Fact-check group looks for ‘ambassadors of truth’ in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY — The Fact Check Philippines Coalition (FCPC) is in the process of forming its Baguio chapter, composed of “ambassadors of truth,” or students who will help counter misinformation in cyberspace.

“Our goal is to create a network of verifiers. That is what we are currently doing. We are visiting schools, since this is where we can reach our youths,” FCPC pioneer ambassador Von Yacob told the media on Wednesday, on the sidelines of its media and information literacy caravan here.

FCPC is a non-partisan, non-government organization based in Quezon City that advocates good governance and leadership with integrity in the Philippines.

Yacob said Baguio is the ninth area in the country that the group has visited to gather inputs and train the youth to become “ambassadors of truth.”

“Currently, we are conducting workshops, seminars, even training for our youth,” he said.

The group holds capability training and information dissemination campaigns to educate students on “fake news”.

Yacob said assigned truth ambassadors can craft their own strategies to counter misinformation in their own communities.

“Everytime we visit schools, we make sure that we are engaging. We always try to pitch our advocacy. This kind of media literacy caravan that goes down to the grassroots level will definitely help our movement to fight fake news in online space,” he said.

He said the group welcomes any form of support from the national government and mulls teaming up with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to combat fake news.

In July, the PCOO launched a media literacy program to fight fake news through the agencies under it and other online government media platforms.

Meanwhile, Department of Education Cordillera (DepEd-CAR) Information Officer Georaloy Palao-ay has told the PNA in a separate interview that social media literacy is already included in one of the tracks of K-12.

“We will be starting with how students should discern the correct information, as well as how they will react to social media postings,” Palao-ay said. (Pamela Mariz Geminiano/PNA)