Best press is still good performance — PCO chief

MANILA, Philippines — Sinabi kahapon ni Presidential Communications (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez na walang makatatalo sa “good performance” sa pagkuha ng “best media mileage possible” sa maingay na media landscape sa kasalukuyan na markado ng disinformation at fake news, at naiimpluwensiyahan ng mga teknolohiya na karibal ng human intelligence.

Hinikayat din ni Chavez ang mga government communicators na maging makatotohanan sa paghahatid ng mga mensahe at pagbuo ng  social media content para sa kani-kanilang ahensiya.

Sa kanyang pahayag sa kauna-unahang “Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko” ng PCO kung saan guest speaker si Presidente Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., sinabi ni Chavez na, “the best press is still good performance. ‘Do good and tell well’ is a mantra in governance we often hear.”

“Yes, that is true — do good and tell well — but what is also undeniable is that telling well is predicated on doing good,” pahayag niya sa kanyang remarks na binasa para sa kanya ni PCO Senior Undersecretary Emerald Ridao.

Hinikayat din niya ang kanyang counterparts sa national government agencies, local government units, at government-owned and controlled corporations na maging makatotohanan at tapat sa pagsusulat ng kanilang press releases at sa pagbuo ng social media content.

“Because our fidelity to the truth does not cease when we assume the role of government information officers. On the contrary, it should make us more committed to uphold that tenet,” aniya. 

“Because the people expect nothing from us but honesty – in what we do, what we convey, and what we impart. The moment we divert from this path is the day we lose our credibility,” sabi pa ng PCO secretary.

Nakikisimpatiya sa maraming government communicators, sinabi ng kalihim na,  “of all the obstacles we have to hurdle, none is more challenging than this: the expectation that every policy mistake or performance shortcoming can be healed by a PR cure.”

“In other words, damage control. This brings us to a work that is not spelled out in your job description: to be the in-house scapegoats when public opinion gives the agency a battering,” ayon kay Chavez.

“Yes, we may be able to limit the damage, lessen the pain, and mitigate the fallout, but making them go away is a miraculous act not even the best of us can pull off. So, the best press is still good performance,” anang PCO secretary.

Ang kauna-unahang  PCO “Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko” ay ginanap noong Lunes, Disyembre 16, sa Philippine International Convention Center. Dinaluhan ito ng mga miyembro ng Gabinete, senior government officials, communications lead ng communications teams ng national government agencies, local government units, at  government-owned and controlled corporations.