PCO inks partnership with Viber

MANILA, Philippines – The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has forged a partnership with Israel-based messaging app Viber to launch the #ViberForChange stickers.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the partnership enables the government of President Duterte to reach out directly to the people.

Part of the drive was the release of sticker messages that feature illustrations of the President’s face in various moods and his characteristic hand gestures.

The stickers would be distributed after the President’s first State of the Nation Address on Monday.

It showed messages like “#PartnerForChange, Just DuIt, Bawal ‘Yan, May Gad!, I Hate Drugs, and Daghang Salamat,” which echo the President’s campaign for change.

The Duterte administration, barely a month old, has launched an intensive drive against illegal drugs, drug lords, criminality and corruption.

Andanar said the partnership will have a public chatroom to make the government a part of Filipinos’ daily conversations.

“Anything goes in the world of social media. We encourage citizen engagement, making them part of the process for positive change in the country,” Andanar said when asked about the government’s move to explore social media communication.

Viber has a huge user base in the Philippines and is a top messaging app with over 24 million downloads.