Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Clean and safe water for all is an essential need of every human being. The City of Dasmariñas, despite being one of the wealthiest and fastest growing local government units in the Philippines, has a consistently low level when it comes to recoverable groundwater and it has recorded the most severe decline in water supply production. This study measured the level of awareness of millennial citizens of Dasmariñas regarding the city’s water crisis through a descriptive quantitative survey questionnaire, cognitive interview of respondents, and cross-validation of the findings through expert interviews. Through this study, it has been ascertained that the respondents were not extensively informed by the authorities regarding the city’s water crisis – if so, it is deemed seldom (once or twice a week). In addition, their most frequent source of information is personal experiences and the communication channel is through word of mouth. Overall, the study determined that the respondents’ level of awareness regarding the City’s water crisis is Level 4: Projection of Future Status/Impact Assessment which indicates that they understand a deeper level of information regarding the situation and is planning to do an action with regards to the alarming state of water crisis in the City of Dasmariñas. To attain performance of actions toward resolutions, the level of awareness should be Level 5. Thus, revealing a need for a democratized public information campaign regarding the water crisis. Consequently, a PR plan is conceptualized and incorporated in the study.