SIARGAO ISLAND, Surigao del Norte, July 6 — The Presidential Communications Office (PCOO) on Thursday launched the Provincial Communication Officers Network (PCO Net) at the Provincial Capitol here in Dapa town.
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar and Philippine Information Agency Director-General Harold Clavite spearheaded the launch which was witnessed by provincial and municipal officials, community leaders, and representatives of government line agencies.
PCO Net is a network of government communicators that will now have direct access to the Office of the President through PCOO.
Andanar said the move is a manifestation of PCOO’s desire to provide a platform for coherent and efficient flow of information, stressing President Rodrigo Duterte’s desire to be connected to communities thus PCOO’s initiative to provide this platform to LGU counterparts.
He likewise called on local government units to strengthen their respective public information network by designating a public information officer per municipality.
PIA, the government’s main on-ground communication and public information arm, is continuously working with LGUs and other community stakeholders to ensure proper communication channels are established across the country.
PCO Net will have direct access to PCOO and will become a recipient of news and information releases.
Through getting information directly from the Office of the President, government communicators on the ground will help fight proliferation of fake news and unverified information.
In January 2018, PCOO and PIA will host the first national convention of provincial government communicators in Davao City where President Duterte will be invited as the keynote speaker. -The PCO Net is part of the PCOO’s mainstreaming efforts in public information and will operate under the newly established Communication Coordination Committee (CCC) which is composed of PIA, Radyo Pilipinas, People’s Television (PTV), Philippine News Agency (PNA), Radio-TV Malacanang, and OSec Media of PCOO. Andanar chairs the CCC and is co-chaired by PIA.
The CCC will ensure communication workshops and trainings will be organized starting this year to enhance capacities of PCO Net.
In related news, PIA will organize “Empowering Communities,” a multimedia conference that will gather government and community influencers in Cebu City in November 2017 to highlight the role of communities in responsible sharing of information through various multimedia platforms. (PCO-Content/PNA)
