Gabunada lawyer says consultancy with DOF aboveboard

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of communications strategist Nicanor Gabunada Jr. yesterday said there is “nothing inappropriate” in the decision of the Department of Finance (DOF) to hire him as one of its consultants for public relations.

In a statement, lawyer Regie Tongol said the DOF and his client, Gabunada, have complied with the requirements set under the Procurement Law in the decision to hire the latter as consultant for communications strategy.

“There is nothing inappropriate in the decision of the Department of Finance’s grant of service contract for consultancy to our client Nicanor Gabunada Jr. as all requirements and the procedures under the Procurement Law were followed and were done aboveboard,” Tongol said.

The STAR yesterday broke the story that the DOF hired Gabunada as a consultant under a deal worth P909,122 that will run from June 16 to Dec. 15. The position requires Gabunada to assist the DOF in improving its approach in explaining fiscal policies to the public.

Likewise, Gabunada is mandated to develop a communications plan that the DOF can use for its campaigns and events, as well as a platform for engagement. He will also be banked on to expand the DOF’s media reach by producing materials for TV, radio, print and digital channels.

According to Tongol, it is illegal for media outlets to print Gabunada’s personal details that were included in the notice of award due to data privacy concerns.

“What is illegal and violative of our client’s data privacy rights is the unauthorized disclosure of his personal data for no other purpose but to make him and his family easy targets for threats and ridicule,” Tongol said.

The STAR did not include any of Gabunada’s personal details in the story it ran.

“It is also illegal and libelous to insinuate impropriety in the actions of the DOF to cast doubt as to our client’s credentials and qualification,” Tongol said.

In conclusion, Tongol said his client will now explore his legal options as his next move.

In its report, The STAR put as background an incident in 2019 when social media giant Facebook shut down 200 pages, accounts and groups linked to Gabunada that were violating community standards.

According to Facebook, these pages, accounts and groups engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior that means most of their activities online were fueled by fake profiles.

Based on Facebook’s investigation, Gabunada and his team spent at least $59,000, or roughly P3 million, in running pages that promoted administration candidates in the 2019 elections and attacked their counterparts in the opposition.