GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Region 12 has recently organized a town hall meeting and capacity-building session for Barangay Information Officers Network (BION) members in this city.
The initiative, which was in collaboration with the General Santos City Public Information Office, sought to equip BIOs and SK members with essential skills in fact-checking, identifying misinformation and disinformation, basic news writing, content creation, and social media management.
Resource speakers from PIA Region 12 underscored the vital role of BIOs in providing accurate, timely, and reliable information to their communities, particularly in an age characterized by the rapid spread of misinformation.
PIA Regional Head Fryan Abkilan highlighted the urgency of countering disinformation, urging BIOs to serve as “bearers of light” by promoting verified information and building digital spaces for collaboration.
“BION is a very important platform aimed at strengthening the flow of truthful information from the barangay to the wider public,” he said.
“We are at the forefront of the battle against misinformation. Every post, share, and message we put out has the power to either illuminate the truth or distort it,” Abkilan added.
Representing the City Mayor’s Office, Assistant City Budget Officer and concurrent Assistant to the City Administrator, Melinda Betaizar conveyed the full support of the city government to PIA for its initiative.
Betaizar also connected the activity to the city government’s Local Governance Platform (LGP)-CARES, which emphasizes community-driven initiatives, accessibility of services, resiliency, economic recovery, and sustainability as key pillars of local governance.
“Empowering our information officers is part of creating catalysts for change. With stronger communication at the grassroots level, we can ensure that every community member is informed, resilient, and connected to government services,” she said.
City Public Information Officer Rombel Catolico also addressed the participants, encouraging the BIOs to take pride in their roles.
“Your mission is to cascade truthful, accurate, and objective information to strengthen the people’s trust in government services,” he told BIOs.
Catolico assured BIOs of the 101 percent support of the city government in their efforts to propagate accurate information in their respective barangays.
He also led them in the pledge of commitment, affirming their responsibility as frontline communicators and development information advocates in their localities.
During the session, participants engaged in hands-on activities that involved verifying news, writing barangay reports, producing content for social media, and applying design principles to enhance public communication effectiveness.
PIA Assistant Regional Head Danilo Doguiles served as a resource person on the timely and relevant topic of fact-checking and identifying misinformation and disinformation.
The next session discussed the fundamentals of newswriting for local information officers with Cathy Apelacio of PIA Sarangani-General Santos City.
Oliver Ross Rivera from PIA Sultan Kudarat discussed strategies for content creation and graphic design to boost social media engagement and effectively convey information.
Participants were also encouraged to form their own BION group chat to streamline information sharing, updates, and coordination.
The initiative seeks to create a dynamic, collaborative network that can quickly address emerging issues while actively promoting verified information.
Through the formation and continuous empowerment of BION, General Santos City and PIA aim to establish a resilient grassroots communication network that empowers citizens to make informed decisions, builds stronger communities, and fosters responsible information-sharing amidst an evolving digital landscape, Abkilan said, adding that PIA will continue to expand BION initiatives to other barangays in the region. (HJPF, PIA SarGen)
