MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA) — More than 400 barangay information officers of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City gathered for the Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Information Officers Network (BION) Assembly here on November 21.
The event aims to strengthen grassroots communication and highlights the efforts of barangay-level information officers in disseminating development in their communities.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) organized the BION Assembly 2024 through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
In behalf of Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez, PCO Assistant Secretary for Cultural Affairs and International Engagements Rowena “Wheng” Hidalgo-Otida reintroduced to the participants the Bagong Pilipinas through her presentation “Proud to be a Bagong Pilipino in a Bagong Pilipinas.”
“What is Bagong Pilipinas? It is regaining pride in being Filipino. It is nurturing a culture of affirmation and a rejection of self-deprecation. It is trusting the government for leadership but accepting the citizen’s part of the program. It is setting excellence as the goal in personal, community, and national life,” she shared.
For the part of PIA, Assistant Director-General for Legal Affairs and Special Concerns Allan Vincent Lorenzo keynoted the event.
“The Bagong Pilipinas governance is seeking the help of the barangay information officers to help attain the leadership agenda consistent with the Ambisyon Natin 2040, which represents long-term vision and aspirations of the Filipino people for themselves and for the country in the next 25 years: Matatag, maginhawa, and panatag na buhay, or in Visayan use, kalig-on, hamugaway, ug sigurado nga kinabuhi,” Lorenzo said.
The assistant director-general shared that barangay information officers can assist the government in disseminating accurate information about the programs and services offered and implemented by all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, state colleges and universities, and local government units.
“The importance of strengthening grassroots communications through you, our barangay information officers, must be underscored. You all play a very vital role in disseminating truthful, relevant, and timely information about the government programs, projects, services, and policies aimed at empowering the citizenry to be able to arrive at informed decisions,” he added.
Prior to the discussions, participants actively engaged in sharing their unique interpretations of the Bagong Pilipinas and the qualities that define a Bagong Pilipino. Information Officer Cyril Cambalon Jr. from Villanueva said a Bagong Pilipino knows how to differentiate truth from the fake news through various mechanisms.
“The Bagong Pilipino is someone who is fully aware sa unsa’y mga issues sa atoang community (on what is happening around the community),” he said. Cambalon also expressed gratitude to the conduct of BION.
“This BION Assembly naghatag kanamo og giya isip barangay information officer nga siya gyud ang tuburan ug balita ug impormasyon nga mahibal-an dapat sa tanan,” he said.
(The BION Assembly gave us an idea of how to be a barangay information officer who is the source of news and information necessary for everyone to know.)
The Province of Misamis Oriental also recognized the efforts of barangay information officers in today’s BION Assembly, especially in the current administration’s drive to bring the poverty incidence to single digits.
“Our Barangay Information Officers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the government and our communities. You are the eyes and ears of our local governance, ensuring that vital information reaches every corner of our province,” said Misamis Oriental Provincial Information Office Consultant Roy Waga, representing Governor Peter M. Unabia.
Waga said their engagement as information officers is essential in this endeavor. He said that participants for today’s BION Assembly are the messengers of change, equipped with the responsibility to disseminate information about SDPI objectives and activities.
The City of Cagayan de Oro expressed support for the BION 2024. Representing Mayor Rolando A. Uy is City Administrator and lawyer Roy Hilario Raagas.
Raagas highlighted PCO’s action as they recognize the crucial roles of barangay information officers in disseminating information to their respective barangays.
This action also ensures the dissemination of crucial information from the community level to the national government and various communities. (IJBD/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)
