Cebu City – Secretary Martin Andanar unveiled on Friday, March 3, the progress of the initiatives of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) during the Cebu leg of the 2017 ASEAN-PCOO Roadshow.
"The President wants to decentralize the government---transparent, inclusive. That’s why for the first time the Presidential Communications Operations Office is going around the country to make its presence felt," Presidential Communications Chief Martin Andanar.
The Cebu event is part of the PCOO’s nationwide information, education, and communication (IEC) drive on the country’s chairmanship of this year's Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"We want to achieve a few things. One is to introduce ASEAN, reintroduce ASEAN, and underline the importance of understanding the Association of South East Asian Nations," Andanar explained.
Aside from ASEAN, the campaign also discussed Freedom of Information (FOI), Presidential Task Force on Media Security, and New Media Communications for Participatory Governance.
"We salute President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for signing it right away. FOI is now in the legislative agenda," Andanar said, referring to Executive Order No. 2, signed by the President on July 23, 2016, establishing the first Freedom of Information law in the Philippines covering all government offices under the executive branch.
Andanar further lauded the President for signing in October last year Administrative Order No. 1 that created the Task Force on Media Security.
"It's actually the first time a President is assigning one team to protect the media here in our country," Andanar pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Communications Chief revealed his plan of having emergency broadcast centers in the country, similar to the ABC of Australia and NHK of Japan.
"We are building PTV-4 and Radyo ng Bayan as emergency broadcast centers in the entire country," Andanar said.
Related to this, he mentioned tapping social media to disseminate emergency information to the public.
"We have to take advantage of what we have, and what we have is social media. And most of the people are engaged in social media," Andanar said.
Hundreds of participants composed of information officers from regional line agencies and local government units, bloggers, representatives from the business community and the private sector, students, and members of the media attended the ASEAN- PCOO Roadshow at the Grand Convention Center of Cebu.
Speakers during the event included Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, PCOO Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region VII officer-in-charge Fayette Riñen, and blogger Carlos Munda of MindaNation.
After the roadshow, Andanar proceeded to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to lead the launching of the PIA kiosks.
"It's (PIA kiosk)a symbol that we are bringing the Office of the President, through PCOO and PIA, directly to the people," Andanar said.
Those who witnessed the launching included PIA Director-General Harold Clavite, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation President Louie Ferrer, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager Atty. Steve Dicdican, and Lapu-Lapu City Acting Mayor Marcial Ycong.
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