Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga has urged personnel of the Quezon City government to continue their advocacy against misinformation and disinformation during a workshop organized by the local government unit’s Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD).

Zaldarriaga, who also serves as a member of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) Board of Trustees, emphasized the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, and media literacy in combating fake news. He also shared valuable strategies on how to discern false information to safeguard organization’s reputation.

“In today’s digital age, public information officers must ensure that the public only receives timely, accurate and verified information. I also believe in advocating for media literacy, we need to make our peers more equipped to reduce the spread of misinformation. This will enable us to lead with integrity, clarity, and continue to ensure that truth prevails to preserve public trust,” he said in his talk on Decoding Deception: Navigating the Era of Fake News.

With almost four decades of experience as a professional communicator, Zaldarriaga advocated for responsible public relations and communications practice during the session, which was part of the Quezon City PAISD’s five-day Risk and Communication Training

The training aims to bring forth stronger communication strategies, enhance risk communication plans and ensure more effective and clear information flow during disaster and critical situations. The event was attended by representatives from the 65 departments of Quezon City and 142 barangays officials.