Bongbong Marcos orders reorganization of communications office

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed an executive order for the reorganization of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), consolidating its communications activities and ensuring efficient delivery of its services to the public.

According to the PCO, Marcos signed EO No. 16 on Tuesday, which supplements EO No. 11 signed by the President on December 29 last year.

EO No. 11 streamlined the administrative structure of the Office of the President (OP) and renamed the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) to PCO. 

PCO said the revamped office will still be headed by a secretary who will be supported by five undersecretaries, 14 assistant secretaries, and one assistant secretary directly reporting to the PCO Secretary.

The five undersecretaries will lead the five functional areas in the restructured PCO namely; Traditional Media and External Affairs; Digital Media Services; Content Production; Broadcast Production and Operations, Administration, and Finance.

“As the government’s main body responsible for crafting, developing, and coordinating the messaging system of the OP, the restructured PCO will now be tasked to coordinate closely with the Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications on matters relating to communications and information dissemination,” the PCO said in a statement.

The new order also amends or modifies the relevant provisions of EO No. 2 (s 2022), which resulted in some Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) being placed under the OP.

GOCCs such as the People’s Television Network, Inc., APO Production Unit, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, and the National Printing Office will now be reattached to the PCO and will be supervised by an assistant secretary.

Meanwhile, the PCO said other communications agencies such as the following will also be placed under the supervision of the PCO:

-Presidential Broadcast Service-Bureau of Broadcast Services

-Bureau of Communication Services

-News and Information Bureau

-Freedom of Information-Program Management Office

-Philippine Information Agency

-the Presidential Broadcast Staff-Radio Television Malacañang

The new order will take effect immediately upon publication at the Official Gazette, the PCO said.

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