“‹The summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations hosted by the Philippines weeks ago may have been a typical meeting of this regional organization, but at least President Rodrigo Duterte stood out as the undisputed main man of the event. Many of the Asean leaders who attended the summit, held at the reclamation area in Pasay City, finally got to see the fiery president as the no-nonsense leader who has dedicated himself to implementing practical solutions to chronic national problems—like the drug menace which the inaction of the Macapagal-Arroyo and Aquino III presidential administrations of the past allowed to proliferate.
“‹It was clear that unlike most of his counterparts who participated in the summit, Duterte was not the type to engage in empty rhetoric and the usual lines praising regional stability and inter-state cooperation. Duterte assured his listeners that the old adage remains true—that serious problems require serious solutions, and that a real leader must be ready for endless criticism, fair or unfounded.
“‹The stellar treatment Duterte got in the Asean summit is attributable mainly to the dedication of the Presidential Communications Operations Office headed by Secretary Martin Andanar, and the industry of his key people. They made sure that not only did the guests know who was running the country; they also saw to it that the president of the Philippines got his message through, not only to the participants in the summit, but also to the international news media as well as the social media.
“‹This columnist is by no means a fan of the Asean, and he considers the regional organization rather hollow in terms of its usefulness to the average Filipino. Be that as it may, it must be acknowledged that the PCOO did a good job in the dissemination of information about the summit.
“‹As the top communications office of the host country, the PCOO was the dominant agency of this year’s Asean Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications. The media agencies composing the Committee had no problem with the way the PCOO took the initiative in the coverage of summit activities and the dissemination of the news to local, regional, and international audiences. That was, after all, the purpose of the Committee.
“‹Fortunately, the PCOO did not face the needless logistical problems which usually and chronically attend many international assemblies sponsored by the Philippine government in the past. The Committee took the cue from the PCOO and, with the unwavering support of President Duterte, set up an international media center to cover the Asean summit. This media center was established at the new world-class Conrad Hotel, which is part of the vast area where the summit was held.
“‹Over a thousand local and international journalists were able to use the state-of-the-art equipment, the news rooms, and the comfortable lounges provided by the media center. The promised high-speed internet facilities were available to everyone who needed them. Even the food and accommodations did not disappoint the guests.
“‹Make no mistake about it. Putting up the media center for the Asean summit was no mean feat for the PCOO. The work included dealing with numerous, separate delegations of news crews and technical personnel who all have their own priorities, interests, and concerns. In certain instances, there was a language barrier that had to be overcome.
“‹The accreditation and registration work at the media center was overwhelming on account of the volume of local and foreign news media personnel who joined the delegation of diplomats attending the summit. It wasn’t just a problem of paperwork; the PCOO team had to ascertain who among the registrants were legitimate and who were bogus. This verification requirement was demanded by the circumstances surrounding the summit because several world leaders were in the vicinity, and their security was a primary responsibility of the Philippine government. The last thing Manila needed was a terrorist masquerading as a journalist covering the summit.
“‹Fortunately, there were no untoward incidents which marred the event. With troublemakers seemingly bent on destabilizing the Duterte administration, the fact that safety in the summit was never compromised is also an accomplishment.
“‹All in all, the extensive preparations by the PCOO and the efficient coordination among key players in the media center, also undertaken by the PCOO, made the successful local, regional, and international dissemination of news and information about the Asean summit possible and effortless. This is confirmed by the extensive television and news media coverage of the event, both here and in international channels, and its coverage by a number of sites on social media.
“‹Even the many Filipinos who went on vacation during the four-day weekend that marked the summit were not spared of news about the event in their mobile phones and personal computers.
Recall that when it was ascertained last year that the Philippines was to host this Asean summit, the PCOO had about six months to prepare for it. Those six months were spent not only for preparations relating to the media center, but likewise for projects designed to inform the Filipino people, the youth in particular, about the summit and its objectives.
“‹With help provided by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the PCOO created a music video about the Asean summit, and some of its officials visited a number of schools to disseminate information about the regional organization and its summit in Pasay City.
“‹The Philippines will host another Asean summit before the end of 2017. While the details about the agenda of that forum are not yet available, it may be assumed that the PCOO will take its work seriously anew.