By Pamela Mariz Geminiano/PNA
BAGUIO CITY — Over a hundred government information officers (IOs) from various government line agencies in Cordillera are attending a two-day workshop here to further hone their skills and increase their knowledge in disseminating government programs to the public.
Titled “Capacity Building for Government Information Officers,” the workshop, from Nov. 27 to 28, was organized by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in partnership with the Association of Government Information Officers in the Cordillera and the Department of Energy.
“This event aims to equip you with knowledge and skills to capture developmental activities in your respective agencies or local government units (LGUs) and relay the same to the public through the private media,” PIA-Cordillera Regional Director Helen Tibaldo said at the start of the activity.
At the end of the two-day seminar workshop, the 107 participants are expected to have strengthened their network with media, to improve communication services, and become effective development communicators using various media, from traditional and indigenous to new media.
The participating information officers come from the local governments of Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Benguet, Ifugao, and Baguio City, as well as the national line agencies in the region.
Tibaldo said IOs play an important role in circulating what the government is doing, particularly in far-flung communities rarely visited by the media.
“Our clients are the public and we can reach them through the use of traditional media, new media, aside from indigenous media, or simply “tongtongan” (face to face conversation),” Tibaldo said.
She also mentioned the importance of government IOs having a good interpersonal relationship with the private media.
“Our aim is to mainstream the stories from our respective agencies and local governments for wider dissemination,” Tibaldo said.
Jane Cadalig, Baguio Midland Courier Assistant Editor, emphasized the importance of the IOs’ role. “You know better what is happening in your places. If you give us press releases, provide us the complete details and other information that you want the public to know,” she said, adding that the private media appreciate stories other than signing of memorandum of agreements, ribbon cutting, and the like.
“We appreciate it if you can also write about the volunteerism of the people in your community, the good practices, which are worth telling the public,” including tourist attractions in their towns, she said.
Among the topics set to be tackled in the workshop are fuels and alternative sources of energy, photography or video post-production using a smart phone, social media, use of infographics, HIV/AIDS, disaster risk reduction, climate change, and federalism.
