BATAC CITY, Oct. 18 (PIA) - Communications Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin M. Andanar is set to keynote the Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Roadshow at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac City on Friday, October 18.

Secretary Andanar will be joined by his key ranking officials in today's roadshow who will be dicussing salient programs of the PCOO and the Duterte administration, as a whole.

One of the banner program of the PCOO is the FOI, which is being rolled out nationwide in biggest schools, universities, and colleges in the provinces to ensure massive advocacy campaign on its implementation, adoption, and usage.

The massive FOI advocacy campaign is in line with Executive Order (EO) No. 2, series of 2016, signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on July 23, 2016, to operationalize the Constitutional mandate of the People's Right to Information.

This was followed by the issuance of the Memorandum Order No. 10 series of 2016, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea designating the PCOO as the lead agency in the implementation of EO No. 2 and all other FOI programs and initiatives.

The FOI program is championed by its program director, PCOO Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian R. Ablan who strongly believes that access to information has always been and will always be a right for every Filipino.

The FOI campaign envisions the massive use of the FOI Program as a research tool in the libraries, and in the school; and the implementation of the FOI Program through the use of its Standard (Paper-Based) and Electronic (eFOI Portal) Platforms in the conduct of research.

Ablan further said that the FOI program in research and studies is very important in combating the spread of fake news.

One of the highlight of the campus forum is the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by Secretary Andanar, Asec. Ablan and MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis for the institutionalization of the implementation of the FOI program in the university during the campus caravan.

Further, PCOO Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping will be discussing about 'Rehabinasyon', which is the government's "all-encompassing" communication campaign against illegal drugs which focuses on the rehabilitation of drug surrenderees, while executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, Undersectary Joel Egco will discuss measures on safeguarding press freedom in the Philippines.

Other topics to be presented include government's effort to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) which will be delivered by Assistant Regional Director Remus Rabara of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Region 1 and the revised gender-fair media guidebook and gender equality by Atty. Mark Arviell Villareal.

The event is expected to be participated in by at least 300 student leaders, professors, and librarians in the Freedon of Information (FOI) campus caravan in the morning and about 200 local chief executives or their representatives, national government agencies, and leaders of the civil society organizations (CSOs), the local media and the non-government organizations (NGOs) for the multi-sectoral forum in the afternoon.

The PCOO roadshow in MMSU is the 3rd leg in the Ilocos provinces. The first leg was held at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in San Fernando City, La Union on October 4, and at the University of Northern Philippines (UNP), Vigan City, Ilocos sur for the 2nd leg on October 16. (JCR/FGL, PIA1)