PIA enhances disaster messaging through risk communication training

By Ana-Liza S. Macatangay

LEGAZPI CITY --- Information officers from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) completed a four-day risk and crisis communications training at The Oriental Hotel in Legazpi City on Thursday, enhancing their ability to develop and implement effective communication plans during disasters.

PIA Director General Katherine Chloe De Castro thanked the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for sharing their expertise, which is vital for the agency’s mission to provide timely, relevant, and accurate information during critical situations.

“This training is more than just professional development. It is a personal call to action. Whether we’re behind the desk or on the ground –in the office, the newsroom, or our homes –we are now better equipped to be responsible communicators in times of crisis. We are more aware, more prepared, and more connected,” De Castro emphasized.

De Castro emphasized the vital role of information officers as frontline workers and reliable sources of information, particularly during disasters and emergencies.

Romina Marasigan, chief of the OCD Protocol and Events Management Office, stated that their primary goal in empowering partners, such as the PIA, is to ensure that every Filipino can recover after each calamity.

“The goal is to have a safer, adaptive, and disaster-resilient Filipino community towards sustainable development. Iyon ang goal ng lahat ng initiatives natin, relative to disaster risk reduction management,” Marasigan added.

Emmanuel Taghoy, the assistant regional head of PIA in Zamboanga Peninsula, expressed his eagerness to share his newfound knowledge and improved strategies on disaster communication with his constituents upon returning to his region.

“This is a big leap in terms of enhancing our capacity in preparing for calamities and disasters. We are expecting to come up with a comprehensive risk communication plan that will be cascaded to our communities in the grassroots,” Taghoy said.

He expressed his enthusiasm for sharing the risk communication plan with other government communicators, highlighting its importance in disaster situations.

Taghoy said that the PIA has an extensive network of information volunteers from academic institutions and civic groups who stand to benefit from this risk communication plan.

Reinforcing PIA’s role in grassroots communication, he emphasized that the media should focus on fostering community resilience during disaster events.

Information Officer Janie Vee Gumban from PIA Eastern Visayas noted that the risk communication framework will assist her in conveying the risks and potential hazards associated with disasters in their region.

She said she also looks forward to sharing her insights with government communicators in other regions and provinces.

Charmaine Villanueva Villamil, a senior science research specialist from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, explained that a risk communication plan is a comprehensive tool designed to integrate the current situation, with the goals of reducing risk, increasing awareness, and changing people’s social behavior.

The risk communication training covers a variety of topics, including the communication framework and concepts, media relations, and planning.

This initiative aims not only to equip government communicators but also to help the Filipino community become safer, more adaptive, and more resilient to disasters, she stated.

PIA Bicol Regional Head Ramil Marianito encouraged the graduates of the crisis communication workshop to uphold both their learning and sense of accountability as they apply the lessons they have gained to real-life situations.

The training was conducted in partnership with the OCD to provide government communicators with comprehensive strategies, tools, and skills aimed at minimizing the effects of hazards on communities. (Nicole Frilles contributed to this report/PIA Bicol)