Browsing by Author "Moncada, Fatima M."

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    Problem analysis and policy directions toward improved language accessibility in geologic risk communication
    (frontiers in Communication, 2026-08-04) Moncada, Fatima M.; Martinez-Villegas, Ma. Mylene; Perez, Jeffrey S.; Salcedo, Joan C.; Atando, Ramil B.; Villamil, Charmaine V.; Sanico, Lucille Rose D.; Jarata, Jesus Rafael B.
    In multilingual countries such as the Philippines, language accessibility is a critical aspect of effective geologic risk communication, yet it remains underexplored. Despite policy proposals promoting the use of local languages and plain language in official communications, questions remain about the extent to which these measures address the challenges of communicating geologic risk information across diverse linguistic contexts. This Policy & Practice Review examines language accessibility in geologic risk communication using a problem structuring approach. The analysis draws on document reviews, including existing policies and related proposed bills, as well as a survey and a series of focus group discussions involving disaster risk reduction and management practitioners, educators, scientists, and language experts. The findings identify stakeholder-perceived challenges related to communication failures, such as difficulty conveying scientific uncertainty, absence of accurate translations, weak contextualization, and expert-driven communication. The study participants associated these challenges with broader institutional and structural conditions affecting geologic risk communication. Based on the substantive problems and root causes identified through the analysis, the review assesses existing and proposed policy approaches and examines their implications for language accessibility. The review suggests that language accessibility can be viewed as extending beyond translation and readability concerns to encompass participation, knowledge integration, and institutional arrangements that shape geologic risk communication practices. It proposes policy recommendations that position language accessibility as a development enabler, strengthen science communication systems and disaster literacy, institutionalize inclusive communication, integrate knowledge systems, and establish institutional enablers for coordinated implementation.