CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — A five-man team represented the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in the recent 59th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information (COCI) in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia on Nov. 27 to 29, 2024 and provided updates on the activities for implementation that aims to strengthen digital literacy for media communications.
PIA Assistant Director General Tadeo R. Culla headed the Philippine delegation that included representatives from the Philippine Television Network (PTV), National Council for Culture and the Arts, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Two primary concerns raised during the Sub-Committee on Information (SCI) meeting, prior to the ASEAN COCI, were the proliferation of fake news and disinformation and the unethical utilization of digital technology, particularly artificial intelligence, that has compounded the issue.
H.E. Sles Alfin, Undersecretary of the State of the Ministry of Information of the Kingdom of Cambodia (KOC), said there is a crucial need to strengthen the information and media sectors, amid the challenges of fake news and disinformation that undermines the credibility of information.
ASEAN member states were urged to develop more initiatives to combat fake news and asked to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach to address these challenges.
Along this direction, the Philippines provided a progress report on two important activities the country is set to implement early next year in Manila.
These activities, tentatively scheduled in February 2025, are the “ASEAN Forum on Raising Media and Information Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” and the “Promotion of ASEAN Value and Identity in All ASEAN Member States.”
The SCI meeting resolved 11 new project proposals for 2025, which were submitted to the ASEAN COCI for recommendation for endorsement by the latter.
H.E. Neth Pheaktra, Minister for Information of the KOC, during the formal opening of the 59th ASEAN COCI expressed the need to further foster collaboration on media literacy initiatives, fight fake news and disinformation, and hold training programs for media professionals to enhance their skills in digital journalism and ethical reporting.
“The need to continue to work together is imperative to foster mutual understanding of our people and to further promote unity and prosperity across the region,” said Pheaktra.
The other PIA delegates to the concluded ASEAN COCI meeting are Ann Lorraine B. Macadaeg, chief of the Planning and Communication Research Division, Central Visayas and Western Visayas Regional Heads Fayette C. Riñen and Cheryl B. Amor, and Joan S. Torres, executive assistant II of the Office of ADG Culla.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) is planning to roll out the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) campaign next year to combat misinformation and disinformation in the country.
A memorandum of agreement between the PCO and the PIA, an attached agency, was established for the latter to conceptualize and develop MIL Comprehensive Training Program Learning Manual, and conduct training for targeted trainers/facilitators and audiences with the PIA as the lead implementer.
On Dec. 10 to 12, selected representatives from the PIA regional offices throughout the country will be the key participants to the MIL Training in preparation for the MIL campaign in 2025. (FCR/PIA7)
