(Photo courtesy: Philippine Commission on Women Facebook page)
MANILA, (PIA) -- The Philippine Information Agency - National Capital Region (PIA-NCR) is taking a stand for gender equality and appropriate portrayals of women and men in various forms of media and communication.
This initiative will be highlighted with the presentation of the recently revised Philippine Gender-Fair Media Guidebook to information officers and communicators during the Association of Information Officers in Metro Manila's first quarter conference scheduled on March 19 at the Presidential Car Museum at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.
"The guidebook serves as a valuable tool for journalists, media professionals, and government communicators in promoting fair and balanced representation of women in news, entertainment, and film production," said PIA-NCR regional head Emver P. Cortez.
"We hope that through the AIMM activity, we will help eliminate common issues like gender stereotyping, imbalanced representation, and the use of non-gender-fair language among our member information officers, communicators or in their respective agencies," Cortez added.
This presentation builds on the national effort spearheaded by the Presidential Communications Office (then known as the Presidential Communications Operations Office), which started as early as 2017.
The PCO is the mother agency of PIA.
In launching the gender-fair media guidebook, the PCO, for its part, aims to address the persistent problem of discriminatory portrayals of women despite increased media coverage of women's issues.
"We hope to increase awareness and ultimately help in changing the landscape across various forms of media and communication to be more gender-fair," said Assistant Regional Head Alice Sicat, a member of the PIA gender and development TWG.
The event, to be attended by officials and members of AIMM, will also highlight the importance of engaging other government employees to be more gender sensitive.
The commitment to disseminate the guidebook within government and private communicators demonstrates a collaborative approach towards achieving gender equality in media.
The guidebook also empowers the public to hold media accountable for their portrayals, fostering a shift towards a more inclusive media environment.
This initiative by the PIA-NCR signifies the Philippines' commitment to promoting gender equality both regionally and within the media landscape.
The revised guidebook, on the other hand, serves as a practical tool for media professionals, ultimately aiming to empower women through fair and accurate representation.
The 2024 NWMC activities, led by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), carries the sub-theme, “Lipunang Patas sa Bagong Pilipinas; Kakayahan ng Kababaihan, Patutunayan!” which highlights the need to showcase and harness the full potentials of women and girls in actively engaging in and reaping the benefits of national growth and development. (AVS/PIA-NCR)
