ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (PIA) – The orientation of new and old municipal information officers (MIOs) in this province sparks the vision of establishing and strengthening the barangay information officers network (BION) in their respective municipalities.

Monjir Samin, the MIO of the municipality of Dinas, said he is hopeful to gather and also orient the residents of the barangays who can be tapped as the information officer.  

“Sa pagkakaron wala pa na establish ang BION. Tungod sa panagtigom karon, kinahanglan ma-establish jud pud nato para dali ra ang pag-cascade sa information gikan sa taas padulong sa grassroots level. Hopefully ma-gather sad nato kung kinsa ang mga pwede ma-tap sa barangay para mahimong PIO ug maorient nato sila,” Samin said.

(At present, the BION has not yet been established in our municipality. Because of our activity today, we must establish it so that the cascade of information from the top to the grassroots level will be easier. Hopefully, we can also gather information on who can be tapped at the barangay level to become public information officers (PIO), and we can orient them.)

Meanwhile, Raissa Felicitas, the MIO of the municipality of Molave, which has launched its BION, said she was reminded of the principles of effectively conveying the message of government projects and programs and hopes to re-echo it for their BION.

“Hopefully, we could re-echo it to our barangay level. At least we will get to convene them (BIOs) again kay sukad sa among pag launching sa 2022 wala nami nagkita ug balik, messenger lang (ang communication). Karon naa reason na magkita to update the learnings and unsa ang mga information na dapat i-cascade sa ilang level,” Felicitas noted.

(Hopefully, we could re-echo it at the barangay level. At least, we will have the opportunity to convene them (BIOs) again because since our launching in 2022, we haven't met in person and communicated only through Messenger. Now, there's a reason to meet—for us to update learnings and discuss the information that needs to be cascaded to their level.)

The PIA, in collaboration with the provincial government, organized the Municipal Information Officer Network (MION) Orientation. The initiative aims to strengthen the information highway in Zamboanga Peninsula by establishing provincial, municipal, and barangay information officers networks. This network facilitates the seamless flow of information about government programs and projects to Filipino communities, contributing to their improvement. 

This vision aligns with the broader Project Information Highway in Region 9, led by the PIA, focusing on establishing a coordinated network of information officers to bring positive changes at the community level.

PIA Assistant Regional Head Rene Carbayas challenged the MIOs to teach our constituents to seek information.

“Information will not come to you; seek it. Always seek information,” he said.

Throughout the activity, the MIOs received a refresher on the roles and significance of government information officers. They participated in a capability-building session covering the anatomy of social media and basic photojournalism. They were also briefed on the vision of the region to achieve a vibrant Zamboanga Peninsula.

Nineteen MIOs from 26 municipalities participated in the activity. The session concluded with the MIOs crafting their individual communication plans, aspiring to achieve them with the support of their chief executive, the provincial government, and the national government line agencies. (RVC/CCP/PIA9)