Written by Tina Cisneros

Last May 18, third-year students of BA Organizational Communication held their OrComference through Zoom. The OrComference is an annual event that students taking up Speech 137: Group Discussion and Conference Leadership organize as a partial requirement for the class. 

The OrComference held in the morning spearheaded by Speech 137 TFD class was entitled Spectra: Breaking the Monochromatic View of Communication. Spectra pivoted around breaking through the monochromatic view of communication and rediscovering its kaleidoscopic beauty.

The conference was hosted by AJ Avecilla and Bienne Chan Lugay. The event was divided into three sessions: the Hues of Entrepreneurship, the Hues of Community Building and Engagement, and the Hues of Intercultural Communication.

Spectra commenced with the opening remarks from Mr. Teddy Baguilat, an advocate of indigenous peoples’ rights. He described how significant communication is in keeping indigenous knowledge alive from generation to generation. He shared that as a Mass Communication graduate from UP, it is his responsibility to communicate the truth. He continued to share how communication has been very pertinent in how he champions the rights of indigenous peoples, farmers, and the LGBT community. 

Hues of Entrepreneurship

The speakers for the first session were Ms. Janna Pablo and Mr. Jericho Lo, co-founders of Lunas ang Tinig ng Animo (LUNTIAN).

The speakers shared how communication has helped them persistently educate their market. They mentioned that people have and still have doubts about their product. Nonetheless, they do their best to communicate their advocacy and how their product contributes to the achievement of that advocacy through their publication materials. They do not give up on informing the public as they believe that being makulit is one of the many key personalities of being a social entrepreneur. They take risks because they have a strong belief in their product and their company’s vision and mission. They embody being the people, as Steve Jobs has quoted, “who are crazy enough to think they can change the world”, and they hope that they will be the ones, among many others, who will spark positive change in the society through their business.

Hues of Community Building and Engagement

Ms. Kara Rosas, co-founder and executive director of Lokal Lab, was the speaker for the second session. 

In her talk, Ms. Kara shared how communication has aided them in forging connections and relationships with the local community in Siargao. Communication breaks barriers, as she said that only when the locals noticed that they were engaging and talking with them was the time the local community began opening up and sharing their stories.

Miss Kara emphasized how important stories are. She shared that “stories change systems and with stories come awareness, and with awareness comes actions”. She gave the situation of the community when Typhoon Odette hit as an example. People were moved and motivated to extend help because of the stories they heard. 

By communicating and understanding the community, they were able to gain and establish the locals’ trust in them, which made them share their stories. They facilitate and encourage dialogues so that the local community feels that they have a voice and are part of Lokal’s goals.

Hues of Intercultural Communication

The last session’s speaker was Mr. Francis Pedrezuela, the Sales Officer of Liwayway Marketing Corporation, popularly known as Oishi.

Sir Francis began his talk by highlighting the value and impact of a person’s identity in communicating and building relationships with people. 

He introduced two Chinese words that reflect what Oishi stands for miànzi and guānxì. Miànzi, the concept of face, pertains to how a person identifies another person visually. In a business context, this refers to branding. Meanwhile, guānxì pertains to relationships, with whom one person connects and represents.  

Lastly, he shared how communication bridges the gap of differences between different cultures, especially when talking about business to each of the stakeholders.

To officially end the event, Charlette Inao, the conference director, gave her closing remarks. She expressed her gratitude to the people who made the event possible and successful. She ended her speech by stressing the aim of Spectra to show people that communication is not monochromatic; communication is a kaleidoscope of colors, enabling people to develop successful relationships with themselves, the community, and the country.

If you are interested to know more about the sessions with the speakers, you can watch the full conference here: