Strategic Communications Workshop on the West Philippine Sea Empowers Foreign Service Officers

MANILA 28 December 2023 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) and the Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy (OPCD) held a Strategic Communications Workshop last 13 to 15 December 2023 to enhance the government’s competence in communicating the Philippine position on the South China Sea / West Philippine Sea. 

The three-day program, co-organized with the United Kingdom's Government Communications Services International (GCSI), brought together foreign service officers from 14 foreign service posts and a diverse group of participants from various DFA offices and other government agencies. Leveraging the varied expertise of resource persons, reactors, and of communication professionals from the GCSI, the event trained participants on various approaches and methods to develop the country's communications strategy in effectively countering false narratives and misinformation and to foster a deeper understanding of best practices in communication. 

The workshop covered a range of topics with participants learning how to develop communication plans. The program also included substantive discussions on subjects such as the promotion of the rules-based international order, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Arbitral Award of 2016, historical perspectives of the Philippines’ maritime entitlements, the environmental impact of aggressive and unilateral activities, and the social impact of such activities on coastal communities. 

In her remarks, Deputy Assistant Secretary Elena Maningat stressed that, “It is critical to have clear, timely, and persuasive messaging, and the communication plans to convey these messages, not just to refute disinformation but also to express the Philippines' positions with more assertiveness and accuracy.” END