By Severino C. Samonte
MANILA, July 24 — As the News and Information Bureau (NIB) under the Presidential Communications Operations Office celebrates its silver anniversary on July 25, 2012, it is also fitting to recall how the bureau came into existence as part of the government reorganization carried out by the administration of President Corazon C. Aquino in 1987.
The birth of the bureau actually came about with the President's issuance on July 25, 1987 of Executive Order No. 297 titled, "Reorganization of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), Prescribing its Powers and Functions and Other Purposes."
In EO 297, the country's first woman president noted: "Realizing that the Office of the Press Secretary was precisely created by Memorandum Order No. 32, dated September 1, 1986 and Executive Order No. 92, dated December 17, 1986, to ensure that the government's point of view is communicated to the public, especially on issues affecting the nation's welfare, it is necessary that the mandate, powers and functions of this Office be redefined to avoid overlapping and to fix responsibilities therein."
Section 16 of EO 297 states: "The News and Information Bureau shall be responsible for providing efficient, effective, productive, and economical services relating to the development and formulation of a domestic and foreign information program for the government, in general, and the presidency, in particular, including the development of strategies for the dissemination of information on specific government programs."
The NIB shall be headed by a director and assisted by an assistant director, both to be appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Press Secretary.
Consisting the NIB are the Presidential Press Staff (PPS) and the sub-offices under it, Philippines News Agency (PNA), Media Accreditation and Relations Division (MARD), including the International Press Center (IPC), and Finance and Administrative Division (FAD).
Under the EO, the NIB has been given the following specific functions:
Formulate, develop, and implement a national information program for the Government and the Presidency, including the strategies in support of specific national development programs.
Formulate, develop, and implement an overseas information program, including strategies for the effective dissemination of information about the Philippines, the policies, activities, and programs of the Government and the Presidency.
Establish liaison with the representatives of domestic and foreign press, and provide assistance, as is deemed necessary, relevant to the projects, policies, and activities of the Government and the Presidency.
Establish and maintain a system of accreditation for local and foreign members of media.
Make arrangements for presidential press and broadcast coverages and conferences.
Provide services relative to day-to-day and special information and communication requirements of the Government and the Presidency, including the programming and monitoring of significant projects and activities on media relations and other media-related matters.
Provide daily news services to both local and foreign publics on the policies, activities, and programs of the Government and the Presidency, and maintain a wire service operation, for the purpose of effecting coverage of events and developments relevant to the information needs of the Government and the Presidency.
Produce and distribute information materials, such as: handbills, folders, pamphlets, posters, and other publications on the directions, policies, programs, and activities of the Government and the Presidency.
Perform such other functions as may be provided by law.
Twenty-three years later, upon President Benigno S. Aquino III's assumption of office, he signed E.O. No. 4 on July 30, 2010 reorganizing and renaming the Office of the Press Secretary as the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).
Under the latest reorganization, the NIB remains as a line bureau of the PCOO headed by former President Cory Aquino Cabinet Member and Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Prof. Herminio "Sonny" Coloma Jr.
In his PCOO memorandum issued on January 19, this year, Secretary Coloma created the Integrated Management of National Media and Information Cluster through Office Order No. 1, series of 2012 in accordance with President Aquino III’s Executive Order No. 4 with “the primary objective to strengthen the pillar-institutions of Government in media and information.”
Under the department’s order, the News and Information Bureau and the Philippines News Agency serve as the lead agency in the pipeline production of Development News to be projected by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the Peoples’ Television (PTV) 4.
The Secretary also directed the NIB-PNA to put premium as an internationally-recognized news organization in the same league as the globally-known newswire agencies.
Secretary Coloma also ordered the NIB for the timely and efficient accreditation of foreign media practitioners for events and news coverage within the country.
According to the Office Order optimizing the utilization of Government media and information resources, the Secretary heads the Joint Management Committee that integrates the policies, programs and activities of the component organizations.
In his memorandum early this year calling for solidarity, Secretary Coloma called on key officials and middle managers “to achieve our lofty goals, we need to close ranks and work as a team.”
The Secretary rallied communications officials and employees “to commit ourselves fully and unconditionally to our shared mission: to be our President’s co-workers in serving our people and building enduring pillar-institutions for a vibrant democracy.”
During the first 25 years of its existence, the NIB has been headed by six directors — two of them as officers-in-charge.
Veteran journalist Vergel O. Santos was named as the first NIB director on November 2, 1987 under OPS Department Order No. 13 signed by then Press Undersecretary Danilo A. Gozo.
When Santos resigned to resume editing privately-run newspapers, including the re-born Manila Chronicle and Manila Times, he was succeeded by Director German C. Galian, another veteran journalist who later headed the Presidential News Desk (PND) upon its creation by former Press Secretary Rodolfo T. Reyes during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos in May 1993.
Upon the promotion of Galian to OPS assistant secretary in 1994, he was succeeded by Director Lucita C. Sanchez, who formerly headed the National Printing Office. She held the top NIB post for 11 years.
After the retirement of Director Sanchez on July 6, 2005, the NIB was headed briefly by former Assistant Press Secretary Dennis Legazpi (July 11, 2005-August 11, 2005) and then by Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia (August 11, 2005-June 30, 2007).
After Capadocia, former PNA reporter, senior news editor and later managing editor Brando F. Merrera was appointed by then Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye as officer-in- charge of the NIB from July 1, 2007 to March 17, 2009.
Merrera was eventually appointed permanently to the post of NIB director on March 18, 2009 by then Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. He was the youngest so far to hold the NIB's top post and a Career Service Executive Officer (CESO) III. Unfortunately, Merrera died of heart failure last July 6, 2012 at the age of 50.
Through PCOO Department Order No. 4 dated July 9, 2012, Secretary Coloma designated Assistant Secretary Elizardo “Zaldy” de Layola as Officer-in-Charge of the NIB to oversee the day-to-day operations as well as to ensure the delivery of services to its stakeholders and clients. With ASec De Layola at the NIB helm is Assistant Director III Danilo S. Jamora. (PNA) FFC/scs/mec