VICTORIAS CITY PIONEERS MEDIA LITERACY AND JOURNALISM PRINCIPLES TRAINING FOR BIOs

The City Government of Victorias has made significant strides in enhancing community communication through its Comprehensive Media Literacy and Journalism Training for Barangay Information Officers (BIOs), held at Pavilion II, Victorias Aquatic Center, October 30.

The event brought together BIOs from all barangays, equipping them with essential skills to act as trustworthy channels of information within their communities.

City Information Officer Joy Famini formally opened the program, expressing appreciation for the

BIOs' dedication to their roles.

“Your role is very relevant in today’s world, where accurate and timely information is essential to building informed communities,” she emphasized.

The training featured respected speakers, including University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos Media and Communications professor and two-time Palanca Awardee Serafin Plotria Jr., who led a session on media and information literacy.

His presentation covered topics such as the communication cycle, feedback mechanisms, and the various types of communication, all of which contribute to a more responsible approach to information dissemination.

Assistant Regional Head of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) VI, Easter Anne Doza, also joined as a guest speaker, accompanied by Officer-in-Charge of PIA Negros Occidental Engr. Bernard Subilla.

Doza commended Victorias City for its pioneering role, noting that the city has taken a significant step in Western Visayas as one of the first LGUs to organize its BIOs and provide them with a specialized capacity-building program—an essential move for fostering effective grassroots communication.

In addition to theoretical insights, BIOs engaged in practical news writing exercises, enhancing their skills in delivering accurate and timely news.

The session concluded with hands-on applications where BIOs demonstrated their competencies in crafting clear, impactful messages for their communities.

The participants also visited the soon-to-be-operational Sidlak Victorias Media Production Office, an extension of the Victorias City Information Office, which will serve as a central hub for the city’s media initiatives.

Through this pioneering training, Victorias City reaffirms its dedication to transparent governance and information accessibility, ensuring that local communities remain informed and engaged through capable and well-trained Barangay Information Officers. *

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