DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- Public information officers in Negros Oriental underwent training on Conflict and Peace Development Reporting conducted by the Strategic Communications Cluster of the Negros Oriental Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NOTF ELCAC).
The training held on October 26 was attended by members of the Association of Negros Oriental Public Information Officers (ANOPIO).
It aimed to capacitate the public information officers (PIOs) in communicating the gains of the government’s ELCAC programs by improving their messaging, enhancing their writing skills, and inspiring them with ideas for social media content.
Former Philippine Information Agency Region 7 Director and Manila Bulletin Visayas Bureau Chief, Minerva Newman, who served as one of the resource persons, emphasized the importance of government communicators countering the negative propaganda pushed by left-leaning groups.
“In strategic communications, we are developing ways to cascade to the public the peace and development initiatives of our agencies to counter the negative propaganda pushed by left-leaning groups. We strategize how we convey our key message to highlight the actions taken by your agencies to address issues that are related to insurgency, peace, and development,” Newman said.
PIA, as the lead agency of the Strategic Communications Cluster of the NOTF ELCAC, assisted in conducting the training, which was implemented in partnership with the Provincial Peace and Order Council.
PIA Negros Oriental Information Center Manager Jenifer Tilos told PIOs that one-story output related to ELCAC can be disseminated on multiple platforms, such as print, radio, TV, and social media.
These can be in the form of social media cards, infographics, broadcast releases, photo releases, reels, and short videos.
New perspective in writing
For Manjuyod PIO Consuelo Tuble, the training helped provide a new perspective in her writing as she emphasized the need for PIOs to exercise sensitivity in the content they produce.
“Kinahanglan gud ta og strategic communication dili lamang tungod kay digital na ta pero needed kay siya. Usahay insensitive na kaayo ta mosulat. Dili na ta kaayo mo-mind sa perspective sa uban tao. Daghan kaayo salamat for giving us the opportunity to learn (We really need strategic communications not only because it is a must in this digital era. Sometimes, we have become insensitive when it comes to writing. We don’t think about the perspective of other people. Thank you for this opportunity to learn),” said Tuble.
Manjuyod is one of the municipalities in the province identified as a priority area for ELCAC efforts in the province.
In the same activity, Provincial Public Information Officer Juvilin Calago also spoke on the important role of PIOs in generating public awareness about the government’s efforts to end insurgency.
“With our local terrorist groups, most of them are aggressive thinkers. I hope we are the key to soften their hearts, to deliver to them the good projects of our province and our government,” Calago said, who was speaking on behalf of Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria.
Calago cited the various initiatives of the Provincial ELCAC Task Force involving peace initiatives, such as the opening of the halfway house for former rebels inside the 302nd Infantry Brigade’s Headquarters of the Philippine Army in Tanjay City, the P20 million housing project for former rebels in Basay town, and the Medical, Legal, and Social Services (MLS) Caravan implemented in the hinterlands to bring essential government services to residents in the area.
ANOPIO Vice-President for the South, Gherelene Mae Rafols, thanked the Strategic Communication Cluster for coming up with the training that will help improve their communication skills.
“We greatly appreciate the opportunity to enhance our skills, to enrich us, to refresh us in this field,” Rafols said. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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