COMMUNICATIONS Secretary Martin Andanar said Thursday he will stop speaking for the Palace regularly, but instead he would concentrate on running the Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO) and its attached agencies.
Andanar said he will now focus on department matters, while content and messaging is assigned to Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella.
"The entire PCOO Proper 'Content Group' is now under Spokesperson Ernesto Abella," Andanar told VoxPop as he confirmed the reorganization at PCOO.
The new policy of Andanar's office means that official statements concerning President Rodrigo Duterte and other matters with regard to the current administration would only come from Abella.
Andanar, however, said he would still release statements during Abella's absence.
"I will speak from time to time if Spokesperson Ernesto Abella is not around," he said.
This developed in the wake of Andanar's apparent clash with the media.
His last appearance at a Palace press briefing was on February 21 when he lost his cool over a question of a reporter about his claim that $1,000-bribe had been offered to Senate media for them to attend a press conference tagging Duterte to the so-called Davao Death Squad.
Senate reporters were quick to deny Andanar’s allegation and demanded public apology from him. He, however, refused to make an apology.
It was not the first time the Communications Secretary had a rift with reporters. He had also accused Palace journalists of “misreporting” the President’s pronouncements.
Palace reporters fired back at Andanar and told him “to get a better picture of the media’s coverage of the President.”
Andanar said he would focus on overseeing programs and implementing reforms within the PCOO.
He added that he is inclined to supervise PCOO’s attached agencies, such as the Philippine Information Agency; News and Information Bureau’s Philippine News Agency; Bureau of Communications Services; National Printing Office; People’s Television Network; Radyo Ng Bayan; and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation.
"I will concentrate in running PCOO proper and its attached agencies to ensure lasting reforms," he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
