The role of journalists in producing stories has a significant contribution to the government’s peace efforts, said the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).
NICA MIMAROPA Regional Director Ariel Perlado said during the OPAPRU Media Orientation Thursday, August 8, that the exposure given by the media is essential to strengthening government programs such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“Matagal na tumatakbo ang ELCAC sa MIMAROPA. Right now what we need is exposure. We cannot do it without exposure,” he said.
The media orientation is a joint program of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) for the members of the media in the MIMAROPA region.
OPAPRU highlighted the need to have a deep understanding of the essential terminologies to help the government strengthen information dissemination.
PIA Deputy Director-General for Creative Communications and External Affairs Katherine Chloe De Castro noted that the state information agency also wanted to provide the local media with the terminologies that could be used in stories that would help in peacebuilding.
Despite the contribution of the journalists, some of the members of the local media also admitted challenges in accessing sources of information due to the “allergic reaction” of some government agencies to the media.
PIA Deputy Director-General for Regional Operations Adolfo Ares Gutierrez said that the agency is also exerting efforts to convince some government agencies of the importance of media coordination for the whole-of-nation approach.
“Ipinapaniwala rin namin sa mga kasama namin sa iba’t ibang ahensya na mahalaga na makipag-ugnayan sa media, na hindi kalaban at sila ay kakampi. Ginagawan natin ng paraan ‘yan, hindi ‘yan mabilis, slow burn,” Gutierrez said.
Peace efforts of the government
Lawyer Earl Ligorio Turano II, the Provincial Legal Officer of Oriental Mindoro, believes that internal peace is the key to development.
“Ang susi sa pag-unlad ay kapayapaan, kung wala tayong internal peace sa ating bansa ngayon, paano natin ma-address ang threat sa soberanya,” he said.
OPAPRU MGen. Rene Glen Paje (Ret) reiterated in his presentation the recruitment process that would engage locals to join rebel groups.
MIMAROPA region has already completed the planning stage, which is the first step of the Transformation Program Localization Phases in ending local communist armed conflict, said Ma. Celin Mendoza of OPAPRU. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
