Senator Robinhood Padilla on Tuesday assured that he will push for a budget allocation that will strengthen the public information campaign regarding El Niño and La Niña next year.

Padilla made the assurance during the public hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Senate Resolution No. 987 which seeks to look into the effectiveness of the information and awareness campaign of the national government on the impact of El Niño phenomenon in the country.

During the hearing, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Deputy Director General Adolfo Ares Gutierrez also asked for additional budget in 2025 to effectively implement the campaign.

“Ito na po ang pagkakataon namin na hingin din po ang tulong ng Senado na mabigyan din po ng sapat na budget lalo na po ang PIA dahil ito pong pinag-uusapan natin, yung information campaign ng El Niño at La Niña, wala po sa programa ng PIA yun (This is our chance to ask the help of the Senate to be given a sufficient budget, because the information campaign on El Niño and La Niña is not in the program of the PIA),” he said.

He said the PIA can only amplify the information being disseminated by the Task Force El Niño through various information platforms, including face-to-face information forums through the agency’s regional offices.

But he said the role of public information officers in local government units should also be used to ensure that proper information will reach the grassroots level.

Padilla volunteered to attend the budget deliberations of the Presidential Communications Office, in which the PIA is under, to push for the allocation.

“Ipaglalaban natin ito, itong public information. Hindi tayo pwedeng isinasantabi dahil kapangyarihan tayo ng taumbayan. Hangga’t informed ang ating taumbayan, hindi sila mabobola kaya napakalaki po ng ating papel (We will fight for this, public information. We cannot set this aside because we are the power of the people. As long as our people are informed, they will not be misled, so our role is very big),” he said. (PNA)