BAGUIO CITY— An official of the Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged information officers, focal persons to continue providing strong, comprehensive and unified communication structure to combat disinformation especially in times of health crisis.
Speaking before more than 100 participants during the two-day Strategic Communications Webinar Cum Capability Workshop here, Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael said that Information officers (IOs) and Focal Persons of the government are given the critical roles to foster truthful information to better inform the people especially amid the pandemic.
“When communicating in times of pandemic, we, as public servants, must speak-out, take responsibility and humanize the government’s efforts so that the public will understand that what we do is beneficial to them,” said Asec Rafael.
She also underscored that failure of IOs and focal persons to explain a current situation may lead to public panic, noting that communicators should sustain the government efforts in providing relevant and accurate information to the general public.
Meanwhile, DILG Assistant Regional Director Araceli San Jose said that IOs serve as the link between the government and the people through information dissemination activities.
Noting, “IOs help restore people’s trust in government, combat fake news and misleading information by coming up with communications strategies that are crucial during crises.”
Among the topics covered are News and Feature Writing, Establishing Media Presence, Laws and Regulations in the Use of Social Media, Infographics and Social Media Management. (Pamela Mariz Geminiano/DILG CAR)