Dino vows to be accessible, transparent

Presidential Assistant for Visayas Michael Dino (speaking), accompanied by his chief of staff Jonji Gonzales (rightmost), said reporters don’t even need to observe protocols when trying to contact him. (CDN PHOTO/VICTOR ANTHONY V. SILVA)

PRESIDENTIAL Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino vowed to be open and transparent to media for as long as they remain fair in their reports.

“I hope the media will be fair to us, meaning there are no twists and turns on what I say,” he told the Cebu Citizens Press Council (CCPC) during its quarterly meeting at the Marcelo Fernan Press Center in Cebu City on Thursday.

Dino, accompanied by his chief of staff Jonji Gonzales, said reporters don’t even need to observe protocols when trying to contact him.

“My phone is always on silent mode. I can’t always see (if there are calls or texts), but I will always answer when I do,” he said.

If he can’t be reached, he said reporters can always contact Gonzales since he always tags along during meetings and appointments.

Gonzales said the openness of the Office of the PAV to media was evident when Dino met with the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO) following his Cabinet appointment.

The chief of staff said they are eyeing a weekly media forum with Dino to be hosted by the Philippine Information Agency.

He said the venue will be at the Malacañang sa Sugbo, where Dino will also hold office, once renovations there are finished by mid-October this year.

Gonzales said the OPAV also intends to maximize its social media presence by tapping into the platforms that propelled President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“The OPAV will be very social. We did it during the campaign and we will do it again,” he said.

He explained that this will allow both media and ordinary citizens to access OPAV updates online through Facebook pages and soon a website that uses the gov.ph domain.