I visited the new President's website at http://www.president.gov.ph/government/default.aspx and when I was giving a comment and sending it, it was not working.
Instead, it showed this:
" * Some characters are not allowed."
And this is my comment:
"Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda says the government is ready to stake your political capital on the VAT on the tollways controversy. The question really is--Mr. President, are you ready to sacrifice your political capital just to pursue what many believe is a violation of the law on taxation?"
Can you guess which characters are not allowed in the above comment which I tried to post at the new Office of the President website? Is it the word Lacierda? Or probably "VAT"? Or the word "controversy" shortly after the word "Tollways"?
Oh, well. I guess those who are well-intentioned and are critiques are practically disallowed to comment on the New President's website.
Edwin Lacierda, I was told, committed another faux pas yesterday. He broke the story about Memorandum Circular No. 2 to a popular TV network first before the Malacanang Press Corps.
That is not a neophyte blunder anymore. That is a willful act. What Lacierda fails to recognize is simply the effects of such acts to the assigned reporters in Malacanang.
Imagine the humiliation some reporters got from their desk editors when they failed to get the first stab at that story. It was not a minor story. It was a major one because it involved the lives and careers of government officials.
Mia (Gonzales), the incumbent MPC president, should do something about this.
Another official who got the media ire was new MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino. Tolentino's spokesperson, a certain Yves, reportedly gave GMA 7 reporter Lala Roque the wrong cellphone number of Tolentino.
Remember that it was Tolentino who gave ABS-CBN 2 thru DZMM that story of a cache of money reportedly being given by bus companies to MMDA officials as tongpats.
Why are these officials so fearful of media?
Media should be a strong ally of the new administration. This early, however, media is now being relegated and sidelined.
Media is the strongest feedback mechanism that government has.
I think this new administration should think that they are operating not as a campaign machinery anymore nor Aquino's propagandists. They are now government's official news agency. They should think like that, otherwise, after 100 days, they'll surely encounter a rougher road than what they expect.
What's so wrong with what presidential spokesperson Atty. Edwin Lacierda said yesterday about the problems being encountered by the Maynilad Water company?
When asked what he thinks about the water shortage being experienced by people living in more than 100 barangays under the concession area of Maynilad water, Lacierda burst out this phrase: " Where is the crisis?"
Lacierda is actually correct--there is no water crisis. There is a water shortage. But the way he delivered his response is simply wrong--in a strategic communications way.
His response was devoid of sympathy to the thousands of people now living every single day without water. For those affected, there is a crisis. Some would even argue that it is not merely a crisis, but a calamity, a catastrophe.
Now, some government officials are trying to exploit this by saying that barangay officials and even President Aquino could declare these areas under a state of calamity. And you know why these officials want this? Because they can actually get money out of this artificial water shortage.
Funds are immediately disbursed without any legislation in areas declared under a State of Calamity. The question really is--will a declaration even solve the water shortage? No. It's just as empty as the people's water pail.
It's strange though why Lacierda even started his response by questioning somebody's point of view. I mean, so what if some people view this as a "crisis" and some as simple as a "shortage"?
Lacierda's ideal response would have been:
" We sympathize with the people now suffering from this water shortage and rest assured that government is on top of the situation. The President is now meeting with his officials on the proper response to this shortage. We believe that we need to meet with officials of Maynila Water so that, together, we can finally solve this problem. It would take time but rest assured that the President has mobilized local government units to provide their constituencies contingency measures like water delivery services."
This is better than a outburst of "where's the crisis?"
I recommend Lacierda to buy my book, " The Black Book on Crisis Management: How to Diffuse a PR Crisis in Just 3 Days". For electronic copies of this book, email me at mangubat.patricio@gmail.com. The book is just US$ 25/copy.
Presidential spokesperson Ed Lacierda met a rather feisty media yesterday as he presented a "corrected" version of Memorandum Circular Order no. 1. This controversial memo actually directs non-career officials to vacate their posts immediately. In the first memo, the order was immediate. In the corrected version, the order was modified to say "thirty days." Probably, new Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa thought that the first one was rather hastily written and did not consider the dire implications of a massive series of resignations in government functions.
There is, actually, nothing wrong with admitting that the second version of the memo was a "modified" version. However, Lacierda made a big faux pas when he tried to debate this with some members of the palace media. Lacierda insisted that the first order of the Aquino administration was not intrinsically flawed. In Lacierda's mind, there is really nothing controversial nor erroneous with the second memo presented before the media, thinking that it was just a correction.
What Lacierda failed to recognize is the fact that the memorandum circular was not just modified--its intrinsic intention was changed. The change from " at high noon of June 30" to "thirty days shortly thereafter" is very significant and affects the intrinsic nature of the entire circular. Why? Because the first one did not give those non-career officials the time to pack their bags and allow a smooth transition of functions, while the second one did. Secondly, in terms of legalities, these officials are now still allowed to sign government papers, enter into deals and do whatever they want to do for the next 30 days instead of the first one which necessarily disabled them as government functionaries.
Memos are not just your ordinary corporate stationary issued by a boss. Memos are official acts of government, especially those concerning the bureaucracy. Memos are even treated as "law", a part of jurisprudence, because it is cloaked with the full majesty of the Law. These are ministerial orders, and its effects are momentous, to say the least. That memo affects not just 4,000 executive posts, no. It affects the entire bureaucracy of government.
Mr. Lacierda, the change was significant and the ever-so vigilant media pointed this out to you. You, in return, should be humble enough to admit that it was so.
Fact is, Mr. Lacierda should actually be glad that he "suffered" such thing yesterday. Why? Because that is a pure example of a "feedback" from an active and ever so vigilant citizenry. New President Noynoy Aquino wants an ever responsive government, right? He wants to establish an effective feedback mechanism so that the government hears what the "boss" wants.
Yesterday, the "boss" tried to point out that the Memo circular was problematic and as a government official, Lacierda should not emulate his predecessors. Lacierda should be different. Lacierda should be reminded that he is THE PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON. He is an ALTER-EGO of Noynoy.
That title is very SIGNIFICANT. Whatever he utters there is practically treated as OFFICIAL POLICY. It is not an empty position. It is a very sensitive one.
If Lacierda acts like he's the boss, and thinks that he is more knowledgeable than others and acts like a brat or rather he thinks that, being a lawyer of this Republic, bestows one a prince, then, he better go to some corner and think these things over.
Public service is servanthood. Noynoy Aquino already said that the Filipinos are sick and tired of govermment officials acting like petty kings and midget tyrannical queens. Filipinos have rejected an insensitive government. And I hold Aquino responsible for saying all those things. His alter-egos should also be constantly reminded of this, since, as someone said, idealists turn into salivating monsters once they ascend the steps of Malacanang. I just hope Aquino's alter-egos, especially the likes of Lacierda, should not commit his predecessor's mistakes.
Anyway, it's still a long way to go and the public is still in a "forgiving" stance. Let's treat this as a trifle, often committed by neophytes in their first day in the job. Next time, Lacierda should act the way the People expects Noynoy's alter-egos to act.
