MANILA -- A “Virtual Presser” that allows foreign media to ask questions directly to Philippine government officials online is expected to prevent inaccurate reporting, an official of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said Monday.
JV Arcena, chief of the Office of the Global Media Affairs (OGMA) under the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), said this is among the goals of the agency’s The Virtual Presser which was launched on Monday afternoon.
Arcena previously described The Virtual Presser as “the fastest and cheapest way to engage the global media and to respond to their questions.”
“We’re harnessing the digital technology to avoid disinformation, inaccurate reporting by international media,” Arcena said in an interview after The Virtual Presser’s launch.
“We ourselves are creating engagement so that they get the correct information they could use for their news reports,” he added.
Arcena said the 30-minute Virtual Presser, which will take place twice a month, will be uploaded on the OGMA’s official Facebook account two hours after it is taped.
On its pilot episode hosted by Arcena himself, he said over 30 journalists based abroad have registered and sent in their questions.
The Virtual Presser’s first guest was Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Secretary Salvador Panelo, who answered questions on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s upcoming trip to China to attend the Belt and Road forum on April 25.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, meanwhile, welcomed the launch of The Virtual Presser, as he cited the role of technology in promoting its “government-media bridge policy.”
“The Virtual Presser” is an innovation introduced by the PCOO Office of Global Media Affairs headed by JV Arcena. It is a good avenue for foreign correspondents and the government to interact without leaving the comforts of their offices,” Andanar said.
“Indeed, the world has gotten smaller with cyber technology. I would like to congratulate the Office of Global Media Affairs,” he added.
The launch of PCOO’s Virtual Presser comes after the launch of The Presser Weekend in Muntinlupa City on April 6, to focus on informing the local media about issues at the local level and The Presser in September 2018 to brief reporters on national-level concerns.
International media interested in joining The Virtual Presser may send in their questions to [email protected]. (PNA)
