PCOO improvement shows President Duterte’s support for media in PH
MANILA - Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Monday said that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte fully supports the media in the country.
This is evident in the various programs and policies that the PCOO and its attached agencies have undertaken to improve the quality of information dissemination by upgrading its facilities, and implementing policies that have created a more open government.
“Natutuwa tayo na ang suporta ni Presidente Rodrigo Roa Duterte sa media ay 101 percent [We are happy with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s 101 percent support to the media],” Secretary Andanar said during his virtual interview on Love Radio Baguio where he also mentioned the construction of a new building of the Philippine Information Agency-Cordillera in Baguio City.
The said office is one of the four PIA buildings that will be built in the region. Secretary Andanar said that the PIA regional offices have been renting an office space for years.
The PIA will also build its office buildings in Tabuk City in Kalinga Province, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, and Pagadian City in Zamboanga Del Sur.
He also noted the anticipated construction of another government media facility outside Metro Manila which is the Visayas Media Hub in Mandaue City, Cebu and a Government Communications Academy in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
“Ito ang kauna-unahang Government Communications Academy sa buong Pilipinas kung saan ang lahat ng ating information officers kasama yung sa LGUs, ay makaka-experience na ng isang state-of-the-art na paaralan na magtuturo at mag-uupdate ng kanilang skills [This is the first Government Communications Academy in the Philippines, where all information officers including those in LGUs, would get to experience a state-of-the-art school that will teach and update their skills],” he said.
Secretary Andanar said that these are part of the all-encompassing legacies of President Duterte across the Philippines. Policies championed by the PCOO include Executive Order No. 2 known as the Freedom of Information (FOI), and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS). The agency is also pushing for the legislation of the Media Workers Welfare Bill, Freedom of Information Bill and the People’s Broadcasting Corporation Bill.
“I am very confident that I will exit the government happily knowing that it is way better than when I found it. It is our responsibility that whatever was given to us by God, we should improve it and when we leave it, it should be better than when we found it,” he added.
He further discussed the roll out of the Duterte Legacy campaign, which is an initiative of PCOO to imprint the accomplishments of the President.
“It is the mandate of an elected official to perform his duty, the same way that it is the mandate of the Presidential Communications Operations Office to inform people of the accomplishments of our leader. It is our responsibility to report to the people, because an informed citizenry is an empowered citizenry,” he said.
