Legarda seeks to boost PIA's Barangay Info Officers Network

MANILA – Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday vowed to seek more funding for the Philippine Information Agency's (PIA) Barangay Information Officers Network (BION) to strengthen the government's information dissemination drive in the country's remote villages.

Presiding over the deliberation on the proposed 2025 Presidential Communications Office (PCO) budget, Legarda asked PIA Director General Joe Torres to submit a program proposal to the subcommittee.

"As I promised, if I like a program, we can roll it out in other areas. I may not fund the whole country but I'll select. Definitely, I will have a program in Antique," Legarda said after getting a confirmation that PIA was able to organize barangay (village) information officers in her home province.

Torres said PIA was able to operationalize 45 barangay information officers out of the 47 barangays in Hamtic town, and other areas in Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.

"In Aklan, we have 20. In Capiz, we have 97. And in Guimaras, 98. In Iloilo, 76. In Negros, 75," he said.

Barangay information officers, Torres said, were tapped by the PIA to disseminate information about government programs and services.

"Usually, karamihan po sa kanila ay barangay secretary na na-assign as barangay information officers (Usually, most of them are barangay secretaries assigned as barangay information officers)," he added.

These barangay information officers are being trained by PIA in basic news writing, drafting reports and press releases, and other communication activities, according to Torres.

He said the BION was initiated in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through a memorandum issued on Aug. 26, 2020.

Despite its successful implementation in Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula, the program has no funding, Torres said.

This year, however, the PCO allotted P7.4 million to organize barangay information officers in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and Caraga. (PNA)