MANILA—Incoming Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has announced that the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) will be changed to PCO by omitting the word “operations.”
Andanar made the announcement in an ambush media interview after President-elect Rodrigo Duterte met with his Cabinet appointees on Wednesday night at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
“I’m recommending to changing the name, bawasan ang ‘O’ so Presidential Communications Office (PCO) na lang. Just ditch the ‘Operations’ para mas madaling matandaan,” Andanar, a broadcast personality, told the media.
Andanar will replace outgoing PCOO Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. who was named PCOO chief by President Benigno Aquino III in August 2010.
In July 2010, President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 293, renaming the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) to PCOO and created the Presidential Communications and Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO).
Andanar said he intends to abolish the PCDSPO, currently headed by Undersecretary Manolo Quezon, an adopted grandson of former President Manuel L. Quezon.
“We are subsuming the function of Manolo Quezon right now so parang ang lalabas dito bumabalik yung dating organization para hindi magulo,” Andanar said.
The bureaus and offices under the PCOO include: Bureau of Communications Services, Philippine Broadcast Service or Radyo ng Bayan, Radio-Television Malacanang, National Printing Office, APO Production Unit, People’s Television Network Inc. (PTV-4), Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13), Philippine Information Agency, and News and Information Bureau (NIB).
The NIB has four divisions, including the Philippines News Agency (PNA), the lone wire news agency of the government. Its other units are the Presidential Press Staff (PPS), Media Accreditation and Relations Division/International Press Center (MARD/IPC), and Finance and Administrative Division (FAD).
Meanwhile, Andanar introduced to the media the newly-designated spokesman, Ernie Abella, of incoming President Duterte.
Abella replaced Duterte’s first spokesman Salvador Panelo who will now serve as Chief Legal Counsel of the incoming President.
Andanar told the media that during the meeting, the new Cabinet secretaries presented to President Duterte their plans and programs for the next six years.