(Photo courtesy of DICT)
MANILA – The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) is planning the creation of a "fact-checking" team that will monitor the spread of fake news on social media.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the idea was first pitched during the House Appropriations Committee hearing on the proposed 2023 budget of the OPS on Friday when discussions shifted to the Marcos administration's fight against misinformation and disinformation.
"Inaayos at pinaplano na natin ang pagbuo ng unang fact-checking team ng Office of the Press Secretary para labanan ang pagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon at balita sa mga online platform (We are organizing and planning the establishment of the first fact-checking team of the Office of the Press Secretary to fight the dissemination of false information and news on online platforms)," she said.
Cruz-Angeles said the OPS, the lead communications arm of the President, will ramp up the government's drive against fake news peddlers.
She said her office currently has several teams that are in charge of uploading contents on its official social media accounts to ensure the delivery of factual and timely information.
"Kaisa tayo ng Ehekutibo at ng Kongreso sa patuloy na kampanya kontra fake news at pagpapalaganap ng edukasyon upang labanan ito (We are one with the executive branch and Congress in the relentless campaign against fake news and raising public awareness to fight it)," Cruz-Angeles said.
During the deliberations on the proposed PHP473.1-million budget for OPS in 2023, Cruz-Angeles said her office needs adequate funding to ensure the fast delivery of vital information, fulfill its mandate to craft and implement the information systems of the Office of the President, and maintain rapport with the mainstream media and other stakeholders.
The Marcos administration has launched a “One Messaging Policy” in a bid to prevent disinformation, misinformation and malinformation.
Under the single messaging policy, government agencies under the Executive will have close collaboration to fight fake news.
Marcos earlier urged netizens to follow the official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts of the OPS to keep them updated on the administration’s announcements and plans for the country.
In her previous interview, Cruz-Angeles said the OPS will be coming up with a "more comprehensive" feedback mechanism to make the Marcos administration "more responsive" to the needs of Filipinos.
Cruz-Angeles also met recently with officials of the United States Embassy in Manila to boost cooperation on public information and communications and the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy to discuss ways of improving the government's delivery of service. (PNA)
