‘Noy still best PR man for administration’

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is still the best public relations (PR) man for his administration, a Palace official said yesterday.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. denied reports that Malacañang has hired a foreign pollster and political strategist for the President to recreate his image in view of his plummeting approval rating.

He added that the members of the Palace communications group are doing their job to convey truthful and correct information to the public.

He said it is their job to provide information so the public could form knowledgeable opinions and make a decision for themselves, their families and their communities.

“That is the philosophy of the President,” Coloma said.

“When you say PR, performance recognition. There must be performance first,” he said, adding that no amount of PR strategies will work if the product is defective.

The government’s net approval rating dropped to record lows in recent surveys over the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel scam controversies, among other issues.

A report said Malacañang is in a crisis mode and that Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II brought in Paul Bograd, a foreign pollster and political strategist, to advise the President on strategies to salvage his public image.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. was supposed to lead the crisis management team, the report added.