Bago City’s info office, officer win Hall of Fame awards for DevCom works

BACOLOD City – The Bago City Information Office and its information officer received the Hall of Fame awards from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Western Visayas for their exemplary contributions in the field of development communication (DevCom) during the Regional Year-End Conference of Information Officers held in Iloilo City on Wednesday, December 28.

Both were hailed as hall of famers for winning in their respective category for three consecutive years and for their remarkable performance in the dissemination of timely, relevant and accurate information.

Bago Information Officer I Ace Balboa, who is a master of Development Communication degree holder from the University of the Philippines Open University and has completed the academic requirements in his doctorate degree in Development Studies from the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, first won as Best Performing Information Officer in the region in 2020.

He again topped the search among all information officers both for local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) in 2021 and 2022.

In his response on behalf of the awardees, Balboa underscored that in this day and age, the importance of having an information officer and an information office cannot be denied.

Balboa recalled that the past three years of the pandemic had tested their mettle as government workers assigned at the information office.

“We were also working 24/7 just like other coronavirus disease (Covid-19) frontliners,” he said, adding that “just like other frontliners, we also exposed ourselves to possible infection as we also need to be in our office physically and give real-time situationer and updates on Covid-19 within our respective localities.”

Thus, for him, winning in 2020, 2021 and 2022 which are called the eras of the Covid-19 pandemic “means really so much to me because it shows that our little contribution to the whole-of-nation approach against Covid-19 is also being recognized.”

“American poet Robin Morgan posited that like knowledge, information is power. In fact, the pandemic has given us this invaluable lesson,” the multi-awarded information officer said, stressing that LGUs with established information offices and officers were able to connect with their constituencies quickly thereby creating a well-informed and safe community free from any misinformation and disinformation.

Meanwhile, The Citybridge, the official Facebook Page of Bago City, also bagged the third Best Facebook Page award in Western Visayas.

It is the sole LGU in Negros Occidental to make it to the top three. The first and second places went to Iloilo City and Antique Province, respectively.

In her letter to Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo, PIA-Western Visayas OIC Regional Head Jemin Guillermo congratulated the mayor and expressed her appreciation to the local chief executive for his robust partnership with the agency in making development communication a vital part of the government’s thrust.

Balboa also underscored in his speech that information offices and officers are the powerful mouthpiece of their respective LGUs.

“Without us functioning our roles, our kasimanwas might be blind to what is happening especially in their locality during crucial times like Covid-19,” he pointed out.

He added that “true to our mandate, we remain consistent to our thrust in serving our public with timely, accurate, and relevant information so that they will become well- informed, educated, and empowered Filipinos.”

As he thanked PIA-Western Visayas for the honor it has bestowed on him, Balboa said he is honored to accept the award not only on behalf of his fellow awardees but of all the hardworking government information officers, most especially the information officers of each city and municipality in the region.

“I am celebrating you all with this award,” Balboa said as he also acknowledged the support of the mayor, PIA-Negros Occidental personnel, and his Negros Occidental Association of Government Information Officers and Liasons (Nagiol) family.

He also mentioned the hard work and dedication of his staff.

“For anybody who has a dream, this is what a dream looks like. I’m so blessed to be here and I am humbled by these awards,” Balboa noted.

Moreover, Bago City was the lone LGU in Negros Occidental that won the top prizes in this year’s regional search.

The annual awards was conceptualized by PIA-6 in the hope that information officers in the LGUs and NGAs shall continue to be innovative, inspiring and committed to deliver excellent public service particularly in providing timely, relevant and accurate information on government programs, policies and services.

For his part, PIA Director-General Undersecretary Ramon Lee Cualoping III, who was also present at the activity, underscored the vital role of information officers in communicating and explaining government policies and programs.

“Stick to our DNA as government communicators,” he told information officers in the region, adding that “it is easy to look at because we have the tools, we have the equipment, we the easy way of doing it. But, the most difficult part is how to communicate.”