By Genalyn Kabiling A new government office has been created to handle the smooth information dissemination of government policies and programs to the foreign press. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar
(ALBERT ALCAIN/PPD / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has announced the creation of the Office of Global Media Affairs (OGMA) that will respond to the concerns and queries of foreign media about the Philippine government. The new office, an attached agency of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), will be headed by former television reporter JV Arcena, according to the Andanar. "We are already paving the way at the possibility of that press attaché division kaya ang PCOO po, sa ilalim ng Office of Press Secretary ay nagbuo na ng Office for Global Media Affairs ,” Andanar said in a radio interview. "We will process the questions coming from anywhere in the world – be that from Europe, from America, from Africa, from the Asia-Pacific – kung mayroong mga questions sa ating Presidente or sa iba’t ibang sangay ng gobyerno. Itong division na ito ang mamamahala at tutulong sa ating gobyerno para mabigyan ng sagot iyong mga katanungan ng maraming reporters sa buong mundo ," he said. He noted that foreign journalists usually inquire about the Philippine government's economy, foreign affairs, security, local government, among others so "the Office of Global Media Affairs will be the one that will manage that." Andanar expressed full trust and confidence in Arcena, former senior information/media specialist at the US Department of State's Asia-Pacific Media Hub, to perform his job well. He noted that Arcena has strong leadership skills and commendable work ethic. Andanar and Arcena were former colleagues at the TV5 network. "He was in charge of the international media group of the state department dito sa Asia Pacific, sa Manila specifically. He was one of those who initiated that office. And eksakto naman na he was contemplating in taking up further studies, at nagkausap kami," Andanar said. “We’ve worked with JV for such a long time, we know that he’s very hard working, he is a leader, he is an initiator, the guy who can think original ideas," he said. He said Arcena started his job next week and is expected to complete the new office system in two weeks. Once the OPS is revived, Andanar said the new global media affairs office would transition as the headquarters for the press attachés that will be assigned in the country's embassies abroad. "And kahit naman hindi maibalik iyong press attaché, mayroon tayong Office of the Global Media Affairs na siyang mangangasiwa nitong mga ganitong concerns/issues or pangangailangan ng international media ," he said.