The Public Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO) was named Best Performing Information Office in Western Visayas by the Philippine Information Agency VI.
PICAO chief Jose Nereo Lujan received the award from PIA VI Regional Head Cheryl Amor during the Western Visayas Regional Information Officers’ Summit on December 18, 2025 at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center, Bacolod City.
They were joined by PIA Assistant Regional Head Easter Ann Doza, Iloilo Infocen Manager Lilibeth French, Information Officer II Liez’l Marie Ejeda, and the PICAO staff.
PICAO received similar recognition in 2023 and 2024.
The Office was recognized for its best practices in information dissemination, particularly its grassroots information drive “Hinun-anon sa Barangay” which aims to empower far-flung villages through accessible information and community engagement. The program also serves as a feedback mechanism to learn the plight of residents.
For the past two years, PICAO has expanded this program to the island barangays of Concepcion and Carles, bringing the Iloilo provincial government closer to coastal residents.
PICAO is also one of the administrators of Iloilo’s official website (https://iloilo.gov.ph) which serves as an online respository of information relative to the programs and services of the provincial government.
Moreover, the Iloilo provincial government’s official page “Balita Halin sa Kapitolyo” also won second place for Best Facebook Page category.
The Western Visayas Regional Officers’ Summit organized by PIA VI is an annual gathering of government communicators from the local government units and national government agencies.
It recognizes the exemplary initiatives and best practices of Information Officers and Information Offices in building a well-informed citizenry.
Director Amor stressed the crucial role of information officers in ensuring a timely, accurate and unified dissemination of information especially during disasters.
“Together, let us build a community that is not only informed but resilient, a country where facts are the bedrock of our progress, and where no amount of disaster can break our collective resolve,” Amor said.
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