Tacloban City, Leyte
February 22, 2024

Continuing the Administration’s campaign to promote media and information literacy in the Visayas Region, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) engages with Filipino students of the Leyte Normal University (LNU) in discussions regarding the fight against misinformation and disinformation as it holds the PCO CommUnity Caravan in Tacloban City, Leyte on February 22, 2024.

The caravan at LNU runs for two (2) days, wherein different news agencies and broadcast networks under the PCO umbrella open booths that aim to bring government services and programs closer to the people. It also includes a forum that gathers speakers to talk about media and information literacy, as well as the crucial responsibility of the youth in the campaign against fake news.

During the discussion, PCO Undersecretary for Digital Media Services Emerald Ridao reiterates the importance of strengthening partnership between the government and private sector in addressing the problem, especially social media platforms where false information is rampant.

“Since fake news normally goes around social media, we found it important to actually partner with the platforms where fake news goes around. Combined, the government, the public and private sector are working on a holistic way to ensure that fake news can be reported,” she conveys.

Moreover, the Undersecretary stresses the importance of providing students with the tools and knowledge to spot fake news since the Filipino youth remains one of the biggest victims of fake news.

“Disinformation is a very big problem especially now that social media is such a big part of your everyday… Please take time to make sure that you do not become a source of fake news,” Undersecretary Ridao urges.

“You have the responsibility of not becoming part of the problem. Of being a solution instead of adding to the fake news problem,” she continues.

Apart from Undersecretary Ridao, different personalities from the media industry serve as resource persons to tackle timely topics such as ‘Covering the Government from a Private Media Perspective,’ ‘The Importance of Covering the Presidency’ and discussions on digital media, among others.

The PCO CommUnity Caravan is pursuant to Proclamation No. 308, series of 2023 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declaring the month of October every year as ‘Communication Month.’ As the lead Agency, PCO plans to take the caravan to different schools and universities across the country to inspire the Filipino youth in grassroots nation-building initiatives in support of the Administration’s ‘Bagong Pilipinas.’

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