Miscommunication Secretary Andanar

What is wrong with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Martin Andanar? 

Barely a month ago, he incurred the wrath of the Malacanang Press Corps (MPC) when he issued a statement blasting the media for “irresponsible” reporting on President Duterte’s martial law remarks.

This time, Andanar had the Senate Press Corps spitting in outrage at his statement that the members of the corps were given a cool $1,000 each—that’s a whopping P50,000 plus in today’s depreciated peso — just to attend the press conference of SPO3 Arthur Lascañas last week.

As expected, the Senate Press Corps did not take Andanar’s statement lightly.

In its statement, the broadcast, online, and print journalists covering the Senate strongly protested “the unsubstantiated and irresponsible claims made by the PCO Secretary that reporters were given as much as one thousand US dollars each to cover the press conference of alleged former Davao Death Squad leader Arthur Lascañas.”

“To our knowledge, no such incident occurred. Such practice is not tolerated among Senate reporters,” the Senate scribes pointed out.

Not content, they also demanded “a public apology from Andanar for spreading ‘fake news,’ truly unbecoming of someone who, just a few months ago, came from the media industry.”

Two major blunders in less than a month. As if the President doesn’t already have too many enemies out to get him who are scrutinizing every syllable that he and his surrogates utter.

This is why Andanar has to be prudent. One can hold and stand back. One can refrain from lashing out with guns blazing and shooting oneself in the foot. This, unfortunately, Andanar did not do. He has no one to blame but himself for the damage control he has to do now.

First, everyone in the PCO seemed to have been caught off-guard with the Lascañas press conference; it took them quite some time before they issued a statement on it.

In an interview with CNN Philippines’s news anchor Pinky Webb, Andanar disclosed there were reports that $1,000 was being given to reporters covering the press conference. In a transcript of the interview, this is how Andanar said it:

“Andanar: Kaya ito po ay kasama na rin po sa plano, at mayroon din po tayong mga natanggap na mga report, Pinky, na as much as one thousand dollars ang ipinamigay dito sa presscon na ito, hindi ko na lang po papangalanan yung aking source, pero mayroon daw pinagbibigyan ng ganito kalaking halaga ng pera para lamang i-cover ito.”

In fairness, Andanar was careful to emphasize that he’s not saying the money was accepted. To quote the transcript of the interview:

“Webb: Ok, para malinaw lang po, Secretary, that umikot ang one thousand dollars para ibigay sa mga reporters na nagko-cover po diyan sa Senado, tama po ba ang aming pagka-intindi sir?

Andanar: Yun ang umiikot na istorya, pero hindi naman sinabi na tinanggap. Pero ang sinabi mayroong mga offer na ganoon kalaking pera ang oposisyon para lamang pabagsakin itong administrasyong ito at para ipakalat itong istorya ni SPO3… “

But why bring up the payola issue? What is the point? Was he in panic?

Andanar’s statement was seen by many as a blatant attempt to divert attention from the unexpected and dramatic turn around of Lascañas. It didn’t help his defense of the President. Certainly it didn’t endear him to the Senate Press Corps, to say the least.

He should have just challenged Lascañas and his lawyers to file the necessary case in court and prove his allegations against the President.

Clearly, Andanar’s decades spent as a media practitioner have not given him the expected strategic thinking capabilities to defend his principal and deep understanding of his former colleagues.

And therein lies the dilemma. One doesn’t become a good communications secretary just because one used to be a news reader or a media person. These are two completely separate mindsets requiring different skill sets, not to mention the intellectual and emotional demands.

Andanar made light of the controversy by pointing out that his Tagalog slash Filipino is poor and that he can express himself better in Visayan. (He is from Cagayan de Oro City and Surigao province). Thus, what he said was misread by the reporters, and apparently everyone else.

If the head of the President’s communications office cannot even communicate himself well, how can he translate well the President’s intentions to the public more effectively? This is a serious case of miscommunication, bar none.

President Duterte needs a better communication secretary who will serve as his bridge to the media and the public. In these separate instances, rather than buttressing the bridge, Andanar, set it on fire instead.