President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will be more accessible to give the public a better understanding of his administration’s policies and programs, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Tuesday.

In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, PCO Undersecretary for Digital Media Services Emerald Ridao said Marcos would be more open and respond to queries on issues that he feels “will be best expressed or best explained by his side.”

“He himself would like to be more accessible. Kumbaga, siya na po ang sasagot. Kung may katanungan po ang mga mamamayan at inaabot po natin sa kaniya ito, siya na po ang mag-explain, siya na po ang magsasagot (Apparently, he will answer. If the citizens have a question and we relay it to him, he will explain, he will answer),” Ridao said.

“So, one of the things that we can expect is more access to the President in terms of what he thinks, the thinking behind his policy, the rationale. And hopefully, that will help the citizens to get a better insight into why the government runs in this way,” she added.

This came as Ridao acknowledged that the government’s communication strategies are “more structured,” prior to Marcos’ openness to be at the forefront of the intensified information and communication campaign.

Serving as the government’s lead communications arm, the PCO usually issues press releases or lets concerned agencies explain the programs or policies that they are implementing.

Ridao expressed confidence that the PCO has made significant headways in improving the government’s communications strategy and raising public awareness.

She hoped that the PCO’s first-ever awarding ceremony would encourage more government agencies to “laymanize” their respective services, policies, and programs to make the public well-informed.

“Without this kind of communication, our citizens might not truly be able to appreciate what the work that we’ve been trying to do here. As the President says, policies are only effective if they are felt and understood by the people,” she said.

Ridao said the PCO would also take advantage of other social media platforms such as TikTok to make sure that the government’s messaging is engaging to the public “in ways that are responsive to the formats they like.”

“Kung dati, nakikita lang po natin ang news sa TV, naririnig lang natin sa radio or nababasa natin sa dyaryo. Ngayon, puwede na rin po siyang i-deliver (In the past, we only saw the news on TV, heard it on the radio or read it in the newspaper. Now, we can also deliver it) to TikTok, which is where a vast majority of Filipinos really get their information. So, natutunan na po natin na (we learned that) instead of keeping to the traditional forms that we have, we can also expand by really accessing Filipinos where they actually view their content),” she said.

Speaking to Malacañang reporters on Monday, Marcos said he would be more open to media queries to fight the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.

Marcos also thanked Palace reporters for their dedication to truth and integrity, acknowledging their crucial role in enhancing public participation in governance. (PNA)