Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the public that only credible information on the government's social services will be posted on the agency's social media platforms.
This, he said, will avoid possible incidents where people troop to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) offices to claim assistance after receiving fake information.
Gatchalian's statement also came after various government agencies, including the DSWD, were tasked by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to work together to address the issue of disinformation and misinformation in the country.
“Kami, like all the government agencies that signed the memorandum of agreement, we will make sure that we use all our media channels para masigurado namin na up to date iyong impormasyon at credible iyong impormasyon na aming pinu-publish (to ensure that the we are publishing information that are up to date and credible),” Gatchalian said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
“It’s a matter of constantly communicating,” he added as he acknowledged that one of DSWD’s mandates is the timely dissemination of information of their programs for their beneficiaries.
“So, we have to make sure that, one, we circulate the right channels ‘di ba? But more than anything those right channels should bear the right information in a very timely manner,” he further said.
The DSWD Secretary also recognized the responsibility of their agency in being disciplined in this matter due to the multiple programs they are implementing for families in need.
The DSWD credits the timely dissemination of credible information to be helpful in preventing the spread of fake news, especially to their social program beneficiaries.
Under the newly-launched Media Information Literacy (MIL) campaign, the DSWD is tasked to incorporate in its social protection programs, provide support for the conduct of training related to the project in targeted communities and assistance in disseminating MIL information materials.