spot_img
28.6 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Andanar team fall guy for ‘Superficial Gazette’

- Advertisement -

THE Palace media office once again became the object of public ridicule on Monday after Filipino internet users criticized the online Official Gazette for posting a social media card to mark the 99th birth anniversary of former President Ferdinand Marcos.

And once again Communications Secretary Martin Andanar blamed his staff and ordered them to take down the posts but only after internet users ridiculed the Official Gazette, the official government online site, as the “Superficial Gazette” on a spoof Facebook page.

Andanar and his communications team were not spared criticism and were mocked as “the best communications team in the solar system.”

“In line with our mandate of providing quality #HistoricalRevisionism to the Filipino people, 

- Advertisement -

the #SuperficialGazette, run by the Best Communications Team in the Solar System, takes pride in uploading content that also excels in aesthetic quality,” read the spoof Facebook page.

“As such, our uploaded images suffer minimal degradation [if any at all] when uploaded on Facebook and Twitter. The same is also held true for the previous Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines communications team, but not the present one.

“Official Gazette, maybe it’s time for you to step up your game. #PartnerForChange”

Assistant Communications Secretary Ramon Cualoping III said the Presidential Communications Operations Office did not intend to revise history and only wanted to mark the birthday of Marcos, who was a former leader of the country.

Cualoping admitted he approved the social media card but the decision did not involve any partisanship, much less any attempt to revise history.

“We all know that Martial Law happened. It really happened,” Cualoping said. “But what we did was for the birthday card. It shouldn’t be agnostic. It should just be about the date that they were elected into the presidency, their political background is just right there.”

“But wait for September 21. We have something for the Martial Law anniversary as well. That’s how we compartmentalize things actually,” he said.

The incident was the latest in a series of “boo-boos” for which Andanar apologized on Sunday.

During the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week, the PCOO was criticized by local and foreign media for erroneously announcing that President Rodrigo Duterte would be seated in between US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles