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MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

[ PROCLAMATION NO. 308, August 02, 2023 ]

DECLARING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER OF EVERY YEAR AS "COMMUNICATIONS MONTH" AND THE 11TH OF OCTOBER OF EVERY YEAR AS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

WHEREAS, Section 24, Article II of the Constitution provides that the State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-building;

WHEREAS, on 11 October 1942, then President Manuel L. Quezon issued Executive Order (EO) No. 5-W, creating the Office of Special Services (OSS), a section under the Office of the President (OP), whose functions included the collection, collation, organization, and dissemination of information about the Philippines and the Commonwealth Government;

WHEREAS, through various Presidential Issuance promulgated over the years, the OSS has evolved to eventually become the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), tasked primarily to handle information dissemination and the communications operations of the OP;

WHEREAS, EO No. 11 (s. 2022) renamed the OPS as the Presidential Communications Office (PCO);

WHEREAS, under EO No. 11 and EO No. 16 (s. 2023), the PCO is responsible for the crafting, formulation, development, enhancement, and coordination of the messaging system of the Executive branch and the OP;

WHEREAS, the Administration aims to provide true, accurate, and relevant information regarding its policies, priority programs, and projects to nurture a well-informed and enlightened citizenry through appropriate media; and

WHEREAS, an effective communication mechanism is vital in the engagement and involvement of the citizenry and the media industry in enriching the quality of public discourse on all matters of governance;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R,. MARCOS, JR., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby declare the month of October of every year as "Communications Month" and the 11th of October of every year as the Anniversary of the PCO.

For this purpose, the PCO shall lead the observance of the Communications Month and the Anniversary of the PCO, and identify the programs, projects and activities for the yearly celebration thereof.

All other agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and state universities and colleges, are hereby directed, and all local govenrment units, non-government organizations, as well as the private sector, are hereby encouraged, to actively participate in the abovementioned observance and render the necessary support to the PCO for the effective implementation of this Proclamation.1âшphi1

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 2nd day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Three.

(SGD.) FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.

By the President:

(SGD.) LUCAS P. BERSAMIN
Executive Secretary

The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation

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