𝐂𝐄𝐁𝐔 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓
For years, information officers (IOs) of Cebu’s cities and municipalities have faced limited opportunities for training and capacity-building, according to Alvin Duazo, IO of Consolacion and president of the Cebu League of Information Officers (CLIO).
Duazo said IOs had sought programs to help them better perform their roles, but these did not materialize.
The Capitol, under Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, held the “Communicate Cebu: Information Officers’ Congress” at the Capitol Social Hall last Aug. 12 and 13, bringing together IOs from 40 local government units.
“Nalipay mi because gihatagan gyud ta og dako kaayo nga pagtagad ug importansya sa administrasyon ni Governor Pam by providing us opportunities for us to learn,” Duazo said.
The congress focused on helping government communicators provide accurate, timely and accessible public information as communication increasingly shifts to digital platforms.
Fayette Riñen, head of the Philippine Information Agency Central Visayas (PIA-7), welcomed the initiative, noting that some LGUs in Cebu still do not have designated information officers.
“I really laud the initiative of the Capitol because in all my 30 years in government service and in handling [CLIO], this is the first time that there is an information officers’ congress,” Riñen said.
She said LGU information officers help PIA bridge the information gap between national government agencies and communities, including barangays and households that need information about government programs and services.
For Duazo, social media has added another challenge for government communicators as people can now directly engage with government online.
“While we use social media as a platform now, daghan pa man gyod ang wa kasabot on how to fully use and maximize the platforms available to us,” he said.
Duazo and Riñen expressed hope that the provincial government would continue providing training for information officers in LGUs and national government agencies.
The congress featured sessions on crisis management, mobile journalism, videography, basic social media poster design, photojournalism and visual storytelling. | CAPITOL PIO
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