President Aquino on Wednesday reminded the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) of its duty to disseminate helpful and timely information that would assist the people in making the right decisions at the proper time.

In his keynote speech at the PIA’s 25th anniversary, Mr. Aquino said the time of “filtered” information is long over, and that the PIA does not have to limit itself to disseminating information aimed only at building up the government’s public image.

He said that the PIA was created after the 1986 People Power Revolution, and was envisioned to become the government’s partner in disseminating truthful information.

The President said the PIA is expected “to provide our countrymen with truthful and correct information at the right time so that they can always make the right decision.”

“That I think is the summary of your mandate–not to project [a good image] but to help give our people the capability and the power to make the right decisions at the right time,” he said.

Mr. Aquino recalled the situation during martial law, when all information for public dissemination was “filtered” or censored by the Ministry of Information.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” B. Coloma Jr. said the PIA will never be used as a propaganda tool by the government.

“Because it is a fruit of the Edsa People Power revolution, we now have a new concept of communication and a new concept of governance that communication will never again be used as a propaganda tool but used for the well-being and for the development of our people….That is the significance of the milestone that we are observing today,” Coloma said.

Mr. Aquino said in his speech that when the PIA was created through Executive Order 100 in 1986, it had a “clear mandate” to establish an effective means of communication between the government and the people.

The President said the PIA performs special function during times of calamity, as it is supposed to provide timely information to people in affected areas to keep them out of harm’s way.

He said the PIA, through its Information Text Board, with the cooperation of the National Telecommunications Commission and major telecommunication companies in the country, would provide the public with important and urgent information through text messaging.

Mr. Aquino also led the launch of the new PIA web site and art gallery, and witnessed the turnover of the symbolic discs by PIA Director General Jose Fabia to Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III.

The discs contain PIA’s collection, which was handed over to the Presidential Museum and Library under the PCDSPO.