Apart from granting Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s request to announce class and work suspensions, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seems to also have no problem with how the DILG makes said announcements.
Commenting on the criticism the agency has drawn for public service announcements that start with greetings like “Abangers,” or a casual mention of Laguna Governor Sol Aragones — as if on a family group chat, and not an official government page — the president, in a press conference on July 23, said, “As long as he gets the message across.”
“I’m not exactly a judge of literary style,” Marcos added.
‘Unprofessional’
Netizens pointed out that the playful tone reminiscent of comedic vloggers and casual TikTok videos is not suited for a government post, especially when it is meant to convey important information about a calamity or an emergency.
Vice President Sara Duterte agrees. In an interview at the Hague, she said government institutions’ communications should be professional, adding that that’s why agencies have designated spokespersons.
Duterte even cited her own office as an example. “Kaya kami mayroong spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President kasi ‘yong institusyon, mayroon silang mga ginagawang trabaho, projects, serbisyo, at mayroong boses ‘yong Office of the Vice President. So, kapag nandoon ka, makikita mo very professional ‘yan sila,” the Vice President said.
Sorry, Not Sorry
Remulla has since issued a non-apology on July 23, which sounded a lot like the page’s previous informal posts: “Ang daming letga (galit). Pasensya na, pero hindi na ako magbabago ng ugali,” he said. “Kung ang biro ko ay di karapat-dapat para sa inyo, tandaan ninyong wala naman akong minura, minaliit, o hinamak. Wala rin akong binola o sinabing kasinungalingan. A little humor never hurt anyone.”
He doubled down on his non-apology in an interview with DZMM on the same day, saying, “Noon pa man ay ganoon na ako, sa Cavite pa lang ganoon na ako. Ngayon pa ba ako magbabago? E ang intensyon ko lang naman ay mag-inform… I don’t think I have to apologize for my humor.”
To date, the previous posts announcing class suspensions due to inclement weather, which have been criticized for their tone, remain up on the DILG Facebook page.
But Remulla seems to have learned his lesson with newer PSAs adapting a more formal tone, with just enough jokes to keep him off the hook. He ends a post announcing class suspensions on July 24 due to the new tropical storm Emong with “Oo, pabiro man ako minsan — pero ang kapangyarihan ng panahon ay hindi biro.”
