FULL Circle -- an IDO's personal sentiment.

My first and last CAOCAMPIO meetings both in Mandaue City 

The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) has the strongest network from among the offices under Philippine Communications Operations Office (PCOO).  

Aside from having provincial offices, government communication reached grassroots level with the presence of the Municipal, City and Provincial Public Information Officers (PIOs).

 Here in Cebu, we have CAOCAMPIO, the Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers. In Bohol is the Association of Development Information Officers (AUDIO) with its Information Development Officer (IDO) Elvie Bongosia (Dolor Elvira); its Association of Negros Oriental Public Information Officers (ANOPIO) with IDO Leandria Pagunsan (the real Dolor) in Neg Or and Siquijor Association of Information Dessiminators ( SAID) headed by (the forever young Dolor) Rizalie Calibo in Siquijor Province. 

During the 2017 RADIO Convention touring EDC facilties in Neg Or 

CAOCAMPIO, AUDIO, ANOPIO and SAID are all under RADIO, the Regional Association of Developmental Information Officers (RADIO7). 

These are our PIOs who are delivering to you updates and developments from the Office of the President and National level offices. 

These are the people who laymanized the processes of services for the mass to avail. 

2018  Christmas gathering at AZIA Suites 

The same people who strived hard to survive despite non acknowledgement of the position, or of the PIO as an office, by some local government officials and employees. 

Yep, those peeps who are met with raised eyebrows (by accountants and budget officers and some Mayors) for every meeting on information matters like, "why do u have to go when emcee raman ka, tig take down raman kag minutes? Unsa gud ng information²? ", thats them!

2013 Christmas Party at Hotel Asia

With lesser or no support, these PIOs in CAOCAMPIO rely on each other, for strategies to make things work. 

They inspire each other to be up for many hours, 24/7 (specially during weather disturbances) just to share traffic situation, vehicular accidents, local weather, travel advisories..they post photos of stranded passengers, fallen trees, unpassable roads, casualties, injuries...sleepless and drained yet making the group chat on fire. 

These PIOs grab every opportunity to improve. 

PIA gives trainings from within and other sources, from news, press release and feature writing, broadcast reporting to basic photography, media relations even public speaking and customer relations. 

2014 Christmas gathering at Express Inn 

You see them careful with their words, avoiding bias, and best, they police each other. 

In CAOCAMPIO, its more than just information sharing. 

There is mentoring by whoever is experienced in topics on disaster preparedness, budget preparation, writing of a proposal, even sharing of problems personal and private, with a co employee or how to go about reporting (and accompanying) police operations. 

Communication Workshop in Oslob town

In the first photo was my first CAOCAMPIO meeting in 2013 with different faces now in 2018. 

The PIO position is not permanent. 

For most it is merely a designation, an additional responsibility except for Local Governments who can afford to make position permanent. 

Perhaps the position becomes permanent to those officials and leaders who affirmed to the cruciality of the role of the PIO. 

PIOs sell the LGU, links it to media and the world.

More importantly, PIOs make GOVERNMENTS' presence felt by the common "tao". 

Comm Skills Training at St. Marks Hotel 

TRANSPARENCY, MARKETING, EMPOWERMENT ---these are our Public INSPIRAION Officers. 

The CAOCAMPIO Presidents I served Left-Right-Down: Michelle Mondigo (2018-present) Titing Pintado (2017) and Carlo Dugaduga (2014-2016)

Thank you CAOCAMPIO peeps. From 2013 to 2018 --and in Mandaue City, it is indeed a lovely, memorable, inspiring FULL CIRCLE. 

See you online!

Now turning over the Reyna Crown to my buddy Mam Juju Empuerto with my only Government Information Center Coordinator Mam Rachelle Nessia.

*note: this is a personal sentiment again :) //  by Ferliza Calizar-Contratista

Cebu LIONS roared in the PCOO Roadshow

Cebu members of Lions Club International roared in two national public events hosted in Cebu.

These events were advocacy activities on the importance of communicating significant programs of the government by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS).

PART I

First was the PCO Road Show with no less than Secretary Martin Ruperto Andanar who explained that such activities will be done more often to let the public know the important programs of the government that has greater impact to the community

More than 30 members of the different clubs of District 301 B2 in Cebu came in strong as participants as part of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO).

PCO Secretary Martin Andanar with Lions DVG Stephen Yap

They were led by Vice District Governor Stephen Yap of Cebu Centennial Lions Club, who was

recognized by Secretary Andanar in the preliminaries of his speech.

The Lions learned about the Executive Order issued by President Rodrigo Duterte which will improve the flow of information from government to public --- the Freedom of Information by Assistant PCO Secretary Michael Kristian Ablan.

Lions Chester Lim and Johnny Chan and DVG Stephen Yap with PCO Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan and OPS Gaspy Villegas  

Another advocacy is Administrative Order 1 and the Protection of Journalists by   Undersecretary of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security Joel Egco.

There was also a presentation about the Chairmanship of the Philippines in this year’s Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Conferences.

Here are some of their learnings

LN Leonora Jusayan of Cebu Hamili Lions Club 

and here's another

They even stayed until the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the FOI.

"The event made us feel closer to the government, after knowing all those information programs," LN

LN Chester Lim of Cebu Downtown with Kristin Jansen, PIA Ambassadress 

The groufies with the Malacanang personalities

With PCO Secretary Andanar 

followed :

With PIA Director General Harold Clavite 

Meet the earliest Lion to arrive in the venue

LN Manny Calera of Cebu Capitol Lions Club 

Up next is PART II, Lions participation in the Nation Building Workshop 1 with Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella. 

Communications Training alang sa mga Kto12 Plus movers gipahigayon

The participants of the one day Communications Enhancement and Planning

Aron mapahibalo sa kadaghanan ang benepisyo  sa Kto12Plus project,  gipahigayon ang Communications Workshop alang sa mga nagpadagan niini bag-0hay lang.

Ang Cebu Chamber of Commerce of Industry ug ang AFOS Foundation (usa ka German Foundation) ang nangulo sa pagpahigayon sa Communications Enhancement and Planning didto sa Montebello Vista Hotel.

Norbert Weiss -Project Manager of Kto12 Plus Project welcoming the participants 

Kini aron mahibaw sa kadaghanan ang mga benepisyo sa maong programa sa matang sa edukasyon.

Unang tigpamaba mao si Minerva Newman, ang kanhi regional director sa PhilippineInformation Agency (PIA) Central Visayas nga maoy nasinati kabahin sa pag identify sa mensahe sa usa ka adbokasiya ug unsaon kini pag paabot ug pagpasabot sa publiko.

Human sa extensibong diskusyon, misunod ang training kabahin sa “Storifying Advocacies and Building Relationships with Media” gikan sa PIA Cebu.

Former PIA7 RD Minerva Newman facilitating the workshop on advocacy 

Ang Kto12Plus usa ka proyekto diin gisunod ang dualized nga approach sa pag edukar sa mga estudyante sa matang sa technical vocational skills.

Gitinguha nga gawas sa nakat onan sa eskwelahan mupadayon ang mga tinun-an sa pagkat-on ngadto sa mga magpatigayon.

• “Adunay mga teknikal nga tawo ang mubansay bansay sa mga estudyante sa matang sa konstruksyon, culinary og HRM,” matod ni Teresa Pono, AFOS resident representative,

Ang maong sistema gisunod karon sa tulo ka mga eskwelahan.

Aduna nay mga mugraduwar sa maong project karong Abril.

Learning is a never ending process. 

More so, when our jobs entail information and communication.

Information in itself is dynamic.  There are always updates and developments in all fields... and the means to communicate these are also fast changing.

So for three days this January, me and my colleagues underwent activities rediscovering and redefining our roles Information Officers as well as discussing the major projects involving the agency for this year.

This was the first need addressed by our newly appointed Officer in Charge Regional Director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 7, Ms. Fayette Rinen.

"We need to revisit and be reminded on why we are here and what are the things we need to focus on as PIA.  We need to communicate to the people the focus and actual programs of the government," Ms. Fayette said.

On the first day, we revisited our respective targets according to the tasks that we identified in the previous year.

We were also briefed about the major activities for this year, which include all out information and education about the holding of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.






This year is Philippines holds the chairmanship of ASEAN 2017.

Other major events include information campaign on the implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) directive and the holding of the summit for the Visayas and Mindanao Communicators Network.

Then our OIC brought us back to why PIA was established. (READ : Executive Order 100 Creating the Philippine Information Agency)

Our OIC also reminded us that we focus on being developmental communicators --- we write about the programs of the government and its effect on the people.

We have to bear in mind, President Rodrigo Duterte's 10 Point Social Economic Agenda as we carry our our information and communication tasks. 

"It s important that we will find a way to translate these for the public to understand better," she said. 

The second day, we discovered Google Suite and how it can be used to the MAX! My Cebu Infocen Manager Rachelle Nessia (whose digital and social media skills got her uprooted all the time from us  huhu ) made a presentation of its features.

"PIA is going Google, all of us will have our own government issued Gmails and so we have to be ready using the features," Ms. Rachelle  

LISTENING ATTENTIVELY.Here we are, learning about GOOGLE Docs, Books, Calendar, Photos ..Yep we did listened attentively. That's Elvie Bongosia, IO1 of PIA Bohol taking the photo.; then my partner video and camera man V (Virgilio Verzonilla); PIA NegOr IO2, the hunk Roi Antoni Lomotan; PIA NegOr's AO4  Leandria Pagunsan and Moi. =) 

Now we follow each other on Google Plus G+ other than Facebook.

Here's Mam Jenny Tilos (the ICM of PIA NegOr) who looks overwhelmed with the wonders of Google.'

On the third and final day, we had two Cebu media and communication authorities to share with us what we need to focus on as developmental communicators.

The writers, information officers and even admin staffs listened to a review on the world of developmental communication by  Mayette Tabada, a Sunstar columnist and Communication's professor of the University of the Philippines Cebu.

With Sunstar columnist Mayette Tabada

"As a communicator we should go for responsible messages"

The Infocen Managers on the other hand, got tips from former Cebu Daily News Publisher Eileen Mangubat about story editing.  Ms. Eileen is also senior professor of UP Cebu.

A post by ICM Rachelle Nessia, who is our regional editor

Its going to be a challenging year for us, but after that staff development and refresher, I guess, we started it right. 

The future is bright for Information Officers - Candice Acuna, Carcar City IO #partnerforchange

What is my take away from the 3 day Communications Enhancement Workshop of CAOCAMPIO.

Carcar City Information Officer Candice Acuna 

Well, first, I learned from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)that brownout actually means low voltage.

I learned that they are like a third party from the source to the consumers.

Atty. Cynthia Alabanza, NGCP Corporate Communications Officer 

I think my most important realization is what the speaker(Atty. Cynthia Alabanza, NGCP Corporate Communications Officer) pointed out between the difference of information (which is giving out) and communication (which is getting through).

On the second day, we had a speaker from Bangko Sentral ngPilipinas (BSP)Hazel Arante, who explained to us the Clean Note policy, how to differentiate the good note from the mutilated ones. 

Hazeel Arante, BSP Visayas Information Officer

And how to gauge if a mutilated note can still be exchanged at the BSP.

Our speaker from the PNP PSupt Brandi Nacario  who gave us data on drug users and pushers that are beneficial to our own CADAC (Carcar City Anti Drug Abuse Council) plans.

Then, we also enhanced our press release writing skills by PIA Cebu Manager Rachelle Nessia. 

But the speaker in the afternoon session really opened my mind about social media, Kevin Maglinte from Mugstoria showed us a lot of ideas which we could use to tap the youth or audience in general through social media. After all, in this day and age, almost everyone has a cellphone.

Kevin Maglinte, COO Mugstoria 

The third day was very productive. 

We gained a lot of knowledge and insights from the presentation of Cecil Quibod-Castro of GMA 7 and Mam Minerva Newman, PIA RD-7.

Cecille Quibod-Castro, GMA7 Anchor 

PIA7 Rd Minerva Newman on Communications Planning and Role of Government Information Officers 

I thank CAOCAMPIO and PIA for all the knowledge I gained.

But what makes me more happy and excited is the possibility that maybe this year or in the next few years, the dream of every Information Officer of having a permanent and not co-terminus position be realized. 

We are after all, Information officers of our respective cities or municipalities.

Let us put in all our minds and resources on this, tap who needs to be tapped and lobby as one strong, united front.

*CAOCAMPIO stands for Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers. 

CAOCAMPIO learns to blog!

It was no ordinary yearender for the Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers (Caocampio) as they learn step by step, how to blog!

No less than Mary Tinio Narvasa, of the Cebu Blogging Community made them realize on the importance of blogging for the government.

One can become a social influencer when one blogs.  She said.

The information officers were walked through in the creation of a blog, personal or official..

Carlo Dugaduga, president of CAOCAMPIO come up with Padayon Pilipino blog with address www.carlodugaduga.blogspot.com

Dugaduga was able to participate in the first ever "InfoTourism Adventure Race", a one of a kind convention of the Regional Association of Development Information Officers (RADIO) this year which was held in the island of Siquijor.

There is a separate blog and series of blogs about it.. Follow links.

Nino Ybanez, from the town of San Remigio came up with a blog that showcases the features of the town. It has the longest recorded beach line in the province.

Check this out www.sanremlapyahan.blogspot.com.

By next year, it is the aim of PIA and CAOCAMPIO that majority of the towns will already be in the blogging world.

For comments and suggestions... just leave a comment. =)