The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 13 (Caraga), strengthened Agusan del Sur’s barangay communication network with a Barangay Information Officers Network (BION) Assembly on Thursday.

About 500 participants, including designated information officers from the province’s 314 barangays, attended the event at the DO Plaza Government Center in Barangay Patin-ay, Prosperidad.

In a statement Thursday, PIA-13 said the enhanced communication network aims to ensure consistent and accurate information dissemination at the grassroots level.

The assembly also provided barangay information officers with tools and techniques for effective information dissemination and crisis communication.

PIA Deputy Director General Adolfo Ares Gutierrez, the keynote speaker, stressed the role of barangay information officers in combating fake news.

“We, in PCO and PIA, are very aggressive in the fight against fake news. We need to build an army of truth-tellers,” Gutierrez said.

Junard Sonio, the designated information officer of Barangay Bunagit in Esperanza town, highlighted the assembly’s role in fostering collaboration.

“The assembly encourages collaboration and networking among barangay information officers,” Sonio, who also serves as the barangay secretary of Bunagit, said in a phone interview.

He noted that enhanced networking would improve communication in barangays, particularly during emergencies and disasters.

“In times of calamities, the dissemination of accurate and timely information is crucial,” he said, thanking the PCO for the initiative.

PIA-13 also acknowledged the support of provincial, municipal, and barangay governments in Agusan del Sur for the success of the assembly. (PNA)