MANILA, Philippines??Walang japeyks? (no lies or pretenses) would ever come from the lips of President Benigno Aquino III, according to one of his pitchmen.

But Mr. Aquino thinks he needs at least 19 more spokespersons to help his young administration get its message across.

?The President instructed all the Cabinet secretaries to come up with an individual spokesperson for all departments,? presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda?in effect, the first and main mouthpiece?told reporters Wednesday.

Lacierda said he had sent a memo to all the departments asking them to appoint their respective spokespersons and coordinate with Malacañang?s newly formed Communications Group.

Mr. Aquino could have at least 19 new mouthpieces, based on the number of Cabinet-level agencies under the executive branch.

And the number could swell to more than 60 if each department further appoints a spokesperson down the line for each attached agency. The Office of the President alone has 40 attached agencies, while the Department of Agriculture has 20.

?Walang japeyks?

Herminio ?Sonny? Coloma, one of two Cabinet-rank officials heading the Communications Group, Wednesday said he expected the group to have its hands full in articulating the policies and programs of ?a President who tells the truth.?

?We?re seeing here a very unique situation,? Coloma said in a press briefing. ?Tunay na tunay. Walang japeyks. Walang bahid ng pagkukunwari (No pretenses).?

No central source

Coloma immediately dispelled apprehensions that having too many spokespersons would only mess up the President?s communication objectives.

?Not really,? he said. ?We cover a very vast field. We are after effectiveness because we see that it?s not realistic to centralize the source of communication, to have only one person talking.?

During her last few months in office, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Mr. Aquino?s predecessor, tapped as many as five spokespersons, including one who exclusively addressed economic issues.

Told that the Aquino administration was essentially adopting earlier suggestions from Arroyo?s allies to have multiple Palace pitchmen, Coloma said: ?If that?s how it appears, there?s nothing wrong with that. We are both aiming for effective communication.?

?3Fs?

Lacierda Wednesday formally introduced Coloma and former ABS-CBN TV journalist Ricky Carandang, who also heads the Communications Group, to the Palace press corps. The group would be replacing the Office of the Press Secretary.

In a PowerPoint presentation, Coloma discussed the ?3Fs in Public Communication? approach, which he said his group would take to establish ?free-flowing communication? between the government and the people.

The 3F approach stands for ?feed in, feed forward and feedback,? he said.

One plan involved the integration of all government department websites into one that would allow for ?all kinds of input and feedback,? Coloma said.

The team is also planning to make extensive use of social networking sites Twitter and Facebook as part of its feedback mechanism.

?We really want to know how the people are feeling about how the government is doing its job,? Carandang said. ?Really, we want to get the pulse of the people.?

Coloma acknowledged that President Aquino may also commit ?some lapses? in his six-year term.

?But as you have seen, he is ready to own up to those lapses. He?s open to suggestions for improving himself,? he said.