Sotto wants Office of the Press Secretary back to replace PCOO

Senate President Vicente Sotto III has sought for the reestablishment of the Office of the Press Secretary to replace the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to streamline the operations of the government's messaging arm.

Sotto made the suggestion during the budget hearing of PCOO's proposed P1-billion budget for 2019 before the Senate finance committee on Wednesday.

"With the budget being discussed, now is the best time to review the possibility of turning it back into Office of Press Secretary to streamline its operations," Sotto said.

Sotto said they have already informed President Rodrigo Duterte about this suggestion and that the President "is receptive to the idea."

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said he "bows to the wisdom" of the lawmakers but stressed only Duterte can make a decision on the matter.

"That will really have to be a decision to be made also by the President because the creation of the PCOO is by reason of an executive order, [the] power of the president to reorganize the bureaucracy. It’s up to the President," Roque told reporters.

PCOO

PCOO was created in 2010 by then-President Benigno Aquino III through Executive Order No. 4, which also established the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO).

"Ang suspetsa nga namin nung araw, the PCOO was created to accommodate three or four people who all wanted to be press secretaries," Sotto said.

At present, PCOO is headed by Secretary Marty Andanar with three undersecretaries: George Apacible (Good Governance, Government Owned and Controlled Corporations & Finance); Marvin Gatpayat (Legal Affairs and Chief of Staff), and Feducia Mia Reyes-Lucas (Media Accreditation and Relations Office).

PCOO also has seven assistant secretaries: Lorraine Marie Badoy (Undersecretary for New Media and External Affairs); Michel Kristian Ablan (Policy); Ana Maria Paz Banaag (Operations and Legislative Affairs); Joseph Lawrence Garcia (Special Concerns); Rachel Queenie Rodulfo (Content and Messaging); Ramon Cualoping III (Chief Brand Integrator); and Florentino Loyola, Jr. (Media Accreditation and Relations Office).

The eighth assistant secretary, Margaux "Mocha" Uson (Social Media), announced her resignation during Wednesday's budget presentation at the Senate.

Glenn Albert Ocampo serves as PCOO's Head Executive Assistant, while the rest of field include Omar Romero (Director 5); Dennis Bryann Ting (Director 4); Vinci Beltran (Director 4); Eugene Earle, Jr. (Director 3); Ma. Florinda Princess Espenilla Duque (Director 3) and Juniño Bonito Padilla (Director 3).

"Mas maganda kung gawing Office of the Press Secretary tutal si Martin Andanar was confirmed in the Commission on Appointments actually as press secretary," Sotto said.

Sotto said that the PCOO's budget would just be reallocated to the Office of the Press Secretary.

"'Yung budget, magiging intact 'yun. Maaaring mabawasan, maaaring madagdagan, depende sa usapan, depende sa mga debate, depende sa justification ng gastos nila. But the important thing is that they can streamline," he said.

Aquino's EO No. 4 mandates the PCOO to develop and implement guidelines and mechanisms on delivery and dissemination of information relating to the policies, programs, official activities and achievements of the President and the Executive Branch.

The PCDSPO, on the other hand, is tasked to coordinate the crafting, formulation, development and enhancement of the messaging system under the Office of the President, among others.

When Duterte came to power in 2016, Andanar abolished the PCDSPO and replaced it with Strategic Communications Office under the PCOO.

The Strategic Communications Office, however, was abolished in May 2017 after the PCOO drew flak for the absence of the accounts on human rights violations committed during the Martial Law regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos in a feature about Marcos prepared by the Strategic Communications Office.

Lawyer Abigail Valte, who served as deputy presidential spokesperson during the Aquino administration, denied that the creation of PCOO and PCDSPO was due to political accommodation.

"The reasons for the reorganization of the former Office of the Press Secretary are clearly stated in EO 4. It is every administration’s prerogative to organize the office as they see fit, same with the present," Valte told GMA News Online. — with Virgil Lopez/KBK/RSJ, GMA News