Presidential Communications (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez said nothing beats good performance in getting the best media mileage possible as he urged government agencies to be “factual, truthful, and honest” in their press releases and social media content.
PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez (Photo from PTV)
His remarks, read by PCO Senior Undersecretary Emerald Ridao, were made on Monday, Dec. 16, during the first-ever PCO’s “Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko” where President Marcos was guest speaker.
“Because our fidelity to the truth does not cease when we assume the role of government information officers. On the contrary, it should make us more committed to uphold that tenet,” he said.
“Because the people expect nothing from us but honesty – in what we do, what we convey, and what we impart. The moment we divert from this path is the day we lose our credibility,” the official added.
He explained to his government counterparts that “the best press is still good performance” and the best way to get positive media mileage is to fight disinformation and fake news with the truth.
“‘Do good and tell well’ is a mantra in governance we often hear,” his remarks read, adding that while that is true, “what is also undeniable is that telling well is predicated on doing good.”
Recognizing the challenges faced by government communicators, Chavez said that nothing is more challenging than “the expectation that every policy mistake or performance shortcoming can be healed by a PR cure.”
“In other words, damage control. This brings us to a work that is not spelled out in your job description: to be the in-house scapegoats when public opinion gives the agency a battering,” he added.
But while communicators can “limit the damage, lessen the pain, and mitigate the fallout,” making these problems go away is a “miraculous act” that not even the best communicators can pull off.
The first-ever PCO “Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko” was held on Monday, Dec. 16, at the Philippine International Convention Center.
It was attended by Cabinet members, senior government officials, communications lead of communications teams of national government agencies, local government units, and government-owned and controlled corporations.