THE Department of Health (DOH) called on media professionals from Regions 9, 10, and Caraga to step up their role in fighting health disinformation at the 5th Media Conference, ‘Engaging Media for Health Literacy on Environmental Health,’ held from November 13-15 at the New Dawn Plus Hotel.
Originally slated for late October but postponed due to Typhoon Kristin, the conference aimed to strengthen partnerships between the DOH and regional media to ensure accurate public health reporting.
Brian Aviguetero, Health Education Promotion Officer III from the DOH’s Health Promotion Bureau, said the event provided journalists with essential tools to report accurately on environmental health topics, including vaccination campaigns like ‘Eskwela Bakuna.’
In her welcome remarks, Dr. Steffi Grace Enon, OIC Head of the Local Support Division for Northern Mindanao, urged the media to help counter disinformation affecting DOH programs, while Health Promotion Bureau Director Maria Kristina Marasigan officially opened the conference online, emphasizing the crucial role of media in spreading reliable health information.
Expert speakers covered pressing issues including air and water pollution, climate change impacts, and health risks from lead poisoning, which can come from plastic toys and food items like barbecue, according to USAID experts Maria Teresa Carpio and Dr. Rhodora Cruz.
Larah Ortega-Ibanez of Pure Earth Philippines noted the lack of local labs for lead testing, highlighting the urgency for expanded health resources.
Dr. Gemini Louis Apostol, an environmental health expert from the Ateneo Center for Research and Innovation, declared air pollution the “number one killer,” underscoring the health stakes of environmental hazards.
With plans for a follow-up conference in Davao this December for journalists from Regions 11, 12, and the Bangsamoro Region of Muslim Mindanao, DOH hopes to solidify media collaboration for more informed health literacy campaigns across Mindanao.
