Information Support Affairs: Tool to Effective Learning Program
When I first heard that I was going to take the Information Support Affairs Course (ISA), I was puzzled as to how relevant it would be to my profession. Surely, the Philippine Army and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology have different functions. But as the course went on, I realized that the principles of ISA can also be applied in other facets of our day to day life and is not exclusive to the Army.
Information Support Affairs plays a significant role as one of the pillars of Civil-Military Operations with the main purpose of influencing the targets’ behaviors, emotions, beliefs, opinions and attitude in order to redirect unfavorable attitudes and behavior into favorable ones.
However, the challenge for me and my fellow BJMP classmates is how we could apply it to our responsibilities as jail officers.
In my four years as a Jail Officer, I was able to interact with both male and female detainees, or Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL). I have seen various behaviors from them, which are often undesirable. Most of them are impatient, discouraged, short-tempered, faint-hearted, and timid especially when engaging in jail activities.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, in its vision of developing the character of each PDL, introduced programs and activities that will improve their lives as they reintegrate themselves in the community. One of the programs being initiated is the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of the Department of Education (DepEd) in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The Alternative Learning System is a parallel learning system that provides a practical option for people who lack access to formal education. The ALS is an important program for PDLs as it allows them to finish their studies even if they are confined to the four corners of the facility. It provides elementary and secondary education along with skills training accredited by TESDA, providing students an opportunity to get their diplomas and an edge in securing a job upon release. The government has been supportive of this program and their objective is to prevent the PDLs from going back to their old ways. Likewise, organizations like DepEd expand its scope and resources to address the needs of the individuals behind bars.
But in spite of these efforts, the PDLs are reluctant to avail these programs. And this is where ISA comes in, finding ways to influence these people to think about their life after prison.
During our specialization phase, we were given a chance to pattern our study after our real-life experiences at the Bureau. With that, me and my two other colleagues related the course and its components in our field of work. Using the same process, we were able to identify the problems and its solutions. Through the application of the principles of ISA, we can develop ways to encourage these individuals to participate in the programs being offered to them.
As we go through the ISA Course, we BJMP students realized that there are ways to bridge the intervention between the ASL program and the PDLs. Hence, it will go through a tedious process, of identifying and understanding what would be the motivational factors to be used to influence the behavior of our PDLs. The Information Support Affairs Course enlightened us that indeed no program would be effective if the planner missed one important factor, the behavior of our target audience, the PDLs.
As the Bureau upholds the mantra of “Changing Lives, Building a Safer Nation,” we continue to innovate ways to mold the PDLs, integrating what we have learned from the ISA Course such that it would be easier for them to reintegrate themselves back to the community. Our hope is that they will become better citizens and resilient individuals ready to start anew.
