Dayang added that the idea of designing a seminar on ethical and distinctive journalism came from Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, a journalist turned politician.
The PAPI president said that the seminar is necessary to sharpen the skills and enhance professionalism of practitioners by strictly following the journalistic code of ethics.
Piñol said he is sponsoring the media summit because he is “disturbed by the growing fatalities among the ranks of the community press.”
The governor disclosed that aside from the journalism seminar, a training on strategic communication management and public relation for information officers and public affairs executives will be conducted by veteran public relation practitioners and communicators as main speakers.
To highlight the summit is a symposium on the need to refocus the thrust of Philippine agriculture.
“We need to show to our constituents that agriculture plays a vital role in improving the lives of our farmers in North Cotabato” Piñol stressed.
He pointed out that North Cotabato used to be at the bottom of the list of the “poorest provinces” before he assumed governor in 1998.
But because of giving priority to agriculture, especially in rubber, banana and palm oil propagation, the province, based on the 2005 survey of the National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB), emerged in the top 30 most progressive provinces in the country.
“We want our friends in the trimedia to also report the good things that are happening in North Cotabato, especially the changing lives of our constituents by adopting our agricultural programs,” the governor said.
Piñol said the media summit will be concluded by conferment of citations and awards to outstanding personalities in journalism, press freedom advocates, publishers, editors and broadcasters.
