PCOO budget hangs on red-tagging issue

MANILA, Philippines — The House appropriations committee on Wednesday suspended deliberations on the proposed P1.59-billion 2021 budget of the government’s information arm, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), mainly over an undersecretary’s alleged social media posts Red-tagging several lawmakers.

Before the PCOO officials could present their budget for next year at the committee, some legislators warned that they might block its approval as they raised a host of issues against the agency, including poor working conditions of its staff and errors in messaging, but most zeroed in on Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy’s social media posts tagging their colleagues as “terrorists.”

Makabayan bloc

Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate accused Badoy of using her position to encourage online trolls to launch attacks against him and his family at government expense.

“I take offense that she uses her position and government funds to attack our persons and encourage the trolls, not only [against] our persons but also our families,” he said.

Zarate was echoing ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, who showed screenshots of Badoy’s social media posts on Sept. 5 that tagged members of the Makabayan bloc as “high ranking members” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

“The point is, they are not activists; they are terrorists. There’s a big difference,” Zarate quoted Badoy as saying in one of her posts.

Badoy’s post was accompanied by photos of Zarate, fellow Bayan Muna Representatives Eufemia Cullamat and Ferdinand Gaite, Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago.

“I hope this committee will take decisive action on this, and we will take serious consideration on the budget of PCOO if its funds will only be used for attacking, Red-tagging, terrorist-tagging,” Zarate said in a manifestation.

“Each of us in Congress has our own roles to play, and we may differ in positions on many issues. The fact is that we were elected by the people. But if one who is an unelected factotum will brazenly accuse us of being terrorists, we cannot accept that,” he added.

Suspended proceedings

Badoy did not have a chance to speak after the committee chair, ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap, ruled to suspend the proceedings.

In his response, Secretary Martin Andanar, PCOO chief, clarified that the agency, as well as its multimedia outfits, did not create content but were being used only as platforms for distribution of content.

He called the Facebook posts of Badoy as her personal views and not coming from the PCOO. He appealed the motion to suspend deliberations on the agency’s budget, but this was ignored.

“I cannot imagine not having any budget to help to disseminate the correct information to our people to avoid COVID-19,” Andanar said.

The committee did not say when it would resume deliberations on the PCOO’s proposed 2021 budget, which is slightly lower than its current P1.69-billion budget.

Zarate and Castro expressed concern that the Red-tagging of Makabayan lawmakers like themselves has posed danger to their lives, especially with the recent passage of the controversial antiterrorism law.

Labor issues

“If we who are elected by the people will be openly accused as terrorists by an unelected factotum, we cannot allow that. This is not only an affront to us, but I think this is an affront to the institution (of Congress),” Zarate said.

Yap questioned Andanar on the prevailing labor issues confronting the government-owned television network PTV 4. For instance, he said, the television station was supposedly paying its cameramen, some of whom have spent more than 10 years, a salary of P17,000, while a newly hired video editor enjoys a starting salary of P25,000.

No protection

“The cameramen also lack (protective clothing) and face masks, and no hazard pay, not even vitamin C [supplements] while they are out in the field,” he said.

Yap urged Andanar to replace the officer in charge of PTV 4’s news department with “someone who has better work experience,” hinting that the current head, who was not identified, supposedly enjoys the backing of Rocky Ignacio, undersecretary for mass media.

“We’ve had the plan to at least be able to compete as far as ratings is concerned and the PTV, being a [government-owned and controlled corporation], it has to make its own money from advertisers,” Andanar said.

According to Andanar, PTV 4 management has been constantly trying to improve its performance, even attempting to compete for ratings with the country’s major television networks. But he conceded that the “systems and processes” within the network had hampered efforts to institute reforms.