With its exertion to strengthen its information and communication services for the Bangsamoro, the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development of the BARMM participated in the first ever meeting of the BARMM information officers (IOs) held at the Bajau Hall of the BARMM Main Office, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City on January 4, 2021.

The meeting was called for and spearheaded by the Bureau of Public Information (BPI) of the BARMM, and was also attended by the appointed and designated information officers from the Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office, MPW, MOH, MOTC, BTA, BPDA, MTIT, MSSD, MPOS, MAFAR, MBHTE, MENRE, MOST, BARMM Kapyanan, and BARMM-TABANG.

Presided by Director Ameen Andrew L. Alonto of the BPI, the meeting was aimed at gathering the IOs for interactive discussions on the establishment of a network of IOs within the Bangsamoro government to improve the coordination between and among them for a more meaningful dissemination of fair and truthful information.

Director Alonto introduced the mandate of the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO), based on the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, that is to be the center of information through the BARMM’s communication platforms to promote transparency, moral governance, and to enrich the quality of public discourse.

Salembai A. Abdullah, MHSD Information Officer III, shared the status, challenges, and subsequent plans of the information and communication section, with the leadership of Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin D. Barra, to make its services more effective by reaching and benefiting more stakeholders in the BARMM and in the whole country.

To properly communicate the services, interventions, and accomplishments of every ministry and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region as a whole, the role of the information and communication group is of the essence according to Director Alonto.

The meeting became a venue for the group to appropriately confer on significant matters such as harmonizing and streamlining press releases, data management and analysis with the need to have data scientist, the importance of talking head per ministry, and continuing partnership with the media.

To sustain the momentum and to motivate every member, the group decided to have a monthly meeting starting this February.