The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) leads the fight of the government against fake news.
PCO Usec. Emerald Annie Ridao stressed on Wednesday, August 16, that fake news disrupts the operations of government agencies, and causes inconvenience among the public.
"Lahat na yata ng agency ng gobyerno ay naging biktima na ng fake news at some point," Ridao said during DILG sa DZRH Breaktime.
Ridao named the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as among the frequent victims of fake news in the Philippines.
"Palagi na nakakakuha sila ng complaint galing sa mga mamayan na akala namin may payout sa ganitong oras, sa ganitong araw dahil nakakita daw sila ng balita na meron," Ridao explained.
In the fight against fake news, PCO launched the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Campaign that seeks to create a 'culture of responsibility' among the youth.
"Hindi dahil may logo ng news ay ibig sabihin ay news siya. Hindi dahil viral ay fact na siya," Ridao said.
PCO works with other government agencies, including the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), to ensure the success of the campaign.
"Because the aim of the MIL campaign is really prevention through education, we really need CHED para madagdag sa curriculum talaga ng higher education institutions itong Media Information Literacy Campaign," Ridao said.
PCO also partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd), and the private sector to train teachers for the MIL Campaign.
Ridao said that PCO also coordinates with the DSWD and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ensure that the MIL Campaign reaches out-of-school youths.
"We are hoping to add a module for parents on digital parenting, kung paano suriin yung mga Youtube channel or yung Facebook pages na pinapayagan panoorin ng mga anak nila," she said.
