CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) – Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil stressed the importance of the role of academe and Filipino youth in disseminating accurate, relevant and timely information. 

The secretary delivered a video message during the conduct of PCO Community Campus Caravan held in University of Science and Technology of the Southern Philippines (USTP), Cagayan de Oro City.

“Bilang kalihim ng PCO, ako ay nagagalak na maging bahagi ng pagkilos na ito na naglalayong palakasin ang ugnayan natin bilang bahagi ng komunidad. Naniniwala tayo na malaki ang bahagi ng akademiya at mga kabataang Pilipino sa adhikain natin na mapalaganap ang tama, maayos at napapanahong mga impormasyon hinggil sa mga programa ng pamahalaan sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Magsisilbing bagong paraan ng PCO ang caravan na ito upang makapagbigay kaalaman sa taong-bayan ukol sa mga adhikain at hangarin ng ating ahensya, bilang pangunahing communications arm ng pamahalaan," the secretary said.

(As the secretary for PCO, I am glad to be part of the movement that aims to strengthen our linkage being members of the society. We believe that the academe and Filipino youth take a great role in our vision to disseminate only the accurate, relevant and timely information regarding the government programs implemented under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. This caravan will serve as another medium of the PCO to inform the public about the goals and aspirations of our agency as the primary communications arm of the Philippine Government).

The PCO Community Campus Caravan brought together offices under the umbrella of the PCO, such as PIA, People’s Television Network, Inc., Presidential Broadcast Staff-Radio Television Malacañang, Presidential Broadcast Service-Radyo Pilipinas, News and Information Bureau-Philippine News Agency, and Bureau of Communications Services, to showcase their services and key functions.

Garafil said the caravan was formed to give value to government communications and showcase how the PCO can be a bridge between the government and the people.

Moreover, the PCO official said that education extends beyond four corners of the classroom as she expressed gratitude over the participation of students in the caravan.

“Ang edukasyon ay hindi lamang limitado sa silid-aralan, kundi, pati na rin sa malawakang pamayanan. Ito ay isang proseso ng pag-aaral at pagsusuri sa nagaganap, hindi lamang sa loob ng silid-aralan, kundi pati na rin sa ating buong komunidad. Kaya naman, nais nating ipabatid ang kahalagahan ng government communication effort, at paano nakikipagtulungan ang PCO sa iba’t ibang sector upang mapalaganap ang tamang impormasyon at mensahe ng ating pamahalaan," she said.

(Education is not only limited to the classroom, but also to the wider community. It is a process of learning and examining what is happening, not only within the classroom, but also in our entire community. Therefore, we want to inform the importance of the government communication effort, and how the PCO collaborates with different sectors to spread the right information and message of our government).

The caravan also highlighted the Media Information Literacy learning session where USTP students, mostly of Technology Communication Management course, actively participated. The University allowed 900 students from TCM course to participate in the different activities during the two-day caravan in USTP.

The learning sessions educated the students about the Bagong Pilipinas coverage and using Modern Technology by the PCO Undersecretary Gerald B. Barca, covering the government from a private media perspective by former CNN Philippines Senior Correspondent Anjo Alimaro, and Media Information Literacy by Assistant Secretary Patricia Kayle S. Martin. There was also a discussion of Digital Tayo, Digital Literacy Workshop, and Freedom of Information, among others.

For his part, USTP System President shared his gratitude for the staging of the caravan in the University.

“The University of Science and Technology of the Southern Philippines, as a higher education institution, is committed to the pursuit of truth and advancement of knowledge. In fact, over the years, the university has taken significant steps towards the enhancement of digital and media literacy skills of our students. With the efforts of our media information literacy instructors, the media information literacy campaign among senior high school students was conducted, which helped foster student skills in media production activities, particularly in the areas of short film, photo essay and social media,” he shared.

The USTP President also shared that the students take active participation in this endeavor. The best example is the media literacy campaign of the Department of Technology and Livelihood Education, in partnership with the Future Educators Guild in the USTP Panaon Campus, Misamis Occidental, he said.

The PCO Community Campus Caravan in USTP was also a venue for the Philippine Information Agency to showcase its Puppet Theater, a development communication initiative tool aimed at promoting national transformation through values education among children and the youth. (PIA-10/IJBD)