Bohol Guv inducts new AUDIO Bohol officers

TAGBILARAN CITY, May 11 (PIA) -- Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap underscored the important role played by government information officers in the province especially in this time of pandemic.

During the induction of the 2021-2022 new set of officers for the Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO) Bohol, the governor inducted the new officers in a simple ceremony held May 10, 2021 at the Greenthumb Farm Al Fresco Resto in Corella town.

"You are a very important sector to our province in these critical times. Your work is to inform, to educate, to inspire, to raise the people's consciousness on issues. These need not be belabored," Yap told the newly-elected officers.

As the name of the organization suggests being development information officers, the governor reminded the officers of their critical objective to deliver development-driven news – news that can enlighten, inform, and contribute to nation-building.

“For this to happen, you must rise above the noise and the pressures of what is not true, of what is irrelevant, discriminatory. You have to rise above the pull and the pressure of family, tribal affiliations, political loyalties. You have to rise above what is downright libelous in order to the job right," Yap added.

At the helm is Ma. Lydia Bantugan, information officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform, as the new president of the AUDIO-Bohol, an organization composed of information officers of the municipalities and national government agencies (NGAs) based in the province.

The newly-inducted officers were: Bantugan as President; John Larry Evangelista of LGU-Ubay as Vice President for LGUs; Leonardo Cirujales of Pag-IBIG Fund as Vice President for NGAs; Doris Isabel Racho of Agricultural Training Institute 7 as Secretary; Elvie Bongosia of Philippine Information Agency as Assistant Secretary; Rosario Chatto of the Bureau of Internal Revenue as Treasurer; Emilou Gonzaga of National Commission on Indigenous People as Assistant Treasurer; Khem Pendejito of LGU-Garcia Hernandez as Auditor; Sherwin Viva of Government Service Insurance System as the 1st District Press Relations Officer; Manuelito Item of LGU-Bien Unido as 2nd District Press Relations Officer; and Imee Raut of LGU-Lila as the 3rd District Press Relations Officer.

In her acceptance speech, Bantugan said it is not only an honor to be elected as the president of AUDIO-Bohol but also a big task and challenge especially amid the pandemic, when the channels of communication are challenged.

“As information officers in our respective offices, we are the great influencers. Therefore, we need to have truthful, accurate, and genuine information and of course we draw it from our trunk, the Philippine Information Agency, and from our actual and very own resourcefulness,” the new AUDIO-Bohol president said.

The organization is under the guidance of the PIA-Bohol led by Information Center Manager Rey Anthony Chiu. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)

During the induction of the 2021-2022 new set of officers for the Association of United Development Information Officers Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap (center in blue shirt) reminded the officers of their critical objective to deliver development-driven news that can enlighten, inform, and contribute to nation-building. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)