ALL top officials of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), except Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro, have submitted their courtesy resignations, PCO Secretary Lino Cayetano confirmed on Friday.
Cayetano told members of the Malacañang Press Corps that Castro will retain her position, describing her as “a treasure.”
“I haven’t seen someone who can articulate so well what this government is doing,” he said.
Asked if he supports Castro’s hard-hitting responses to criticisms against the administration, Cayetano said this is what Castro is good at.
“When it comes to being combative — to defending the actions of this administration and explaining to the Filipino people why certain things are being done — I truly admire Undersecretary Claire,” he said.
Castro is an undersecretary in the PCO.
Cayetano said he and Castro will work closely together to bridge communication gaps and translate complex policies, issues and executive programs to the public.
He said courtesy resignations serve as a standard assessment tool to evaluate and optimize the mandates of various PCO offices.
He stressed that the reorganization focuses entirely on advancing the president’s governance agenda and improving public service delivery, not on sweeping personnel changes.
“It’s a courtesy to assess and evaluate; it’s just a simple basis on how we can improve the mandate of the PCO and how we can improve the mandate of each office,” he added.
Cayetano outlined plans to bridge the digital-analog divide within government communications, noting the need to decentralize information.
He said the PCO must expand its presence beyond traditional media by actively engaging with communities, universities and barangay.
“I think the PCO also needs to focus on being on the ground, being in universities, being in villages and being in communities with you. As you know, in this age of fragmented distribution, it’s also important that we’re facing our countrymen,” Cayetano said.
