MANILA -- Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar on Thursday said that he is hopeful that succeeding leaders of the country will adopt the reforms made under PCOO and its attached agencies.

Secretary Andanar was discussing over a radio interview on DXAZ FM Kidapawan City’s morning program the accomplishments of the PCOO which included technological changes that allowed government messages to become more accessible to the public.

He further stressed that communications campaigns such as the Duterte Legacy information drive should be institutionalized.

“Sana itong ganitong klaseng legacy campaign ay ma-adopt ng susunod ng administrasyon, kumbaga this should be institutionalized because ito naman ay responsibilidad ng gobyerno ang i-report ang lahat ng mga nagawa ng pamahalaan [I am hoping that this kind of legacy campaign will be adopted by the next administration and this should be institutionalized because it's the responsibility of the government to report their accomplishments],” he said.

The PCOO chief said that this is one way to promote transparency, as it openly tells the public where the taxes they are paying are being spent.

“Importante nga from those reports you can have a sound judgement on how to perhaps measure the achievement of the government sa iyang mga promises o sa iyang mga saad atong 2016 [It is important that from those reports you can have a sound judgement on how to perhaps measure the achievement of the government, especially on fulfilling of promises that were made in 2016],” he added.

8 million Filipinos reached online

Secretary Andanar also mentioned that upgrading the capacity of the PCOO and its attached agencies in terms of public information drive allowed them to reach at least 8 million Filipinos online.

“Mayroon tayong ginawang technological introductions and improvements sa ating mga government communication agencies, gaya ng pagpapalakas ng ating mga social media platforms ng PTV, PCOO, RTVM, PIA, at Radyo Pilipinas. ‘Pag pinagsama-sama mo ito ay mayroong halos 8 million followers tayo [We made technological introductions and improvement in our government communication agencies, such as utilizing the social media platforms of PTV, PCOO, RTVM, PIA, and Radyo Pilipinas. We are able to reach almost 8 million followers, if we sum up all these platforms together],” he said.

As of writing there are 2,620,637 followers in PCOO’s official Facebook page; 214,150 followers for PIA Central office; 292,094 for RTVM; 577,689 on Radyo Pilipinas; 4,382,246 for PTV-4; 289,927 for PNA; and 65,117 of the Bureau of Communication Services. These do not include other regional and provincial counterparts of the agencies.

Secretary Andanar stressed that this is part of the formed national communications policy that not only increased the presence of the government in the public's eyes but also harmonized the flow of information much needed by the people.

“Nagkaroon po ng Integrated News Team, meaning pinagsama natin ang lahat ng mga platforms of the government. Nasa iisang direksyon lang po ang lakad natin sa government communication [We have an Integrated News Team, meaning we harmonized the platforms of government and we are walking in the same direction ],” he said. (PCOO)