The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, encouraged city residents to observe social media ethics, online or cyber etiquettes in support to the city’s Character Council and the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG’s) Disiplina Muna campaign.
In a resolution, city legislators stated Baguio City’s primary assets, aside from its natural beauty, are its disciplined people guided by the tenets of ‘malasakit or ub-ubbo’ and seamless collaboration as being advocated by the present administration, thus, everyone is being encouraged in sharing the best practices and positive development being introduced in the city.
The council added that positive critiquing is also welcome but it should be coupled with correct data and information with the clear purpose of helping and uplifting the city.
Based on available data and records of concerned government agencies, the country’s digital penetration rate is more or less 67 percent where more than 73 million Filipinos are considered active social media users.
Previous surveys showed that 78,813 households in the city have internet access, increasing the number of the so-called digital population, especially among the youth or millennials.
The council stipulated that Baguio City is not only known as the country’s Summer Capital or the center of education of the north but also known as the City of Character enshrined in the creation of the Character City Council and the institutionalization of the Values Restoration Team.
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According to the council, social media channels is now the primary tool of communication amidst this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Further, social media is being used for promotion, marketing, modality for learning, advocacy campaign, and as a platform of sharing opinions or showing support or opposition to government policies, projects and programs.
The council pointed out that as the number of digital users increase, being spurred by readily available information, at the same time, false information had been spreading like a wild fire, thus social media in effect causes harmful misinformation among the users and readers, apart from its adverse impact to the community, especially during challenging times.
The Council emphasized that the spread of misinformation is a serious problem that should be addressed not only by the government but with the willing cooperation from the digital community.
While others may claim that it is their choice and personal decision to share information being fed to them online, the council asserted that attached to this is the digital person’s responsibility, discernment and initiative of verifying and validating the source of information.
On the other hand, the council admitted that others may correctly claim that it is their vested right to express opinion or views but this should not purposely cause harm to the interest of the public, undermine or misguide the same or to maliciously curtail the rights of others.
The council urged the city residents to exercise due diligence in posting and sharing information so as not to cause further confusion among the public on prevailing issues and concerns in the light of the pandemic.
By Dexter A. See
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