Information from a man’s cave

A valuable imprint. That is what is left when stories go down the line of history.

When I first met Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar, I was both humbled and amazed by the task at hand. His creative passion to match story telling with technology stemmed from ideas he waited many years to put to life.  

“Martin’s Mancave” as many of his followers know, was the Secretary’s way of putting music and issues together in order to connect him with people. It was a window for people to see him so transparently like “a suspect being investigated” as we got a first hand look into a dark yet chill atmosphere which was actually within the confines of the Secretary’s own room.

Like a mini studio equipped with music and a chill vibe, it was no surprise that even the millennials who as we know are the quickest when it comes to technology, became so attracted to a program that bridged ideas between generations.

Eventually, it was this very same transparency that became one of the cornerstones of the Duterte administration’s policy, and armed with his ideas prior to his appointment, Secretary Andanar leveled up by explaining programs through stories.

At the time of President Corazon Aquino where great writers such as Teddy Boy Locsin effectively communicated its thrust to the people, today, and as communications priorities evolve, the PCOO is filled with people who understand social media and the type of storytelling necessary to make the right connections. 

With millions online, the Presidential Communications Operations Office has an engagement in the hundreds of thousands. With stories such as Boracay for example, online engagements made people part of the rehabilitation process even from the comfort of their own home, throughout the country, and including our countrymen abroad.

Seeing actual footage of people coming together with government in bringing life back to an island that one can say was dying, communications via social media provided a platform for people enabling them to participate.

And while criticism may not always be constructive, “reaching out” to people is effective based on online engagements. The idea of storytelling using social media appeals to an extremely wide range of viewers wherein the actual “patent” of an art with technology creates a multiplier effect.

As part of the team, I asked the Secretary about the legacy he wanted to leave behind and like a good soldier, his only concern is to be there for a President that simply wants to deliver.

Being a broadcaster for 21 years, creating programs and platforms became the very same key for Martin to disseminate the right information together with a team who believed in him.

As for a legacy he hopes to leave behind, the Secretary goes by the words the President himself told him … “Ambition is not enough … the only thing that can bind you is love.”

With the thousands of people connecting to the Communications Office, engagements seem to reflect this exact message of the President that is binding a nation bullish about change.