A group of former editors and other staff members of the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) welcomed Malacañang’s plan of to abolish the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and replace it with the original department it superseded in 2010 – the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS).
This was gleaned from the replies to a question by this writer to the members of the ex-PNAers, a group composed of former editors, deskmen, reporters, photographers and other personnel who have either retired or transferred to other offices. A number of them are now based overseas.
As a retired executive editor and division chief of PNA under the News and Information Bureau (NIB) of the OPS, this writer asked some of them about their views on the proposal to revive the 23-year-old OPS, which was dismantled eight years ago by the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
In place of OPS, Aquino created the PCOO and the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO).
After eight years, the former PNAers hailed the proposed restoration of the old OPS, stressing it is very timely and long overdue.
For one, Ben Cal, who once served as acting executive editor and is now engaged in book writing, said in a text message to this writer: “It is great to hear about the proposed revival of the Office of the Press Secretary. It’s about time!”
Cal joined the PNA as a reporter a year after the agency’s birth under the former Department of Public Information (DPI) in 1973. He retired about eight years ago after covering Malacañang for PNA during the entire term of President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998). He also covered Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame since Ramos’ stint as chief of the former Philippine Constabulary, predecessor of the present Philippine National Police.
