BION: Accurate information about West PH Sea reaches over 100 info officers in Dinagat Islands
By Renelle L. Escuadro
SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands (PIA) — Over 100 public information officers from the municipalities and barangays in Dinagat Islands listened attentively to the discussion on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) spearheaded by the National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency (NICA) Caraga during the Dinagat Islands Provincial Information Officers Conference on July 23.
NICA Caraga Regional Director Bonifacio R. Pulgo said, “We want to develop and capacitate all of you, being the first-hand and on-the-ground source of reliable information to become government communication multipliers as truth tellers of the WPS and, of course, peace influencers in your community because we believe that there’s no other fitting person to do that but you IOs.”
“We are here to tell the truth that WPS is an essential part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and this is supported by the July 2016 arbitral ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).,” Dir. Pulgo added, “This is a landmark victory of the country. Therefore, WPS is ours.”
He told the participants about the ongoing inter-agency convergence and initiative of the government as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen strategic efforts and collaboration on intelligence, investigation, and prosecution to safeguard maritime and territorial defense in the entire country, including the Caraga region, against foreign interference and malign influence.
He explained to the IOs why the support for WPS is a call to action for every Filipino, including Dinagatnons, even if residing far from the WPS or the disputed territory.
“Let us remember that WPS is more than a sovereignty issue. It is part of our seas, our rights and our future,” he said.
Meanwhile, NICA Caraga has partnered with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to strengthen the country’s sovereignty and ensure that communities are free from illegal and undesirable aliens.
Mindanao Deputy Chief for Administration and Operations Melody Penelope B. Gonzales of the BI welcomed the opportunity to reach out to the municipal and information officers in the province.
“BI’s successful recent crackdown of overstaying, undocumented, and undesirable foreigners in the island of Siargao was due to the information that we received from the locals and communities,” Gonzales said, emphasizing the significant role of information in peace and order and national security.
She added that BI is indeed grateful for the invitation to participate in the engagement, especially with the topography of Dinagat Islands being the nearest to Siargao Island and the province’s influx of foreign tourists.
She told the IOs, “We have not received any information from IOs in Dinagat Islands. However, after this activity, we are hoping that as IOs you need to be mindful and vigilant if there are unusual presence and activities in your communities and report them promptly to proper authorities.”
The Dinagat Islands Provincial Information Officers Conference served as a pilot inter-agency collaborative engagement spearheaded by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) – Dinagat Islands Government Information Center, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) under the leadership of Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, and the provincial government of Dinagat Islands led by Governor Nilo P. Demerey Jr. through its Provincial Information Office headed by Attorney Niel Edward M. Demerey.
The conference with the theme, ‘Building A Better Mindanao By Strengthening Public Information and IO Empowerment,’ was held at the Provincial Guest Center, Barangay Cuarinta, San Jose, of this province. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands with a report from Dinagat Islands PIO)