Some twenty-seven information officers (IOs) from various regional line agencies (RLAs) and local government units (LGUs) in Region 2 joined the three-day simultaneous basic skills and enhancement training for information officers held on August 6-8, 2014 at the Grand Zion Garden Resort Hotel in Tabuk City, Kalinga. The training was spearheaded by the RDC2 Committee on Development Administration and Communication (CODAC), through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) which co-chairs the committee.

According to PIA Regional Director Purita S. Licas, the training aims to improve the writing skills and to enhance further the communication capabilities of the IOs who serve as the spokespersons and public relations officers of their agencies. She encouraged the participants to continue strengthening their skills in public information-related endeavors and to update themselves with the latest technologies in disseminating information. This way, they can ensure wider public awareness on their agencies’ respective programs, projects and initiatives.

The participants visited the Tabuk City Hall on the first day, where they made a courtesy call to Mayor Ferdinand B. Tubban. The City Tourism Officer also showed them a video documentary on the history, culture, and the transformation of the Kalinga natives into what they are today.

To gather inputs for their writing workshops, they visited Ryan’s Farm which processes bugnay fruits into wine and juice. Because of its uniqueness as an integrated farm and as a farm-tourism site, Ryan’s Farm has been included as one of the main stops of tour packages in Tabuk City.

For the training proper on the second day, the 27 participants were assessed on their skill levels and were grouped accordingly, with 14 participants for the Basic Skills Training and 13 participants joining the Enhanced Level.

The participants for the basic level were trained on news writing through a write-shop, as well as on topics such as How to Conduct a Press Conference and the Art of Interviewing, How to be an Effective Program Host, Public Speaking, and Communicating Climate Change. On the other hand, the 13 participants for the enhanced level were trained on how to create radio and TV plugs and on the production of newsletters/magazines using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. The participants submitted their TV plugs and newsletters as outputs for the training.

On the last day, a new set of officers for the Cagayan Valley Information Officers Organization (CVIOO) was elected, with Mr. Wilson Valdez of the Department of Public Works and Highways as President and Dr. Bervy Domingo of the Department of Education as Vice President. The CVIOO was organized in 2012 to strengthen linkages between and among public information officers all over Region 2 and to allow the exchange of accurate information on real time. ##