Palace press office too slow? ‘Accuracy matters more’

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Tuesday said Malacañang’s communications team valued accuracy over speed, reacting to criticism from Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol that the Palace was always behind in releasing good news.

Piñol had noted that the Palace was at times left to issuing denials or corrections instead of giving the official version of a story.

He aired his observation after dismissing speculation that the administration could have manipulated the results of Time Magazine’s recent online poll on the most influential person, which Mr. Duterte topped.

Abella said he was not taking Piñol’s comments personally. However, he stressed that the communications team followed a particular protocol when releasing information to traditional media.

“When it comes to media releases, it’s not a question of speed, it’s a question of accuracy,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a forum on the Duterte administration’s economic programs.

He said he believed the agriculture chief, a former journalist, was not meddling. But he stressed that he’d rather that the concerns be discussed in private.

“He’s just voicing his own opinion, he’s voicing his own concerns. But these things actually should be settled behind the scenes,” he said.

As to whether the Palace’s communications team would change anything in its operations, Abella said “everything is a work in progress.”

The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) had undergone some changes, with Secretary Martin Andanar limiting his engagements with the media and leaving Abella to speak for the President and for Malacañang.

Andanar had said he would concentrate on running the PCOO and its attached agencies. He also denied that his decision was because of his clashes with the media.