Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jaybee Ruiz recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to combat fake news and misinformation.
“The PCO will fight against fake news through a whole-of-government approach,” Ruiz said during the signing with CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos.
The PCO will also work with Scam Watch Pilipinas, a cybersecurity movement focused on educating Filipinos about cyber fraud and addressing cybersecurity gaps at the grassroots level.
The secretary called on more agencies to join the fight against fake news. “Fake news has become prevalent in recent times. It has become even stronger in the last weeks after former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by Interpol and brought to The Hague in the Netherlands to face allegations of crimes against humanity,” he said.
To strengthen its efforts, the PCO has tasked its attached agencies with designating fact-checking officers and partnered with VERA Files for training on countering misinformation. VERA Files, a Meta-approved fact-checking partner, works to debunk false claims online.
It also launched a Media and Information Literacy Campaign to help the youth assess and validate information sources, teaching them to distinguish truth from falsehood.IMT
