MANILA -- The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) will spearhead a Campus Caravan and competitions among college students in celebration of the “Communications Month 2023” this October.

The PCO’s conduct of Campus Caravan will feature activities such as putting up of exhibition booths, media information literacy workshops, creative contests and competitions, panel discussions, Konsyerto sa Palasyo campus auditions, and internship information booth.

College students are invited to take part in short film making contests, song writing contests, essay writing, mural painting, spoken word poetry contests, among others. For guidelines and more details on how to join, interested students may refer to the PCO Facebook page and website (pco.gov.ph).

Students from state universities and colleges (SUCs) and even private colleges nationwide will participate in the Campus Caravan and in the activities provided under a memorandum circular that set guidelines for the “Communications Month 2023” celebration following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s issuance of Proclamation No. 308 last August declaring October as Communications Month.

Proclamation No. 308 also enjoins all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the national government, LGUs, GOCCs, and both the public and private sectors to support PCO’s activities and programs.

This year’s celebration will revolve around the theme, “CommUNITY: Nagkakaisang Tinig Tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas,” aimed at magnifying and showcasing unity among government institutions by illustrating a whole-of-government approach in combating misinformation and disinformation while fostering a sense of unity among students and the youth.

The PCO, by virtue of Executive Order No. 11 (s. 2023), is mandated to be responsible for the crafting, formulation, development, enhancement, and coordination of the messaging system of the Executive Branch and the Office of the President (OP).

The campus caravan will also include the rollout PCO’s Media and Information Literacy Campaign (MIL) project. It is aimed at being a key solution to countering misinformation and disinformation by educating the people in evaluating information sources to make them more discerning in consuming news and information and to be better equipped in identifying and avoiding false or misleading content.

The program is being carried out through a partnerships with other government agencies that included the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to help the people develop skills and knowledge needed to navigate the complex media landscape and make informed decisions about the information they consume.

In celebrating Communications Month, the PCO was tasked under the President’s proclamation to undertake Campus Caravan in SUCs nationwide for the rollout of the MIL campaign and at the same time inform the public of its various programs and services with the help of its attached agencies. (PND)