Threads of Communication

No two offices operate in the exact same way. While they may follow the exact same rulebook, slight deviations in their management structure or workflow create the essential differences that make a certain company unique. Some businesses work best when strict deadlines are set; others see creative liberty as the path to growth. For Reb Basilan of IJM Philippines, collaboration is key in his work to help achieve the mission of their organization.

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global nonprofit organization that aims to end modern slavery for good. Here in the Philippines, they work to combat the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) by partnering with local authorities to rescue victims and bring criminals to justice.

Reb, as Lead for Media, Communications and Messaging of IJM Philippines’ Brand, Media and Communications (BMC) team, handles media engagements that inform and educate the public about OSEC. He coordinates with global and local partners on the creation of documentaries, ad campaigns, podcasts, and the like—whatever it is the media requests from them. He is often the point of contact or project manager when working on these plans as he communicates with internal teammates and external partners in completing the projects.

“For instance, there’s a German film crew that’s coming to the Philippines for a documentary. I can serve as the project lead with support of the German [IJM] communications team who will set and manage the expectations of the German crew. I’ll provide them information about what’s possible to do in the Philippines, what we can arrange for the filming. It’s not very strict: I can also directly communicate to the German crew but looping in the German IJM communications team as well,” Reb explained.

He added that as the point of contact in these projects, he experiences pressure when ensuring they will get the buy-in of external partners who want to work with IJM. “[We] really want to elevate our partners in this fight [against OSEC]. We have to invite and ask for the support of partners from the government and from other NGOs to accommodate the media requests. I think that’s where the pressure comes from. Just making sure that expectations are met or managed and there’s alignment between these parties as the point of contact,” he said.

While he does work under a director in BMC, all their projects are a team effort: he, together with four other teammates, each have a chance to initiate, collaborate, and lead campaigns in the fight against OSEC. This gives them room to explore the many possible ways they can forward the mission of IJM Philippines through the media.

I did the first chunk of my internship at IJM back in 2022 where I experienced this collaborative spirit of the BMC team. Reb was my supervisor then, and I got to work with him in the launch of their podcast about an OSEC survivor’s story from rescue to restoration. In managing interns, he said—similar to how they actually operate in the BMC—he prefers to give them space to work towards a project’s vision rather than micromanaging and spoon-feeding them tasks: “I think it’s advisable to give interns some creativity to express how they want to get things done.”

This is exactly what I came across during my time at IJM. I was given the freedom to explore what I could do to help the team with the launch, which in turn empowered me in my ability to contribute something meaningful to their overall work.

Launching of "The Fight of My Life: Finding Ruby" podcast to all global IJM offices, led by the podcast team that I worked with during my internship.

One unique thing about Reb’s work situation, compared to his BMC teammates, is his work setup. “I’m the only member of our BMC team who is not based in NCR. I’m based in Cebu. So even before the pandemic, I do a lot of my communications online with my team in Manila,” he said. “But ever since I joined and worked at IJM, since we have separate offices [globally], we conduct many online meetings.”

Though he does the bulk of his work at home or in IJM’s Cebu office, he also goes on media trips when he needs to coordinate critical events in person, like doing media launches or filming online campaigns.

Like many remote workers, Reb also struggles with the lack of human warmth and company in his work setup. “There’s a different sense when you actually work in person side by side with someone. I think the advantage to in-person work is it’s easier to do small talk, chit chat, banter. That’s what’s missing for the most part in the online setup,” he explained.

He adds that communication in online work also involves more emotion as one must read deeper in to messages to get the non-verbal cues embedded in emails and chats. “Sometimes you read too much into messages or you second-guess messages because emails are very impersonal. So you need to make an extra step to make your email a little less impersonal,” Reb mentioned. On his end, he makes sure to add a quick check-up in his emails to colleagues to connect with them on an intentional level as opposed to always being business-like with them.

All these experiences Reb had in IJM helped him realize that, despite differences from office to office or from one societal structure to another, communication is important in getting the right message across to the right people at the right time in the right manner. “It’s not just about the message itself but how, where, and when you send that out that will affect how it’s received by your audience,” he said. Reb adds as a final reminder that one should always be mindful of these key factors so that, when interacting with anyone at any point in time, the message will not be lost and the communication goal will be achieved.