‘Palace to revert to old public information setup’

Looks like the government’s public information and media organizations will be under one umbrella again.

With the appointment of Cerge Remonde as Presidential Management Staff chief, the Office of the Communications Director will now have supervision over the Office of the Press Secretary, the Government Mass Media Group (GMMG) and the Philippine Information Agency.

The OCD and the OPS are headed by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.

Executive Order No. 348 "sliced up" the OCD, to be able to appoint different people in the various agencies under it.

Malacañang sources said the plan would be revert to the old organization of the OCD, with only one chief. The Philippine Information Agency would still be headed by Conrado "Dodie" Limcaoco.

"The OCD, the OPS, the attached agencies and media organizations were divided to accommodate those who want to have a position in these offices," one of the sources said.

The OCD used to be headed by Silveste Afable but he resigned last year.

Bunye refused to give details of a new executive order that he said would come out today to determine the fate of the GMMG as Remonde, its former head and concurrent lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), would be going to the PMS. Remonde replaces Arthur Yap, who will again head the Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban will take Remonde’s place in the NAPC.

Aside from the OPS, the GMMG and the PIA, government-controlled television stations RPN 9 and IBC 13, state-owned NBN Channel 4, the Philippine Broadcasting Service, Philippine News Agency and other attached agencies are under the OCD.

Bunye said the reshuffle in the Cabinet was meant to promote efficiency in government.