ILOILO CITY: Mayor Jerry Treñas has vowed to support the newly launched Iloilo Media-Citizen Council (IMCC), saying that the media should be a partner of the government in keeping a well-informed and active citizenry.

In a chance interview, Treñas acknowledged the important role of the media in improving access to information and increasing awareness on issues that affect the city and the entire Philippines.

“I have always felt that the media should always be a partner, especially in governance, because everyone has the right to know what’s happening in government, and if everyone is informed, then everyone can support,” Treñas said.

“It is through the media that we are able to reach out to everyone about what we are doing, how the public can support [us].”

Treñas said that in Iloilo City, the local government “has been working very closely with our friends from the media, and sometimes we see them three, four times a day for events.”

“We meet regularly. Every Monday, we have a press [conference]; any questions can be asked. I answer all if there are messages, even at night, so there’s no problem with the media here,” the mayor said.

Treñas also said that he has never filed a libel case against any member of the media during his 40 years in politics. The mayor admitted that he has been a victim of disinformation and misinformation, but he believed that the people of Iloilo are wise enough to know what’s fake.

“That’s why here, the only election that I did not win by a landslide was my first election as mayor. After that, there are two reelections as congressman as well as mayor, and now on my second term, in my second round, so people can really see the truth,” he said.

Treñas’ commitment to support the media comes as the IMCC and the Western Visayas Journalists’ Guide were officially launched during the first regional conference here on Saturday.

The daylong “Media Citizen Councils: For the Media and Citizens, By the Media and Citizens” conference, supported by the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and International Media Support (IMS), was held at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).

Former Supreme Court associate justice Francis Jardeleza, a UPV alumnus, led the oath-taking and induction of officers of the IMCC.

“As a slogan that I chose for the council, freedom is the will to be responsible, and if we are free, it is part of our free will that we will be responsible, particularly in our role as journalists,” IMCC interim chairman Francis Angelo said in his opening remarks.

During the event, the panelists also had panel discussions on press freedom, media regulation under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and digital challenges and opportunities for community media.

Among the resource persons were Catherine Valente of The Manila Times, Bea Cupin of Rappler, Paul Nicholas Soriano of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Arlene Burgos of ABS-CBN News, Janvic Mateo of UP Diliman and Celine Samson of Vera Files.

Mia Embalzado-Mateo of the Cebu Citizens Press Council, Jane Cadalig of the Kordilyera Media-Citizen Council, and Charley Sta. Maria of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network served as reactors during the IMCC event.

The IMCC is a multisectoral initiative that aims to strengthen independent co-regulation of the media in the Philippines. Its members include leading publications and media organizations in Iloilo, as well as representatives from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, academia, business, the church, and other sectors.

The media-citizen council was established with the support of PPI, its partners, and several media practitioners and advocates, including a reporter from The Manila Times who took part in the International Training Program on Media Self-Regulation funded by the Swedish International Development Agency.

Among the founding members representing local media are Panay News, Iloilo Metropolitan Times, Daily Guardian, Aksyon Radio, Bombo Radyo, RMN 774, DYSI Super Radyo and Iloilo Bloggers Society; UP Visayas and West Visayas State University from academia; the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Iloilo Chapter) and Iloilo Business Club from the private sector; and also the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (Iloilo Chapter), the Commission of Human Rights-Region 6, iWrite of UP Visayas for youth, and the LGBTQ group.

Meanwhile, the first regional Media Council conference is also supported by The Manila Times, Metro Pacific Iloilo Water, Meralco PowerGen Corp.-Global Business Power, and the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network.