THE Presidential Communications Office (PCO) brought its anti-fake news campaign to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) stage, presenting its strategy against misinformation and disinformation at a regional media workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from August 26 to 27.
PCO Assistant Secretary for Private Media Arthur Los Baños outlined the country’s approach during the workshop dubbed ‘Minimizing the Negative Impacts of Digital Transformation in Traditional Media,’ which was organized by Cambodia’s Ministry of Information.
The Philippine strategy combines media partnerships, inter-agency coordination, law enforcement and media literacy.
The campaign was formalized on March 4 through a memorandum of understanding between the PCO and nine national newspapers to strengthen cooperation in fighting false information and protecting the integrity of news and truth.
Another agreement followed on April 13, bringing together the PCO, Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to strengthen the monitoring, investigation and prosecution of purveyors of fake news and disinformation.
Los Baños also presented the PCO’s efforts to improve the public’s ability to critically assess information through training and workshops for educators, journalists and government communicators.
The campaign has also moved into enforcement, with the PCO endorsing eight Facebook accounts and a website to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for investigation over alleged fake news and false information.
The latest referral, filed on Aug. 13, involved a Facebook page posing as a satirical news platform and a website falsely advertising a P30,000 Department of Health medical assistance program.
The PCO said it will continue monitoring and referring verified cases of deliberate disinformation, particularly those involving public safety, government programs and matters of national interest.
The two-day workshop, attended by representatives from eight ASEAN member states, concluded onThursday.