00:00For our provincial news, in response to the rising cases of violence against women and children in the Philippines,
00:06information officers were urged to deepen their understanding of the anti-Vausi law and its implementation.
00:13A soppit from the Philippine Information Agency, Memaropa, tells us more.
00:18Information officers must be well-versed in Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children or Vausi Act
00:27to effectively combat gender-based violence and support survivors, a gender rights advocate said.
00:35During the Bridging the Gap Women's Empowerment and Public Sector Communication Forum,
00:40organized by the Philippine Information Agency,
00:43lawyer Jean Phoebe G. De Mesa, head of the Provincial Gender and Development or GAD Technical Working Group,
00:49called for a more proactive and legally informed approach among government communicators.
00:53She said that gaps in knowledge often result in missed opportunities for intervention
00:59and can even perpetuate stigma or misinformation,
01:03pointing out that communication must be grounded in the law if we want it to be a force for change.
01:09The forum gathered information officers from various national government agencies
01:13to discuss how strategic messaging can advance gender equality
01:17and safeguard women and children from violence.
01:20PIA Memaropa head Jemine B. Guillermo stressed the unique influence of public communicators
01:27in shaping community attitudes and driving behavioral change.
01:32Guillermo called on the information officers to not only relay statistics and policy updates
01:37but to humanize stories of survivors and promote services available to them.
01:42The participants shared insights and best practices in integrating gender-responsive messaging
01:48into daily communication work.
01:51The forum concluded with a renewed commitment among participants
01:54to strengthen gender advocacy through informed strategic communication.
01:59The organizers of the forum, led by PIA Oriental Mindoro,
02:05emphasized that sustained education, collaboration, and policy literacy
02:09are essential in transforming government communicators
02:12into frontline allies in the fight against violence and inequality.
02:16From the Philippine Information Agency, Mimaropa,
02:21ASAPI for Balitang Pambansa.
