By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Reinvigorating the administration’s campaign against fake news and falsehoods circulating on social media, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed his support for the various media practitioners under the Malacañang Media Groups, who stand at the forefront of bringing up-to-date news and information to the masses.
This, as he administered the oath of office to its newly elected officers at a ceremony in Malacañang on Tuesday.
During the event, the President also expressed his high regard to the leaders of the following organizations that comprise the Malacañang Media Groups:
- Ivan Mayrina, Malacañang Press Corps
- Rolly Demawalo, Malacañang Cameramen Association
- Noel Pabalate, Presidential Photojournalist Association
He went on to underscore the important role of media practitioners in delivering timely and verified information, “In today’s media environment, accurate and reliable information is critical and it matters more than ever because there has to be a voice that is known and respected to be a purveyor of actual facts and actual news—not fake news, not deepfakes, not AI-created contents but actual facts and actual news.
Whether through reports, photographs, videos, your work helps Filipinos to understand the events and to know how these events affect their lives and the decisions that they will have to make for themselves in light of the context that you make and offer to the public.”
Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. shared the various initiatives that the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) has undertaken to ensure the safety and security of media workers, which include safety and security workshops, as well as enhanced coordination with other government offices.
He likewise championed the Presidential Communications Office’s (PCO) Oplan Kontra Fake News, which forms the backbone of the administration’s campaign against disinformation while preserving the freedom of expression enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.
The Chief Executive concluded, “Your dedication to accurate, reliable, and fair journalism earns the trust of the Filipino people. I hope that you will continue to carry out this work with the same commitment that you have shown in the past years.”
Earlier, President Marcos Jr. administered the oaths of office to Lino Cayetano and Robert de Claro as acting secretaries of the PCO and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), respectively.
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