Palace admits hiring US PR firm for Aquino's visit

(Updated 4:44 p.m.) Malacañang on Wednesday admitted that the government hired the services of a US public relations firm to ensure President Benigno Aquino III will get media exposure during his weeklong working visit to the United States. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said hiring the services of a public relations firm in a foreign country is "standard operating procedure" for visiting government leaders. "When a foreign government or a government goes to a foreign country, they usually engage the services of different firms in order to help them get exposure to the US media," Carandang told reporters when asked if the government indeed hired a PR firm as stated by the Daily Tribune in its editorial Wednesday. Hiring foreign PR firms is not unique for Philippine chief executives. According to veteran Palace reporters, past administrations were also said to have hired PR firms in the past during important foreign visits but were hesitant to disclose it. Elena Bautista-Horn, former president and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesperson, admitted they also hired a PR firm before. Bautista-Horn was the chief of the Presidential Management Staff during the latter part of the Arroyo administration. But Bautista-Horn said they "never hired a PR firm for media mileage nor placements." "We hired a PR firm before to assist and advise on important and critical messages of national/international importance. Messaging ang function, not media mileage and placements," Bautista-Horn said in a text message to GMANews.TV. Insisting that hiring a PR firm is nothing new, Carandang said: "I would venture to say na hindi lang Pilipinas ang nag-hire ng PR firm for the purpose of this visit. Ang daming bansa ngayon ang nagpunta sa US; ang daming mga leaders na nagpunta sa US and I know that it’s SOP for any foreign government to do that." Modest amount Carandang, however, denied the Tribune's assertion that the services of the firm cost the government $1 million or P45 million, saying the actual cost was "much, much lower than that." "It’s a modest amount," he said. "Modest amount even by Philippine standards." He said he wasn't aware if the payment was included in the government's P25-million budget for the visit. "I don't know, haven't seen the breakdown," he said in a text message. He said he would have to get clearance first before disclosing the name of the PR firm and the cost of its services. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said she would ask the office of Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa Jr. if it could provide a breakdown of the US delegation's expenses. Aquino was interviewed by the New York Times, the largest local metropolitan newspaper in the United States, when he arrived at New York Tuesday afternoon (Manila time; morning in New York). The interview, according to the government's Official Gazette, was conducted by six of the newspaper's staff including Deputy Foreign Editors Ian Fisher and Joseph Kahn. The government said the interview covered topics ranging from overseas Filipino workers, the Maguindanao massacre, the Abu Sayyaf, the insurgencies in the south, and the US' and regional concerns regarding the Spratly Islands. Aquino is set to be interviewed by the Wall Street Journal Wednesday evening (Manila time; morning in New York). Aside from these, Carandang said the president will have "some TV exposure," and Cabinet secretaries have also given interviews to Bloomberg and Reuters. — RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV