President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants the new leadership of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) to strengthen public awareness and understanding of government programs, policies, and accomplishments, particularly how these initiatives benefit ordinary Filipinos.
In an interview with members of the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on Friday, PCO Acting Secretary Lino Cayetano said the President reiterated the agency’s mandate to communicate the administration’s programs and priorities effectively, with particular emphasis on developmental communication.
Cayetano said the PCO would work harder to explain not only the government’s activities and accomplishments but also their significance in improving the lives of Filipinos.
“I think that’s something on our end, kami dito sa PCO, we will work harder to be able to explain to you na yung mga nilalabas nating mga programa, inspeksyon, decrees, executive orders, even pag umiikot ang Pangulo, kasama niya ang mga iba’t ibang ahensya,” Cayetano noted.
He emphasized that government announcements should go beyond daily news coverage by providing a deeper understanding of how policies and reforms translate into concrete public benefits.
“We want to be able to explain better the programs, the policies, the news that we bring out every day,” Cayetano also said.
Cayetano said the PCO also intends to strengthen its relationship with the MPC, recognizing the media’s vital role in informing the public and holding government accountable.
As an example of accomplishments that deserve wider public understanding, the PCO chief cited reforms in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that have reduced Filipinos’ average out-of-pocket hospitalization expenses to 40 percent.
Cayetano also highlighted the availability of up to P20,000 worth of medicines for PhilHealth members, describing the benefit as among the administration’s significant healthcare initiatives that need better public explanation. Under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act (Republic Act No. 11223), all Filipino citizens are automatically included as PhilHealth members.
The PCO chief said the President’s engagement with private-sector representatives during a recent Private Sector Advisory Council meeting on healthcare demonstrated the administration’s efforts to address longstanding institutional problems through government reforms.
He noted that the administration wants Filipinos to understand not only the immediate benefits of government interventions but also the processes and institutional changes intended to deliver lasting improvements.
“Pero gusto ng Pangulo, gusto ng administrasyong ‘to, maintindihan n’yo yung proseso, na hindi lang ito benepisyo na mararamdaman ng mga Pilipino ngayon o bukas, pero sa marami pang mga henerasyon,” Cayetano said.
The new PCO chief underscored that communicating the administration’s long-term solutions to national challenges would be central to the agency’s efforts to make government policies, services, and accomplishments more accessible and meaningful to the Filipino people.