THE Marcos administration is committed to promoting freedom of information and preserving press freedom, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garfail said in her message during the 16th Conference of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministers Responsible for Information in Vietnam last Saturday.
Garafil, whose message was delivered by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Director-General Joe Torres Jr., said the Philippine government is also committed to promoting regional integration and cooperation within ASEAN.
“The Philippines adheres to our responsibility to promote regional integration and cooperation among the members of ASEAN. And with the help of media, we can attain our shared goal of addressing different challenges that we face right now by building bridges between our cultures and communities,” she said.
Garafil highlighted the role of media in shaping a well-informed populace that is better equipped to respond to economic, environmental, and societal challenges.
She also emphasized the need to preserve press freedom, citing the media as a conduit for promoting accountability and transparency among public servants to ensure the best interest of the people remains the top priority.
“Preserving press freedom stands as a fundamental pillar of a thriving democracy, and any attempts to suppress it must be resolutely opposed. Media is the cornerstone that connects the diverse nations of ASEAN, transforming information into knowledge that empowers our citizens and strengthens our collective resilience and responsiveness,” she said.
Garafil said the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), which she heads, will continue to promote and strengthen freedom of information while continuously forging partnerships with both local and international stakeholders.
She said the PCO is keen on intensifying the Freedom of Information program through its information dissemination platforms and mechanisms “which have made every effort to reach the Filipinos from the national level down to every local government unit to inform every Filipino of the right to information keeping as many, if not yet all on board, with the plans, targets, and actions that the government has laid out for the nation.”
This year’s Ministers’ conference focused on ASEAN collaboration in information and communication orientations to create a mechanism for coping with fake news on the internet, promoting digital transformation in the press and communication sector, applying modern technologies to the sector, and promoting the exchange of information across ASEAN and allied countries.
The conference, with the theme, “Media: From Information to Knowledge for a Resilient and Responsive ASEAN,” was held from September 22 to 23 and was participated in by the 10 ASEAN countries along with Timor Leste as an observer, and three partner countries – Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China.
