The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has welcomed Sen. Robin Padilla’s move to file a resolution directing the Senate to investigate the office’s alleged dissemination of false and misleading information.
At a briefing on Friday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was asked for a comment on the matter, which stemmed from ‘concerns regarding the dissemination of unverified, inconsistent, potentially propagandizing and misleading information from the PCO.’
She responded by reading a statement from PCO Secretary Dave Gomez:
‘That resolution, we welcome the filing of the resolution,’ it read.
Castro said the PCO, the government’s main communication arm, will give its full cooperation to assist the Senate in its probe.
In Senate Resolution No. 188, Padilla said that effective, accurate and responsible public communication is crucial to achieving public trust in government.
The senator also noted some criticisms of the PCO’s communication style, pointing out that some official statements have been delivered in a manner that is combative, rhetorical or lacking in data-driven clarity, rather than in calm, fact-based and public-service-oriented statements.