PCOO chief and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Sec. Martin Andanar. (Screengrab from PIA-7 video)
CEBU CITY – Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, also acting presidential spokesperson, said the innovations in the government media in the last six years have contributed to the Duterte administration’s high public approval.
In a gathering with the Cebu media on Saturday, Andanar underscored the reforms initiated in the PCOO-attached agencies in keeping with the pursuit of revolutionizing the news and information industry.
“The media strategies that we employ have greatly contributed to why President Rodrigo Roa Duterte continues to enjoy a high approval rating from the public throughout his term. This is reflected in surveys on trust approval and confidence expressed by the public for the President and his Cabinet. In fact, analysts shared unanimously the same view that President Duterte is the most popular post-Marcos president,” Andanar said.
Among the approaches that the PCOO initiated was to continuously bring Duterte closer to the Filipino people through the Radio Television Malacañang that airs live his pronouncements, activities, State of the Nation Addresses, interviews, and other significant engagements with local officials.
Andanar said news about the President's engagements has been amplified by the Philippine Information Agency and cascaded in other state-run and private media, “making him the most visible and accessible President in the country’s history.”
The government communications arm also utilized the Radio Television Malacañang in airing live the speeches of Duterte, unlike the past presidencies who spoke only through other private media entities.
Andanar also highlighted the advocacy of digitization of the news and information delivery by adopting fast-changing technology, citing the PCOO’s changes and improvement in the last five years as a product of consensus between the office and the partners in the media and the public.
“We initiated the first-ever national information convention back in 2018 where we were able to hear suggestions and ideas of our partners,” he added.
The PCOO chief also underscored the need to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill and the Media Workers Welfare Bill as important future legislation to recognize the role of the journalists in the community.
“Our media workers deserved to be compensated for the risk that they take while covering just to deliver news and information to the people and that is how we pay respect and acknowledge their role in nation-building,” he said.
The PCOO initiated the landmark policy on FOI through the signing of Executive Order No. 2 in 2016.
Andanar said once the bill becomes a law, it will promote free access to government transactions and data information under the Executive Branch that will be readily available to the media and the general public. (PNA)
