PCOO forms global media affairs office

MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Communications Operations Office has formed a unit that would deal with queries from the foreign media as President Rodrigo Duterte faces criticism from international groups over his brutal war on illegal drugs. 

PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said the Office for Global Media Affairs was formed in preparation for the possible establishment of a press attaché division. Once the press attaché division is created, it would send Philippine government media representatives to other countries. 

"The Office for Global Media Affairs will take charge of the concerns or the questions of foreign correspondents not just in the Philippines but in other parts of the world," Andanar told radio station dwFM last Sunday. 

The PCOO has an International Press Center that handles matters like the accreditation of foreign journalists for Palace coverage.

"If the creation of the Office of the Press Attaché pushes through, this office would transition as the main or the headquarters for the press attachés that will be assigned in the important missions around the world," he added. 

The global media affairs office is expected to link policy makers with the international media and to assist foreign journalists conducting legwork in the Philippines. Former TV5 reporter Jayvee Arcena has been tapped to lead the office. 

Andanar admitted that the appointment of a press attaché would entail huge costs. He said the government would have to spend more than $10,000 a month to support the needs of the appointee. He said an alternative to sending a press attaché is hiring locals in the country where the government is planning to form an office for media affairs.

Officials have been complaining about the way some foreign media outlets are covering Duterte and his policies including his controversial crackdown on illegal drugs. 

Duterte, known for his tough talk and his vulgar statements, has been portrayed by foreign media outlets as a strongman, a label that the Philippine leader has contested. 

The president's spokespersons had urged foreign journalists to come to the Philippines to see the situation for themselves and not to rely solely on statements by critics who accuse the president of endorsing extrajudicial killings. 

Human rights advocates have sued Duterte before the International Criminal Court over his war on illegal drugs, which has left more than 4,900 "drug personalities" dead. The president has insisted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over him and has declared that his bloody campaign against narcotics would remain until he steps down from office.