Gov’t communication arm much ‘stronger, reliable’ now: PCOO chief

“We are doing everything that we can, Mr. Chair, to reform (the) government media.” (File Photo By Oliver Marquez – Presidential Communications Operations Office/Wikimedia, Public Domain)

MANILA — The lead communication arm of the government is much stronger now under the Duterte administration, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said Thursday.

During the House appropriations committee hearing on the PCOO’s PHP1.474-billion proposed budget for 2019, Andanar said the communications department has vastly improved for the past two years as major reforms were introduced.

“What I am telling you now is you already have a strong government communications department, from where we started until today, two years thereafter, maasahan po natin ito (we could rely on it),” Andanar said.

“We are doing everything that we can, Mr. Chair, to reform (the) government media,” Andanar added.

Andanar said the Philippine Broadcasting Service’s AM and FM radio stations garnered a larger audience share “from nowhere in the rating” to higher spots.

Based on overall ratings in mega Manila, he said Radyo Pilipinas, the “flag carrier” AM station, has been ranked number 7; 104.3 FM station took the number 9 spot; while 87.5 FM station, a newly-created station catered to the youth, reached number 14 in the rating.

Meanwhile, the People’s Television (PTV) Network, the flagship public television network, is now number four in the ratings game.

He said the PCOO has also increased its social media presence with its official Facebook page garnering almost 1.5 million followers from just 200,000 followers before the Duterte administration.

In another bid to reach a broader audience, Andanar said a Mindanao media hub facility is expected to be established to house the government media.

Furthermore, Andanar said the PCOO is using government machinery to educate the citizens in countering the spread of fake news and disinformation with its “Dismissing Disinformation” campaign.

“With the strengthened government communications arm, you can be rest assured that this will go down to the grassroots level,” Andanar said.

“Patuloy po nating ginagawa itong mga reforms para umasenso itong government media (We are continuously implementing these reforms to improve the government media),” he added.

He also touted the revamped look of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) with a new website design after over three decades of using an outdated interface.

“Noong tayo po ay pumasok, ilang taon bago po binago yung (PNA) website, ngayon binago na po yung website. Zero presence po noon sa social media, ngayon po malakas na po sa social media, (Before we assumed office, it took years before the PNA website was revamped, now it was redesigned. From zero social media [presence], now the PNA has a stronger social media [presence]),” he said.

Meanwhile, News and Information Bureau (NIB) Director Virginia Arcilla-Agtay said innovations have been introduced to PNA in order to disseminate information focused on “developmental news, inspirational news”, as well as updates on government programs and their impact on the people.

“We are innovating (on) the kind of information that the Philippine News Agency is producing every day,” Arcilla-Agtay said.

Arcilla-Agtay said she is eyeing to increase the PNA bureaus from the current 19 to 25 nationwide.