent of public journalism in the Philippines writes in
Breaking The Norms, about how conventional journalism tends to perceive the news
story’s purpose as the story itself. He calls it ‘journalistic amorality’, or the loss of higher
moral and social purpose in making journalistic pieces. It is either caused by the rigors
of the stressful press cycle, the competitiveness of the journalistic craft, or the
expediency required of a newspaper. In the heat of the journalistic process, writers and
photographers tend to forget why they are making the story in the first place. Journalism
becomes more about meeting the deadline than it is a heroic pursuit. (Batario, 2-3)

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Cecilia Gonzales beautifully sums up the principles of public journalism in an article
from Business World, she writes: “Public journalism covers the news from the citizen up,
not from the expert down…As such, we learn that public journalism is about taking
ordinary people, or the nameless citizens seriously and addressing some of the issues
they think are important, instead of solely relying on experts and insiders to set the
agenda.”

Furthermore, public journalism opens doors to new methods of practicing the craft.
Citizen journalism where in the constituent is the journalist, was born out of the need of
communities for pertinent information that will help them address specific problems in
their areas. In citizen journalism, the constituent takes on the proactive role of reporting
a story that he has personally witnessed or encountered.

Paired with the growing and continued use of imaging technologies such as cameras
(point and shoot, prosumer, and DSLR varieties), and camera-integrated cellular phones,
public journalism poses a highly promising opportunity with the help of new age media,
and the tools that are used in making them.

The lingering issue of media’s insubstantiality calls for immediate attention, especially in
these times of its oversaturation. Batario quotes journalist Malou Mangahas on the
matter: “The media suffer from a poverty of purpose,” he then addresses the issue by
proposing that public journalism opens new avenues of purpose for media. This kind of
participatory and in-depth journalism reconnects the media to the people, after all, of
what purpose is media if not for the service of the people? News stories and photographs
should not only be taken for the sake of covering a particular issue, this practice
heightens the risk of the story being highly detached from the real problem at hand. In
place of this, it is more important to ignite public discussion and participation via
journalism, the story is given a tangible face in the actual issue it addresses.

“Public journalism is a kind of journalism that encourages citizen participation in public life by
providing them information that would help them make decisions in a democratic, self-governing
social structure. It is a kind of journalism that helps readers, listeners, and viewers understand

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 the impact of the news in their lives and how they can actively participate in developing or
building the news agenda.” (Batario)

Public journalism empowers the common citizen by enabling them to complain, to

pinpoint problems, and to discuss solutions to problems. It basically gives them an
opportunity to collaborate as a group, shift their perceptions from personal to communal,
and finally to allow themselves to be involved in governance. (Batario, 7)

1.3.4 Freedom as politics

Hannah Arendt, political thinker and esteemed philosopher of the 20th century, zeroes in
on the aspect of human freedom as a political concept that is manifested in action.
According to Arendt, genuine human freedom is not a matter of mere free will but a state
of a people where in diverse citizens convene and act for the plurality. “Men, not man,
live on the earth and inhabit the world.” Arendt points out the importance of individual
men living together in harmony and order via human action. Human action is exercised
from a principle and done for the common good. It is not about man living in society by
himself, but rather, men living with each other.

At the very core of Barangay Bahagi is the commitment to civic involvement that does
not merely center on the individual, but also on the collective community where in
residents, workers, and officials alike live together in a common public space. Individual
issues of the barangay are sent and addressed not only for the benefit of a single
constituent, but also for the people around him.

1.4 Overall Project Objectives

All in all, this project aims to provide the government and constituents of a specific
community with an image interface system of day-to-day documentation, not only for
the purpose of addressing a problem or voicing out a concern, but also for archival and
reference purposes. Furthermore, the project aims to create a general picture of the
community’s status through recurring images and trending photographs. Lastly, the
project aims to create design outputs that will eventually evolve into the primary and
efficient means of feedback between the constituents and the governing body.

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1.5 Resources
The project entailed the use of design hardware and software, cameras for
documentation and resource images, references on grids and interface design. The
project will also rely on the services of people who have already worked on previous
similar projects. The author also obtained back-end/technical assistance for
programming the website.

II. Project Background and History

This creative project takes inspiration from current DILG secretary, Jesse Robredo’s
term as mayor in the progressive city of Naga. His mandate in the local government unit
focused heavily on transparency and citizen feedback for efficient and effective
constituent-government interaction. Using the faster means of publication offered by
new media, Robredo modernizes information flow through websites and documents that
are consistently circulated among constituents.

The author’s sustained interest in documentary photography and an active involvement

in journalistically inclined organizations fueled her intent to create this project. Among
all other fields of photography, nothing is more grounded on the truth and social reality
more than photojournalism. According to Arthur Rothstein in his essay, The
Documentary Tradition, a certain ‘dignity of fact’ arises from the raw honesty in a
documentary photo. Additionally, he adds that photojournalism is an activity of
individual responsibility that addresses issues of high social utility. (Schuneman, 190)

The proper documentation and publication of small, yet pertinent problems of a

community is the key to its growth and prosperity. Incremental change must be
addressed first in order to achieve general progress in a community. Many local
government units lack information about the most basic problems of their constituents,
damaged roads and infrastructure, health concerns, small cases of bribery, among many
others. The constant documentation of a community’s pertinent issues puts necessary
pressure on its governing body to address them as quickly and as effectively as possible.

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Furthermore, the availability of camera phones and more affordable cameras, paired
with the accessibility of multimedia messaging and the Internet, catalyzes the entire
process of information transmission. The inclusion of new media technology
reinvigorates the individuals in the community to contribute small, but significant
actions for their community’s well-being.

Citizen photojournalism for local government feedback system addresses many problems
that arise from having a decentralized system of local government. First, the lack of
transparency in government mandate, John Whiting writes in Photography is a
Language that photography is both a tool of examination and a tool of communication,
as it provides factual documentation of an event that can easily be transmitted as a visual
language alternative to the written word. (Whiting, 8) Second, the accumulation of
minor problems in the community often leads to bigger ones in times of great upheaval.
It is wiser to nip problems at the bud, rather than to wait for them to grow bigger and
thus, more difficult to eliminate. It is not a direct objective of the project to document
major consequences of problems inside the community. Such a task would undermine
the value of documenting minor, everyday problems, and how they contribute
incremental steps to the greater problems at hand.

In Building a People, Building a Nation: A Moral Recovery Program, a paper written by

various professors from the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila
University on the Filipino cultural perspective, it is said that Filipinos are prone to the
“kanya-kanya syndrome”. The lack of a sense of community and a strong personal drive
makes Filipinos insensitive to the common good. The author believes that a vital reason
for this is that people are not reminded well enough of their roles in society and most
especially of the contributions they can offer to help their community.

There is always a tendency to think that the mere act of reporting a bad water pipe, or
sending the plate number photo of a vehicle that just swerved in the middle of traffic, is
futile. Unknowingly, these small contributions of data, when sustained by a group of
people over a period of time, and addressed by their respective local governments, can
bring about major changes in a community’s quality of life.

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In hindsight, this project is proposed simply for the service of one of the most basic units
of structure in Philippine society, the barangay or the local, immediate community. The
effects of decentralization have given local authorities the power to govern their
constituents with a certain degree of freedom; however, many local officials do not even
know where to start working. Similarly, individual members of the community feel a
sense of detachment from political involvement, thinking that there is no way for them to
contribute to their government mandate. In the end, it is all about empowering the
citizens and giving them a chance to help themselves through an accessible means of
visual communication.

2.2 Target Audience

The proposed target audience for this project will be the members of the upper-middle
class, specifically Class B. Choosing a community that is of a very low income level may
pose insurmountable challenges to the project, as the members of these communities,
although socio-politically disgruntled, may not have the time and resources to cooperate
with the project. The project, being heavily grounded on mobile internet and having
access to a computer with an internet connection, will thrive only with access from the
participants. Those of a very low income sector may not be willing to spend time and
money on an outsider’s project, when they already have existing problems about
sustenance, finances, or survival to worry about in their day-to-day lives. Therefore, it
will not be wise to conduct the initial testing of the project in a community of informal
settlers.

On the other hand, it is out of the question to conduct the project in a high-income
community such as Corinthian Gardens or Forbes Park. Although the members of these
communities would most likely have the resources and the access to participate in this
project, the level of social need is not as high. Because they live in affluent communities
that are generally safe, well maintained and well supervised, there may be very little to
report.

Therefore, it is imperative that the target community should come from the middle class
income sector. Because people from these communities tend to have many complaints

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and comments about their respective communities, they will have the required
willingness to participate in such a project. Their average income level also does not
restrain them economically from the minimal costs incurred from using the internet. The
middle class sector also has sufficient access to the barrage of budget-friendly 3G and
WiFi-enabled phones (Nokia C3, myphone, Samsung Corby) available in the market
today. Financial constraints on the part of the author also restrict her from purchasing
affordable cameras and lending them to the community members. Therefore, some of
the community members should preferably be living a comfortable enough lifestyle to
already own a digital camera or cellphone camera of their own.

Another important factor to consider is that choosing a lower-middle income class

community lessens the tendency for the project to become a romanticism of the urban
poor in Metro Manila. Choosing a slum area with informal settlers will deter the
objectives of the project. Instead of empowering the community, their images will be
taken with pity rather than a call to action. As discussed earlier, documentary
photography, especially when being used as feedback, should be realistic, not romantic.
After discussing the necessary demographics of the target community, issues of
disposition and personality must be addressed. The members of the community should
preferably possess a certain degree of literacy, as they will need to learn a bit of
journalistic discourse as to what kinds of images are newsworthy. The members will also
have to follow a set guideline for uploading and sending images, so they must possess
some patience in learning the ropes of the project’s technical aspect.

Most importantly, the individual members of the community under the project’s
jurisdiction must possess an inherent desire for change in their community. They are not
apathetic about their living conditions, or be the kind of people that just settle on what
their potentially inadequate local government gives them. Theirs is a culture of
collaboration, volunteerism, and dissatisfaction with a community life that could
possibly be made better.

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2.2.1 Barangay Bungad
Barangay Bungad is located in the northern part of Quezon City. It is designated as Area
III of Quezon City’s District I. Its neighboring communities are Barangay Veteran’s
Village to the north, Barangay Phil-Am to the east, Barangay San Antonio to the west,
and Barangay Paltok to the south. It was created on October 9, 1961 in accordance with
Ordinance #61-4860 with Hon. Matias Santos as its first barangay chairman. Barangay
Bungad was one of the first 44 legal barrios and is situated at the last residential area of
Frisco. Bungad’s land area covers 50.54 hectares.

The community is home to some 12,000 residents in 2,197 households. There are 6,132
registered voters in the community. Apart from being mostly a residential area, Bungad
is also home to about 300 business establishments. Several sari-sari stores, workshops,
industries, factories, and warehouses dot the area of the community. The economic
status of the barangay is Class B, for the middle class.

Barangay Bungad is a typical middle class barangay occupied mostly by residents and
businesses. Although mostly middle class, there are also a few depressed areas situated
in the barangay. Its officials constantly patrol the area and the problems usually
encountered are trash littering, damaged roads, abandoned construction sites, and stray
dogs. Blotter accounts and verbal reports are the primary mode of constituent feedback
that the barangay uses as of present time.

Hon. Ricardo B. Corpuz currently serves as Barangay Bungad’s chairman. Apart from his
work as a public servant, he also serves as the head of Mapua’s IT Center. The author
held several meetings with Mr. Corpuz to discuss the thesis project from September 2010
until present time. His input as a public servant and IT expert have been invaluable in
improving not only the technical aspects of the project, but also its relevance in the local
government process.

2.3 Historical and Situational Study

There have already been many other endeavors for citizen journalism done by major
television networks, designers, and student groups. These are: ABS-CBN’s Citizen Patrol,

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GMA’s YouScoop, CNN’s iReport, Jonathan Harris’ We Feel Fine (particularly its
Montage segment), and Bantay Barangay, a project done by a group of Computer
Engineering students from the Ateneo de Manila University. Citysourced.com, a
feedback website and portal based in the United States of America. All of them share
certain similarities and advocacies with the thesis project. These are articulated below:

2.3.1 Citizen Patrol, YouScoop, iReport

Citizen Patrol, YouScoop, and iReport are the same versions of the same thing. These are
segments made by broadcast networks to accommodate and utilize user-generated
stories in an effort to do public journalism and to diversify content. In addition, they all
aim to transmit news from the people to other people. However their content is manually
and traditionally screened. Entries are sifted through and it is the discretion of the
network that decides which photo story is to be published. Other stories remain
unpublished and undocumented.

2.3.2 We Feel Fine

We Feel Fine is a program designed by Jonathan Harris that resembles a series of
interactive graphs and information graphics that indicate the trending emotions or
feelings of the online community, based on a scan of all published blog entries and
photos. Cues are taken from tags and the syntax “I feel” followed by a keyword emotion,
is used in order to separate and browse through all blog entries on the web during a
given time. The web program uses 6 different interpretations, or what they call
“movements”, of sifting through the same given data:

Madness displays a seemingly meaningless blob of differently colored dots of varying

sizes. Each dot stands for a feeling and the collective lot was “designed to echo the
human world. Seen from afar, Madness presents a massive number of individual
particles, each colored and sized uniquely, each flying wildly around the screen,
proclaiming its own individuality.” (Source: WeFeelFine.Org)

Madness provides the inspiration for the thesis project’s aspect of creating a collective
picture of a community’s issues and concerns. Each image to be submitted to the website

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possesses its own inherent value, and by the tagging system, also contributes to the
general perception of an area.

Mobs is the movement in which information is sorted by age, gender, location, weather &
feeling, and then, is graphically presented. Different windows are allotted per type of
classification. Graphs, charts, and diagrams are used to present the measurement of
information. Aside from the pictorial representation, the thesis project will also
undertake the usage of information graphics in order to make sense of the tagged data. It
is not enough to provide a collective picture, but also a graphical interpretation of the
quantitative information.

2.3.3 Bantay Barangay

Bantay Barangay is an award-winning project done by a group of Ateneo de Manila
Computer Engineering students. Bantay Barangay utilizes an SMS messaging system
database that enables people to report community concerns over to government
authorities through text messaging.

2.3.4 Citysourced.com
Citysourced.com is a website portal that updates real time and is also aimed at civic
engagement. The photos and reports are submitted via a mobile device. However
CitySourced only offers the platform for users of the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry
phones. The special features of this website include location-based targeting of reported
issues, a generated map (akin to Google Earth) that pinpoints the location of the report.
Their scope is nationwide, taking in consideration that they have users from
neighborhoods all across the United States.

Of all the previous projects discussed, Citysourced.com, shares the most similarities with
the proposed thesis project. In terms of medium and purpose, they are almost the same.
However they differ in format, as Citysourced.com’s interface is more concerned with the
listing and mapping of issues. It does not concern itself very much with trending issues,
or collective imaging.

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2.3.5 Ushashidi.com
This platform is very similar and almost identical to CitySourced.com. Ushashidi is the
Swahili term for “testimony”, and it was initially created by a group of journalists to
report election-related violence in Kenya. Information collection, visualization, and
mapping are the three key points of the platform, and the developers market it for
websites that need a map-based reporting system for events and situations that need
such a mechanism. Their clients include: Snowmageddon which is a local effort calling
for volunteers for the clean up of a recent snowstorm. They also have a Filipino client,
the Computer Professionals’ Union used Ushashidi to create TXTPower, a reporting
system for telecommunication complaints across a certain area.

The proposed project has elements in common to each of these previous endeavors but it
is not exactly the same as any one of these. It shares with the major television networks,
the method of obtaining journalistic content from the common, everyday man and
publishing it as new media. However, the output of the project is more akin to Harris’
We Feel Fine, where there is a trending of visual information and pictorial data. Lastly,
the project’s advocacy and scope is very similar to Bantay Barangay, CitySourced, and
Ushashidi’s community empowerment systems via technological media, all utilized for a
local government feedback system.

III. Information Design Theory and Concepts

3.1 Barangay Bahagi Branding and Typography
Barangay Bahagi’s logo features a black and white camera icon that also constitutes a
speech balloon shape. The logo symbolizes photojournalism as a medium of
communication and as a veritable way of voicing out one’s concerns. Basic shapes and
solid lines were used in the logo for simplicity’s sake. The logo’s simple form makes it
easily translatable and adaptive in various sizes. Its simplicity also makes the logo more
iconic and recognizable.

The first element of the logo is the “lens”. It is symbolic of the thesis’ realistically-
grounded photographic medium that is grounded upon truth, personal participation,
and societal action. The second element of the logo is the “flash unit”. This element is

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symbolic of the thesis’ final objective of empowering constituents and enlightening them
in the liberating habits of citizen journalism. The third element is the speech balloon; the
camera’s constitutive nature in this shape represents the communicative nature and
process of the thesis. It is also reflective of the narrative principles inherent within
photojournalism.

The typefaces used in making the logotype are Sentinel and Gotham HTF. Neutraface
was used in most of the subtitle and body text used in the thesis output materials.

Sentinel
Sentinel is created by the H&FJ Type Foundry, and is described as “constructed yet
relaxed”. Sentinel was chosen for its mass-friendly appeal, readability, and organic
curves. It possesses a balance of structure and informality, suitable for the project.

Gotham HTF
Gotham HTF was used for similar reasons as Sentinel’s. Gotham Bold’s balance of elo-
quence, comfort, and familiarity makes it easy for most people to read & relate to.

Neutraface
Neutraface, as it is used in most of the subtexts of the design output, utilizes the clean
edges and non-heavy appearance of this typeface. Its look is industrial, immensely
legible, and rational but it does not sacrifice the human and organic quality inherent in
the ascenders and descenders of the letters. Neutraface was used for the body text of the
manual and brand book.

This section of the paper will reference from the following sources: Designing Visual
Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques and Making or Breaking the Grid

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3.2 The Visual Interface
The design of visual interfaces calls for a certain balance that enables the human to
interact seamlessly with the system. The visual interface must possess efficiency, and
technical functionality as well as an equal emphasis on effective form and aesthetics. To
forsake one for the other will compromise the overall impact of the design.

“Good design defuses the tension between functional and aesthetic goals precisely because it
works within the boundaries defined by the functional requirements of the communication
problem. Unlike the fine arts, which exist for their own sake, design must always solve a
particular-real world problem.” (Mullet, 11)

One of the most important principles of a visual interface is its elegance, or the shortest
and least wasteful method of solving a design problem. Elegance in an interface is a sure
testament of the developer’s full comprehension of the target audience’s psychology and
also problem at hand. (Mullet, 17)

Barangay Bahagi’s interface makes certain that image report uploading can be done
almost instantaneously. The prevalence of the red upload button at the sidebar opens a
window where the user can upload. Everything the system needs to organize the system
is found here. The elegance of the solution is how the system, just from one upload, can
organize the image report into a myriad of classifications.

The adage, “Less is more” applies most aptly to the project, as an elegant solution that is
simple and orderly portrays the most organic way of website navigation. The benefits of a
simple design definitely outweigh its disadvantages. Simplicity calls for approachability,
immediacy, recognizability, and usability. (Mullet, 18-19)

Approachability happens when people are not intimidated by an extremely complex

design. Simplicity and strategic positioning introduces the design to a basic user, even if
the underlying system is highly complex. This is the backbone of the entire human-user
interface relationship. A human used to organic conditions will not be able to adapt to an
inorganic interface. The same is true for immediacy, recognizability, and usability. A user
will not use what he cannot understand.

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The principles of elegance are manifested in two good practices of design: unity,
refinement. The thesis project’s website will be subject to a unifying look and feel that
will resonate from its color scheme, to the branding, and all the way to the lines and
grid structures used. Refinement and deconstruction will be implemented in the removal
of extraneous lines and ornamental elements of the design.

Contrast
Apart from unity in design, a website must also possess contrast. The project adopts a
principle of contrast by scale. The nature of the website is that of a collective display of
images, therefore, by contrast, the space allocation for the images must considerably be
larger than the space for navigation. The scale of the navigation to content in the
interface studies is almost 20%. Contrast is also achieved by color (from black to white),
as well as placement. When reading a web page, the human vision starts from the left
side and dwells to the right before going down again. Most of the time, people’s vision
inclines to the right. (Ambrose, 18-19)

The error of insufficient contrast is a tendency for websites with great amounts of
content. The project remedies insufficient contrast by adding lines, changing font
weights, color, and adequate spacing. (Mullet, 69)

It is apparent in Barangay Bahagi’s structure is the contrast of content and navigation is

stark and clear. The navigation bar is 25% the width of the content space.

Organization and Visual Structure

“Organization begins with classification, which involves grouping related elements and
establishing a hierarchy of importance for elements and groups. When this hierarchy is clear, the
display itself can be structured to reflect the relationships between the elements while
maintaining a pleasing balance in the resulting composition.” (Mullet, 93)

These principles of organization can be seen in both the navigation sidebar on the left
and the image display on the right. Mullet also writes that grouping in interface design is
always used to bind functional units tightly together while distinguishing them from the

18
surrounding controls. In the project’s case, the functional units in the sidebar are in close
association with each other. Each classification is distinct from the other classifications
(by tags, by categories, by location, and date), but within a classification, each element
belongs to that distinct group by proximity. Classification groups differ by spacing,
dividers, and color.

The hierarchy is evident from top to bottom. Since the thesis project places the biggest
importance in the collective picture of a tagging system, it is the first classification that
appears from top to bottom. Having a hierarchy does not imply that elements must be
completely different from one another. Making elements excessively different will
destroy the integrity and general look of the website. “Grouping and hierarchy are both
supplemented and reinforced when elements are visually related to one another.”
(Mullet, 99) In this case, using the same style of icons and typeface, as well as text
orientation, gives the navigation coherence despite contrast.

3.3 Grid Structure

Hierarchical Grid
The grid structure “introduces systematic order to a layout, distinguishing types of
information and easing a user’s navigation through them.” (Samara,22) Having
discussed organization, it was discussed that a hierarchical structure of elements is the
most appropriate for websites. The interaction of the human vision between the
navigation sidebar and the image display requires an intuitive approach that is still
grounded upon a rational structure. (Samara, 29)

“A hierarchical grid can also be used to unify sides of packages, or to create new visual
arrangements if they’re displayed in groups.” The nature of the project website as one
that is heavily laden with navigation and grouping, the hierarchical grid succinctly
structures the groups together.

Modular Grid
However, since the website is centralized in the image display on the right, there is a
need for a modular grid to structure them. The modular grid is a framework that divides

19
columns into rows that will divide them into modules. “The rigorous repetition of the the
module helps to standardize space…with the structure of surrounding text and image
material.” (Samara, 28)

The website’s central focus on the images makes it necessary to create a framework for
their display. The best grid for images in websites is modular, as modular grids usually
form rectangular shapes that perfectly align with the standard proportions of camera
photographs. The nature of the grid also allows for proportional scaling, opening the
possibilities for the images to take different sizes.

Having discussed these, a hybrid of the hierarchical and modular grid was used to
structure the website. The modular grid, being too rigid and mathematical for the
website, is balanced out by the more intuitive and spontaneous hierarchical grid. Making
the grid too rigid will be detrimental to the thesis project, as it will make it look harsh,
robotic, and inaccessible.

The website’s philosophy of being a collective community’s construct (and therefore, a

very human design) must not be sacrificed for a mechanical structure. In the end, this
goes back into the very roots of human-user interface design; its very essence is in
finding a way for humans to interact with the machine and vice versa.

3.4 Color
A monochromatic color system of black and white will be the most suitable for the
website, as the photographic content will come in varying colors and exposures.
Monochromatic black and white would be the most adaptive color scheme that will
match and be least distracting for the photographs, as the website will center on the
photographs. The central content of the thesis projects is the photographic display,
therefore no attention will be taken away from it via other interfering design elements.

However, there is a need for a highlight and accent color. Red is used as it is the color of
urgency and emergency, it was also used because of its neutrality, gender-wise. Red will
be used as an accent color to show changes due to link hovering, dividers between

20
windows, titles, and the upload button. There is a need to give contrast and attention
towards the upload button, as web uploading will be one of the source feeds of the
website for contributed images. Changes and differences in link colors aid in usability
and website navigation. (Spool, 41)

IV. Methodology
4.1 Objectives and Measures of Success
4.1.1 A Medium for Civic Involvement – Barangay Bahagi aims to become a
medium of civic involvement by creating a user interface where in constituents can easily
upload and publish image reports via mobile or web upload. Compared to blotter
accounts and verbal reports, the interface serves as a more effective and engaging way to
convince citizens to be more aware of their communities and vocal about their concerns.
Through the interactive website and its anonymity, the citizen will see his or her
contribution more visually and concretely, as well as also seeing the submissions of other
people.

One of the measures of success for this objective is its functionality, how easily the
person can use the system and browse the information. For this, the project must be held
up against the standards of visual interface design. Simplicity in a human user interface
empowers an individual to use a system, instead of being intimidated by functional
complexity. Another measure of success comes from the testimonials of the parties
involved in the project (especially the barangay chairman and its members), those who
have tested the site, and those who have attended the workshop last December 28, 2010.

4.1.2 A Collective Picture of the Barangay’s Issues

It is the objective of the thesis to provide a medium that can serve as the collective
picture of he barangay through images. A key point of this objective is how the tagging
and trending system works. This is also reflected in how the images communicate
information when held together side by side on a grid structure that arranges them
accordingly. The vital measure of success for this objective relies on how the tags,
metadata, and the image grid function together.

21
4.1.3 Organized Viewing
The project also aims not only to provide a medium that publishes images successfully,
but also a medium with certain modes of organization that will make browsing more
intuitive, customized, and classified. The most certain measure of success for this
objective is the functioning website, not only as a dump or depository of unorganized
images, but a medium of seeing how individual images come together and be sorted in
various ways: tags, categories, date added, and location.

The author would like to present the other technical objectives of the project:
1) To receive at least 15000 hits for the interactive website
from January-February 2011
2) The attendance of at least 10 people in a basic photography and
photojournalism workshop/seminar to be organized by the author in
December 2010
3) To receive positive written feedback from the barangay chairman after
presentation and consultation of the thesis project.
4) To obtain the contacts of at least 10 community members who are interested in
taking pictures of their barangay in the first efforts for grassroots
photojournalism.

4.2 The Process of Creating Barangay Bahagi

4.2.1 Background Study and Research
The initial planning stage of the thesis project started in July 2010 after deliberating
from thesis study options in June. Before diving into the creative process, adequate
research must be made. The author read up on documentary photography, narrative
theory, and public journalism, as well as checked up on similar projects that have been
done in the past (to prevent overlapping). Medium-wise, she immersed herself in
studying the principles of visual interface, grid structures, and usability. Browsing the
Internet for current web trends and image presentation also helped the author in
knowing the existing designs that were working for people. Jonathan Harris and Sep
Kamvar’s We Feel Fine (http://wefeelfine.org) served as the greatest inspiration for the
concept of a collective interface.

22
4.2.2 Proposal and General Community Observation
It was also during this period that author started to prepare for the proposal
presentation, entailing her to direct the creation of a medium towards a particular real-
life problem and a target audience. The author’s inherent interest in photojournalism
and the karaniwang tao provided her with the initial idea of creating a barangay
feedback system. In order to confirm her initial idea, she went around various
communities and barangays in Quezon City, Antipolo, and Pasig to observe, as a
passerby, the state of the barangay and the possible concerns for feedback. There were
plenty of stray trash dumps, tangled wires, broken asphalt, abandoned construction
areas, and election paraphernalia. There was much to be reported. As much as the
interface should reflect the principles of good design, the advocacy of the medium must
be able to address a real and pressing concern.

4.2.3 Consultations
The author has consulted with the members of Bantay Barangay (see 2.3.3), specifically
Mr. Rod Coronel who headed the team. She asked Mr. Coronel regarding the technical
aspect of functionality, as well as the proposed system’s relevance to a community. In
order to confirm the idea, she consulted with Mr. Red Batario, a proponent of public
journalism, and was told that the idea maximized the benefits of technology and
integrated the value of the constituents in the process of governance. It was Mr. Batario
who then recommended that the pioneer barangay for testing had to be cooperative,
receptive, and more accessible to the author.

With regards to the back-end aspect of the project, the author consulted with the Ateneo
Innovation Center, specifically Dr. Greg Tangonan, and Mr. Jeff Jongko of DISCS who
aided in giving the author useful wireframes for the interface.

Mr. Noel Perlas, information architect, interaction designer, and part-time lecturer of the
Fine Arts Program, was also consulted on how to fuse the design and technicalities
together in order to create a seamless interface that will cater to the needs of the
personas involved.

23
The author has also enlisted the help of programmer, Mr. Bryan Zarzuela to assist with
the website development. Mr. Zarzuela’s contributions will be discussed in further detail
in Section 4.2.6.

4.2.4 Designing the Interface

The author’s primary task is to design the interface according to the research,
consultations, and ocular observations she has made. The design was created in
accordance with these factors, ensuring that no extraneous elements were included in
the interface. More importantly, the design was created with the prospected user
constantly in mind, how he/she will use the system and find it to be efficient and at the
same time, engaging. The full discussion of this is found in Section VI, The Design
Process

4.2.5 Interacting with Barangay Bungad

Barangay Bungad of District I, Quezon City was chosen for its middle economic class
status, land area, population, and its proximity to the author’s residence. Barangay
Bungad is not the author’s barangay of residence, as that would raise issues of partiality.
As Mr. Batario recommended, the barangay has to be easily accessible by the author so
that it would be easy for her to patrol the area and visit its officials regularly.

Regular meetings and consultations with Mr. Ricardo B. Corpuz last November- early
January 2010 were done in order to receive input on the web interface, as it was being
made. Being an information technology buff himself (Chairman Corpuz is also the head
of Mapua’s IT Center), he was able to give the author constructive feedback and
suggestions on future developments for content management and moderation.

His input as a public servant was also helpful in injecting relevance into the project. He
even affirmed the future value of the project for Barangay Bungad once all features are
ready to go. The office and council of Chairman Corpuz were supportive in giving the
author the necessary documents for the project, and the permission to access barangay
files and information as an outsider.

24
The author organized a photography and interface workshop last December 28, 2010
held inside the barangay hall of Bungad. It had 14 attendees consisting of barangay
employees and mostly residents. The workshop was for the purpose of initially briefing
the community on how the system/medium of Barangay Bahagi could provide an avenue
for them to express their concerns and participate in governance.

Secondly, it was to show and demonstrate how the features of the interface enabled the
user and the barangay official to send in and browse the images more effectively, making
sure that the system was not partial to any party, and at the same time, bridging the
constituent to the barangay and vice versa. The third fulfilled objective of the workshop
was to give a basic course on photography and camera features.

Testimonials from the workshop attendees were positive. The attendees all agreed that
the medium of Barangay Bahagi was a good alternative in using the cellphone and the
Internet. “Para naman hindi lang text at chat ang inaatupag ng mga bata”. One elderly
attendee, Mrs. Lydia Batenga even recalled a past experience of walking in a sidewalk of
Manila near Quiapo Church and falling into a ditch at night. When she went to the
barangay hall to complain about the dangerous pit, the officials dismissed it because they
did not know of it.

Mrs. Batenga expressed full support for the project, being a photographer herself (she
used to take photos of class pictures, etc.), she recognized the power of publishing issues
and concerns in order to instigate change in a community. Mrs. Batenga exemplifies
photojournalism for the masses. One can never be too elderly to express concern for the
community.

From November 2010-January 2011, the author made regular patrols of the barangay,
taking pictures and continually observing the prevalent problems and inconveniences of
the people living in the barangay. The author also attended a barangay gift-giving session
last December 2010.

25
4.2.6 Ensuring Functionality
The technical back-end of the user interface is vital in making sure that the interface will
not be restricted to a mere conceptual project, but an actual, functioning prototype. It
was necessary for the author to ask for assistance from Mr. Bryan O. Zarzuela of
Pilipinas Teleserv Inc, for the programming and development of the website. Frequent
meetings were done to discuss the features of the interface and how feasible they were to
produce. Mr. Zarzuela and the author both discussed how the modes of viewing the
images could be improved and how web actions could be modified to make the
experience more user-friendly and engaging. The author also discussed and took into
account how the user would test the interface. They made sure that the interface was not
overly simplistic nor too complex.

From the initial wireframe or skeleton of the website, the author made sure that the
image uploading function worked and that the images came out of the website. After
finalizing the wireframe, it was time to integrate the design to the functioning prototype.
What is currently BarangayBahagi.com is the result of several revisions and updates
made by the author and Mr. Zarzuela.

The interface made use of the following languages: PHP, MySQL, and JQuery. The
website currently has 25831 hits from January-February 2011, successfully overcoming
the objective of 15000 hits.

26
V. Schedule and Logistics
5.1 Timetable of Activities

INTERFACE CONTEXT

2nd Week August 2010 Research and substantial Schedule interviews with
consultations with DISCS, and pertinent people in the Center
SMART Labs. for Community Journalism
(Mr. Batario)

Last week of August 2010 Finalize the actual process of Ocular inspection of the
making the website. Formulate community in mind.
the wireframes of the user Observations of the common
interface. Metro Manila barangay.

September 2010 Begin making the interface

design mock-ups. Consult with
Mr. Noel Perlas.

SECOND PART INTERFACE CONTEXT

September-October 2010 Produce the interactive Meeting up with the barangay

website and test the captain to request their
information flow cooperation, and finally to
brief them on the details of the
project.

November 2010 Design paraphernalia and work on the other features of the
interface. (Calendar and Location View)

December 2010 Finalize the website and Conduct a workshop on

integrate the visual design in photojournalism within the
the interface. Confirm working community.
performance.

THIRD PART

January 2011 Testing and Exhibit Preparation

February 2011 Evaluation, Defense, and Final Documentation

27
VI. The Design Process
6.1 Design Studies and Progress
The primary task of the author as an Information Design major is to create the user
interface of Barangay Bahagi and to ensure that as a medium, it organizes the image
reports efficiently and in an engaging manner.

Design Study I

The very first version was a rough study on how the interface would basically look like. It
already had the primary tag feature, the navigational sidebar, and the basic image cluster
to the right. This rough visualization was presented during the thesis proposal
presentation.

Design Study II
The second study was an attempt to inject playfulness into the design by using different
bright colors and two navigational areas at the side and on top of the bigger frame. This
study proved to be a bad idea as it clearly overdid on extraneous design elements and
colors that were ornamental in nature. It is also apparent that in this study, the grid

28
structures were not yet well refined due to the presence of many empty black slots. The
author considers this to be her weakest study in the process, but it was a necessary
stumble for the author to realize what an effective interface design should not contain.

Design Study III

The third study was a neater approach to the interface. It also finalized red as the most
suitable color for the interface accent. The contents of the sidebar were created, as well
as the classifications for tags, categories, and locations. The presence of a prominent red
upload button was placed to decrease the complexity of looking for a small image upload
button. A search bar was also placed in this design study to give the user more freedom
to browse the information. In order to fix the problem of empty spaces in the grid, the
author decided to divert to the other end of the spectrum by trying out a symmetrical,
modular grid.

Although a vital step in refining the interface, the weaknesses of this study were that the
sidebar’s width was too wide and the text within it was too large to proportionally fit a
standard web browser’s resolution. The arrangement of the location view was also
unwise because it entailed a list of street names that will cause a lot of undesired vertical
scrolling. The symmetrical, modular grid also proved to be too robotic, mechanical, and
boring for a human user interface. There was no dynamism

29
 Design Study IV

In order to address the problem of the image grid being too mechanical, the author
designed and studied various modifications of the grid and produced a set of frames that
provided a sense of dynamism for the images. The grid also opened for the feature of a
high-priority-rating photo to enter a box with a red outline, as these are the areas where
human vision tends to focus and dwell on. The author made sure that these grids were
designed without any awkward black spaces in between them.

The use of icons was also adopted because visual association is transmitted faster when
simple images are placed with text. A gauge icon system was also placed beside the tags
in order to accentuate further the trending feature of the tags and categories.

Design Study V: Standard View

30
The final design study is a minor revision of Design Study IV. The fifth version did away
with the search bar, as it was a redundant feature that will only mimic what the tagging
feature had already done. It also included a page for project information because there is
a need to introduce new users to this unfamiliar medium of feedback. The fifth version
also included a miscellaneous category button for tags that do not fall under the three
categories specified.

Design Study V: Calendar View and Location View

However, the biggest update to the fifth version was the development of the calendar and
location view. For image classification according to recency, instead of listing links via
text, it was more familiar and engaging to present the classification in a calendar form.
The same goes for the classification according to location, text links containing street
names proved to be very mundane and non-engaging. The map emphasizes a collective
sense in the interface as the constituents familiarize themselves with the locations within
their barangay. It becomes more community-centered if a map of the barangay were
presented instead of a list of street names (as in Design Study III).

Please visit http://barangaybahagi.com to test the functioning prototype/beta version of

the feedback medium.

31
6.2 Logistics: Equipment, Contacts, and Budget
The necessary equipment for the project includes the following: 1) a laptop or computer
suited for design, layout, and photo processing. Programs used in the creation of 2) a
digital camera, for taking photos of the community for design and documentation
purposes. 3) a 3G/WAP-enabled mobile phone to test the website on the cellphone. 4) A
domain name and web space to access the website with a shorter, more accessible link. 5)
The total amount of money allocated by the author to spend on the creative project is
Php25,000. Most of the funds will come from the scholarship money she saved up while
in Singapore last 2010.

Distribution of Funds:
Php20,000 - Salary Expense – Mr. Bryan Zarzuela
Php1,000 – Leave-Behinds – Button Pins and Stickers
Php2,500 – Printing Cost – Manual and Brandbook
Php1,500 – Domain Name and Web Hosting Expense
_______
Total Expense of Thesis Project= Php25,000

The author has coordinated with the following groups and offices:
1) SMART Laboratories (Mr. Rod Coronel) for Bantay Barangay
2) DISCS (Mr. Jeff Jongko) for information management and software assistance
4) The Center for Community Journalism and Development (Mr. Red Batario) for
photojournalistic and community involvement matters.
5) Ateneo Innovation Center (Dr. Greg Tangonan)
6) Mr. Noel Perlas – Consultation on information architecture and design.
7) Mr. Michael A. Parker – Thesis Adviser
8) Barangay Bungad (Chairman Ricardo Corpuz) – pioneer barangay

32
6.3 Scope and Limitations
The Design of a Medium/Avenue for Citizen Involvement
The most important limitation of Barangay Bahagi is that the project is a medium or
avenue for feedback and citizen engagement. The project does not guarantee full and
immediate civic engagement in communities. Its objective is to create the system and
avenue that will push people to take that little step in participatory journalism. The
project’s objective, being an Information Design creative project, is to take the
information and organize it into an effective interface. Barangay Bahagi does not
promise to provide solutions but it does promise to create an avenue to connect the
necessary agencies for change to happen.

Furthermore, the project does not promise to solve and give solutions to the individual
problems contained in the photographs the community will be reporting. It will not serve
as an organization akin to DSWS. The project may give information regarding the status
of a particular concern, but it will not be concerned in the actual operations behind
solving that concern. For example, the project will be concerned in the reporting of a
broken pipe, but will not be responsible in actually fixing the broken pipe.

The format of the content

The medium of communication for this project will be limited to only photographs;
therefore no articles and videos shall be in the feedback system. Animated GIFs will also
not be supported. Text and SMS contribution formats will not be supported as well.

The nature of the interface

The interface is primarily a collective image that can be sorted into different
classification. As of present time, there are still no social networking features integrated
into the website. Minor integrations to social networking such as small “Share” links to
Facebook or Twitter may be made in future developments of this project, but the author
is firm on her stand to never convert the Barangay Bahagi interface into a social
networking site. To do so would trivialize the feedback system and decrease the authority
of the website.

33
Testing Areas
The scope of the target community as of February 2011 will only be one barangay
(Barangay Bungad). The user interface system can be appropriated for other
communities, but it is the conviction of the author to perfect the system first in one
barangay before branching out to other communities and endeavors.

Additional Features in relation to budget and finances

Only one domain and interactive website will be developed. Due to financial constraints
and skill limitations, the moderation system and comment boxes cannot be developed
yet. The moderation system will enable a moderator to approve, delete, or respond to
image reports. The comment boxes are a future development that will infuse more
interactivity within the interface.

VII. Output and Documentation

7.1 Website - Standard View

The web interface of the project relies on image reports and the data found within them.
Barangay Bahagi’s unique way of organizing image reports is via the use of tags as a
trending device. All images that have a particular tag attributed to them can be viewed
collectively. The interface’s most popular tag gets the fullest gauge while the less popular
tags respectively get the less full gauges. Tags are Barangay Bahagi’s way of pinpointing

34
specific information about the image. Categories are simply similar tags that are
classified into three distinct groups and one miscellaneous group.

7.1.2 Types of Categories:

Public Infrastructure
Image reports that have something to do with public structures, buildings,
monuments, facilities, and the like are classified under this category.
Health and Sanitation
Image reports that have something to do with trash, water, cleanliness, and
illnesses are placed in this category.
Crime and Safety
Image reports that have something to do with public safety, hazards, petty crimes,
and the like are placed under this category.
Miscellaneous Category
Image reports with tags that do not specifically go under any of the three categories
are placed here.

7.2 Website – Calendar View

The grid calendar is an automated calendar that changes per month. Each box represents
one day and is occupied by the first submitted image report for that particular day.
Clicking on a date will change the frame below and fill it in with image reports from that
particular day.

35
7.3 Website – Location View

Location View features all the streets of a particular barangay. It also shows the location
of important places such the parish church and the barangay hall. Once a button in the
map is clicked, the bottom frame will change. Similar to the calendar’s bottom bar, the
location view’s frame will feature the name of the street, its first submitted image, as well
as all other submitted images for that location.

7.4 Manual
The manual is a 37-page, easy-to-read guideline that contains and explains all the
features of the interface. It also includes sections on how to upload images, guidelines for
submission, and the system’s rules and regulations. Apart from these, the manual also

36
includes a comprehensive crash course on photography and tips on maximizing a digital
camera. It was created to aid the Barangay Bahagi user in using and understanding the
system.

7.5 Collaterals: Brand Book

The brand book is a collateral of the project that presents the research, concepts, and
principles behind Barangay Bahagi via an engaging book form. It mostly contains photos
and important quotations, as well as an explanation of the project objectives. There are
also a few spreads with information and photographs of Barangay Bungad.

7.6 Leave Behinds

The project’s leave-behinds include media passes, stickers, and button pins. They were
distributed during the Information Design Seniors’ Exhibit last January 31-February 4,
2011. These materials aided in the promotion of the thesis project.

VIII. Evaluation and Future Ventures

Chairman Ricardo Corpuz writes in a testimonial for Barangay Bahagi:

“Barangay Bahagi is a promising new avenue for constituents to become engaged, active
and truly part of their communities via the process of sending image reports and seeing
these individual photos shape up into the picture of Barangay Bungad”

Overall, the project was successful in creating an organized and collective medium for
government feedback. Although there is much testing yet to be done after the interface
reaches its final, ideal state. The feedback garnered from peers, teachers, fellow
photographers, and attendees of the exhibit last January 31-February 4 were all very

37
positive. Most of them commended the website aesthetics and social relevance of the
project. One of the comments from Philosophy Department Faculty, Ms. Pamela Joy
Mariano, says:

“The project proves that relevance doesn’t have to be sacrificed for good design.”

After receiving the support and backing of many people, the author plans to pursue the
project even after the academic year ends. The author plans to look for project grants and
financial support from mobile companies and the like so that funding for back-end
development will continue. The full operation and implementation of this system to
Barangay Bungad will be pushed for, in cooperation with Chairman Corpuz.

In the more distant future, the author also has plans to broaden the scope and
appropriate the system into the other communities and barangays of Metro Manila, and
if possible, the whole Philippines.

Another promising avenue for this system would be to appropriate the interface for
disaster rehabilitation feedback and news. The system will hopefully be most beneficial
in helping out other people to help other people ravaged by calamity. Whenever there is a
need and yearning for citizen patrolling and involvement, Barangay Bahagi hopes to be
the avenue for change to happen.

38
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Steele, Julia, and Noah P. N. Iliinsky. Beautiful Visualization. Farnham: O'Reilly, 2010. Print.

Van, Duyne Douglas., James A. Landay, and Jason I. Hong. Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles,

and Processes for Crafting a Customer-centered Web Experience. Boston, MA [etc.: Addison

Wesley, 2003. Print.

Articles:

Magno, Leo. "iBlog, iPodcast: Citizen Journalism Using IT." Philippine Daily Inquirer 6 Mar.

2006. Print.

Enriquez, PJ. "Connect with Autistic Kids through Photography." Philippine Daily Inquirer 21

July 2010, sec. D: D1-D2. Print.

"Ateneo Student Project Wins 3rd Place in 6th Sweep Innovation and Excellence Awards." Ateneo

De Manila University. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 July 2010.

<http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=26&aid=7951>.

"Bringing The News Back To The People." Center for Community Journalism and Development.

7 Feb. 2008. Web. 23 July 2010. <http://ccjd.org/main/2008/02/bringing-the-news-

back-to-the-people/>.

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Uy, Jocelyn R. "Robredo Shows What Transparency at DILG Is All about." Philippine Daily

Inquirer 23 July 2010, sec. A: A1+. Print.

Gonzales, Cecilia C. "Public Journalism: a Media Challenge." Business World 6 June 2003. Print.

"Learning the Ropes of Public Journalism." Center for Community Journalism and

Development. 4 Mar. 2008. Web. 23 July 2010.

<http://ccjd.org/main/2008/03/learning-the-ropes-of-public-journalism/>.

Adversario, Patricia. "Public Journalism." Business World 9 Nov. 2001. Print.

Pinlac, Melanie Y. "Power to the People: On the Rise of Citizen Journalism." PJR Reports July

2007: 8-9. Print.

Batario, Red. "Public Journalism: A New Approach to Setting the News Agenda." The Manila

Times 14 July 2002. Print.

WeFeelFine http://wefeelfine.org

Resource Persons:

1) Red Batario, Executive Director of the Center for Community Journalism and Development,
the Philippines’ foremost proponent of public journalism
2) Dr. Greg Tangonan – Director, Ateneo Innovation Center
3) Mr. Noel Perlas, Interactive Designer – Part-time Faculty, Ateneo Fine Arts Program
4) Mr. Rod Coronel/The Bantay Barangay Team – contacts available at SMART Laboratories, 3rd
floor, CTC Building
5) Mr. Bryan Zarzuela – Web Developer and Programmer

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