The Presidential Communication Office (PCO) is now ready to implement the Marcos administration’s Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Project following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with partner government agencies on Monday.

Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil led the PCO in the ceremonial signing of the MOU with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Pasay City.

“We are not merely embarking on a mission; we are empowering a collective endeavor to exemplify the power of a whole-of-nation approach, and indeed, a whole-of-society commitment,” Secretary Velicaria-Garafil said.

The PCO chief added that the launch is a unified effort by the Marcos administration and the members of the digital media industry against misinformation and disinformation.

New technologies, online news and social media have made access to information easy, she said, underscoring the ability of false narratives and fake news to mislead, divide, and even cause harm or damage.

“Our responsibility, then, is clear—to arm our citizens with the tools to discern truth from falsehood,” according to the PCO chief.

From schools, the campaign will be brought to communities through dialogues with local leaders, civil servants, and ordinary citizens to enable the people to navigate the digital world with discernment and responsibility, she said. PND