Public must understand gov’t efforts- PIA chief

Usec Mon Cualoping (left) with Edge Davao EIC Tony Ajero (right)

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 16 (PIA) – The people must understand the efforts of the government and not just merely be informed, said Undersecretary Ramon L. Cualoping III, director-general of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

Cualoping admitted in a media interview in Davao City the need to go beyond merely informing the public but making them understand “because merely informing the people, will not give them the right variables to be critical thinkers”.

“It may just open them to believe other wrong Interpretations, and so as information officers of the republic of the Philippines, the role of the PIA is ,number 1 is to Inform but second is to explain, explain explain because we have to make people understand,” he explained in an interview with Davao media on September 11.

However, he cited as “unfortunate” that some quarters in the society still prefers to spread fake news to mislead people.

“Unfortunately, there are still certain people who would rather focus on spreading lies, on destabilizing the government and sad to say, are really focused on misleading the people thru disinformation,” Cualoping said.

He also thinks that these people or organizations behind the fake news are up to discredit and destabilize the government for their political motives amidst the pandemic.

“It is very unfortunate because I think this is not the time for politics,” he cited.

Cualoping was also wary about people tending to misinterpret information in the absence of government effort to make them understand through further explanation.

“If people do not understand, they will, and they might believe fake news, and the lies being talked upon to us by certain quarters, sector of society, which may affect the trust and confidence of an individual towards the government,” he said.

Citing these threats of fake news and disinformation, Cualoping said “PIA we will not stop providing proper, vetted, accurate and correct information,” to make people understand.

He admitted such thrust as “difficult in the age of social media, but we will do this, because if not then who else?,” he posed the query. (PIA Davao del Norte/Ezri M. Coda, Jr with reports from Jeanevive Abangan.)

Comments

Davao del Sur State College first president formally proclaimed

DIGOS CITY, Mar. 31 (PIA) – Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Aldrin A. Darilag has formally proclaimed Dr. Augie E. Fuentes as the first president of the Davao del Sur State College (DSSC) in the investiture rites held recently at the Davao del Sur Coliseum in Digos City. Dr. Fuentes has been appointed as DSSC president in 2020, but her appointment was made formal only last March 17 due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The formal proclamation highlighted the institute’s accomplishments ever since they started as a state college, and not anymore as a sister campus of the Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) of Malita in Davao Occidental. “Actually I would say that we are fortunate. Though we are young, though we are still around two-years old from the time we were launched, I say we are fortunate because we did not start from zero. We were a campus of SPAMAST such that there wer...

LTO to public: Do not patronize colorum vehicles

NABUNTURAN, Davao de Oro (PIA) - An official of the Land Transportation Office enjoined the public for the eradication of colorum vehicles plying the streets in Davao region. During the second episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas in Davao City, LTO XI Regional Director Eleanor Calderon urged the public not to patronize colorum vehicles to avoid any road safety risk and to also complement their enforcement operations against these violators. “If we stop patronizing these (colorum vehicles), they will just die a natural death; mawala ra na sila sa kalsad a (they will just vanish in our roads),” Calderon said. The traffic official emphasized that LTO XI has apprehended a total of 115 colorum vehicles from January to April 2024. Calderon also provided tips to identify colorum vehicles. She said that UV express vehicles should have yellow plates; other than that, the public should not board not yellow-plated vehicles whose drivers or operators are offering rides for a fee. “Dapat ...

Pilipinas Shell to build import facility in Sta. Cruz, DavSur

DAVAO CITY, April 22- Petroleum giant Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation will be constructing its Darong Import Facility in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. When completed it will be the third largest import facility in the country after the Shell Import Facility Tabangao in Batangas and the North Mindanao Import Facility in Cagayan de Oro. The Darong Import Facility has a rated capacity of 67-million liters of petroleum products. The import facility will help and promote business continuity and stability in the area by providing needed fuel resources for mobility during storms, floods and other calamities. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Darong, Sta Cruz on April 22. The event was attended by Engr. Jaime G. Lao, Municipal Mayor of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur; DMCI Holdings Inc. President Sid Consunji; Santa Cruz Storage Corporation President Das Consunji Reyes; and Juan Miguel Delgado, COO of Northern Star; Sta Cruz Storage Corporation and Stephen Tion...

PIA Davao Region

Search This Blog