PCOO limits social media cross-posting after re-sharing snafu over ABS-CBN

MANILA, Philippines — After the “unvetted” re-sharing of the anti-communist task force’s social media post on the ABS-CBN shutdown issue, the Palace communications team will now limit the cross-posting of content on all its social media platforms.

In a Department Order dated May 11, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said cross-posting on the social media pages of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and its attached government media agencies would be strictly limited to the live streaming of news events and briefings of the following:

-The President;

-The Presidential Spokesman;

-The Chief Presidential Legal Counsel;

-The PCOO Secretary;

-Members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases; and

-Major primetime news and public affairs programs of PTV, Radyo Pilipinas, and Philippine News Agency

“Furthermore, the Radio Television Malacañang shall continue to manage the aforementioned cross-posting activities,” Andanar said in his order.

After cross posting of NTF ELCAC posts on ABS CBN franchise issue, presidential communications secretary Martin Andanar tells PCOO agencies to limit posting to briefings of President Duterte, sec. Roque, Sec. Panelo, Sec. Andanar, IATF, government news programs. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/NZuW6hXhwe

— Julie M. Aurelio ✵ (@JMAurelioINQ) May 11, 2020

In a now-deleted Facebook post, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) falsely accused ABS-CBN of franchise violations and held the television network responsible for the expiration of its broadcast permit.

The post was shared by the official Facebook page of the PCOO and the Philippine Information Agency-National Capital Region.

However, PCOO disowned the erroneous social media post, with Andanar saying that it was posted without “the usual vetting process” of the office.

“That being said, the posted content is not in any way an official statement or an opinion of the PCOO,” Andanar said.

PCOO has already deleted the shared post.

The Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS), meanwhile, said that the task force’s post did not come from their office nor from the NTF Strategic Communications, which is headed by the OPS.

“Hence, [this is] not the official statement of our Office,” OPS claimed.

ABS-CBN, the country’s largest television network, went off the air in compliance with a cease and desist order of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) pending congressional approval of its franchise renewal.

ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise expired on May 4. But lawmakers were expecting NTC to release a provisional franchise to the network after they failed to pass any of the bills filed seeking to extend the media giant’s legislative franchise.

This follows President Duterte’s repeated public rants against the network. Since taking power in 2016, he has publicly threatened to block the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN for not airing a paid 2016 presidential campaign advertisement.

Late last year, Duterte even asked ABS-CBN owners to just sell the network if they want it to continue.