Modernization of PNA, PTV among Andanar’s new priorities

INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

With Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar scaling back his media engagements, he said he would shift his focus to the modernization of the government-run media agencies.

Andanar said there were plans to modernize the Philippine News Agency, which he wants to become the country’s premiere news wire agency.

The revitalized PNA will have an improved news room and television and news cast to be shown over the internet. It will also get new social media sites and a special channel that would be a sub-channel of PTV when it becomes digital, he said in a statement.

He also said he was working on an integrated news room for the government’s different media agencies. It will include the People’s Television Network, Radyo ng Bayan, Philippine Information Agency, and the PNA.

Andanar recently gave up the task of speaking for Malacañang, which would now be the duty of the President’s spokesperson Ernesto Abella.

Abella will also be speaking for the Cabinet and will have overall supervision over content and messaging from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

Andanar also said there was a plan to do away with the PCOO and revert to the old set up of having an Office of the Press Secretary.

Andanar has denied that the reorganization within the PCOO was due to recent friction between him and reporters, who had objected to his statements that they were offered money to cover a press conference critical of the President, and had misreported the President’s statements on martial law.

He said yesterday that he, Abella, and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go saw the wisdom in changing the setup within the PCOO.

“Since the [spokesperson] is the one talking and he’s the one managing the press briefing room, we decided that it’s just rational for him to lead the content and messaging [aspect],” he said.

But for operational matters about the agencies under the PCOO, Andanar said he would be the “go-to guy.”