Transformative Communication for Empowerment: Silence and Participatory Development in a Marginalized Community in Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Abstract

This study explored how the Outreach Philippines, Inc. (OPI) implements the participatory human development (PHD) approach using transformative communication, in a community-based organization (CBO), Lawag ti Caridad Norte Association (LCNA), in Caridad Norte, Llanera, Nueva Ecija. A phenomenological lens examined the lived experiences of six participants interviewed on December 10 and 13, 2022 and through my own reflections as a community development worker of OPI. Specifically, I analyzed the CBO leaders’ perception of silence, transformative communication engagements in the PHD process, and changes among the stakeholders.

The PHD process itself is transformative communication that allows the mutual development of both the CBO leaders and the PHD facilitator. The PHD process involves and establishes consistent dialogic communication and collaborative actions between the facilitator and the community members, hence transforming both into more empowered agencies. But transformative communication must consider different constructs of cultural silence in engaging the community, especially in facilitating participatory development.