September 15, 2005 · Posted in: General
Presidential makeover
VETERAN Palace journalist, Ellen Tordesillas, writes in the current issue of PCIJ’s i Report about the work being done to re-package the president’s image, with the help of the global public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller.
Even as Burston-Marsteller’s assessments are meant for a PR campaign overseas, Tordesillas writes, the president’s domestic handlers use their advice to craft her political strategy and win the public over.
In June this year, for instance, as the president faced issues of jueteng and election fraud, Burson-Marsteller consultants discussed with some Cabinet members ways by which to "soften" the president’s image.
Burson-Marsteller is one of about eight U.S.-based companies that the Arroyo government has contracted to lobby on its behalf since 2001. The payments made to those companies have added up to over P100 million upto the second half of 2003, according to computations made by Sen. Ralph Recto using the firms’ own disclosures.
Earlier, the PCIJ reported on one other lobbying contract entered into by the government in July this year. That contract, commissioning law firm, Venable LLP, to lobby for charter change, was signed with apparent secrecy, as senior government officials were bypassed in the process.
Read Tordesillas’s report on the presidential makeover.
13 Responses to Presidential makeover
indio_lawless
September 15th, 2005 at 5:59 pm
In 22 July 2002, gloria in her SONA said among others “ Like my father, I am working on my stone, the stone of the strong republic and I intend to be well remembered. Legions of ordinary Filipinos, many of them students, came, stood and clamored at EDSA, for a better government. It is to them I look for validation”
Today, 2005… True enough, She is well-remembered for LYING, CHEATING her way to presidency.
Is this part of high-priced re-packaging?
Then let us expect another Hitler in the making, folks.
indio_lawless
September 15th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
Addendum :
Kaya pala bawal na rin ang mga students na sumali sa rallies per DepEd’s instructions kasi nga, using gloria’s words “it is to them I look for validation”.
How ironic indeed.
emer
September 15th, 2005 at 6:09 pm
kahit ano pa ang sabihin ng deped na yan magrarally pa rin kame. wag na silang makielam nohhh..
gagay
September 15th, 2005 at 6:42 pm
Ang problema kasi kay Gloria, ang dami dami nang accusations sa kanya, hindi na mabilang sa mga daliri ko, nananatili pa rin syang tahimik sa gitna ng mga ito. What she needs to do is to come clean to public. To say calling Garci was a case of lapse in judgement and i am sorry is not enough. Ang daming kailangang sagutin — sino ba talaga si Jose Pidal? nasaan si Garci, bakit sya kailangang itago? nandaya ba talaga kayo sa eleksyon last year? saan kayo kumuha ng pera para ipangtustos sa pangdaraya, ginamit nyo pati ang mga militar sa pandaraya? totoo ba ang kurakot sa agri funds? totoo ba ang marcoleta-lozano manipulation ng impeachment? did the arroyo government really manipulated the impeachment? totoo bang binayaran nyo ang mga congressmen para mabasura ang impeachment? ano na naman etong Venable deal? saan nyo na naman kinuha ang pangbayad? and so on……..
Maging sincere sa panghingi ng tawad. Maging transparent sa publiko sa lahat ng activities ng gobyerno (ngayon kasi parang puro patalikod nila ginagawa ang mga ito, feeling ng taong bayan niloloko sila). Maging transparent sa audit. Ipakitang tapat sa trabaho at magsisilbi sa tao at hindi sa pang sariling interes. Kung hindi kayang gawin, mag resign na kaagad agad.
Kung may umaming nagkasala dapat managot, ikulong, i death sentence. Kung may hindi klaro, ipa imbestiga ng tunay at tapat.
Sagutin ni Gloria ang lahat ng yan sa taong bayan (hindi si Mike Defensor, hindi si Ermita, hindi si Bunye, at definitely hindi si bensgr8 or jonathan dito sa pcij blog). Gawin lang yan ng sinsero at hindi kailangan magturo turo at manisi sa oposisyon.
Tigilan na ang pagnanakaw at panloloko sa taong bayan.
Sigurado ako meron may koneksyon sa Malacanang na nag ma manman dito sa PCIJ. Pakiparating po lamang eto kay GMA, at hindi na kailangang magbayad pa ng napakamahal na PR firm.
gagay
September 15th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
i even forgot to include the payola issue that she needs to answer.
tsaka pwede ba, itigil na ang pag bandera ng muka ni Mike Arroyo sa TV na pasabi sabi pa ng knock out knock out, lalo syang nakakasira, napaka pangit, napaka arogante at napakataba. yukkk. thats very bad PR.
Bensgr8
September 15th, 2005 at 7:00 pm
Wow gagay, may special mention pa kami ni Jonathan. Haven’t you heard of one’s right against self-incrimination? Hehe, bumli ako ng libro ng 1987 constitution kasi yun napag-aralan lang namin nung high-school ay yung kay Macoy.
We won’t get the answers from many of your questions from GMA. Kailangan lumabas ang ibang witnesses. Yun ay kung meron pa. 3 months na lahat naman palpak. Kaya nga may silent majority di ba. Tahimik pa rin kasi di agad naniniwala sa chismis.
Yung iba naman issues should be on public record. So I don’t see any reason why the opposition can’t expose them. Kung classified as “confidential”, baka makuha ng mga “spies” yan. ‘Wag lang pahuli sa FBI.
gagay
September 15th, 2005 at 7:09 pm
Bensgr8 you must be living in a fantasy world o baka naka drugs ka. ang alam na kasi ng majority guilty si Gloria. Silence is a sign of guilt. kaya kailangan nyang sagutin. or you must be right, she’ll be incriminating herself. guilty nga. no use in getting a PR firm, gagastos lang kayo.
gagay
September 15th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Bensgr8 sabihin mo may kilala akong kayang i lead yung pag ka come clean ni GMA sa public. mas mura ng di hamak. hehheheh. just kidding.
have a nice life!
hinay hinay lang mga kapatid! and be good all of you. wag kayong mag glo gloria ng kapwa tao, ok. =)
Bensgr8
September 15th, 2005 at 7:34 pm
Wow ha, very anti ang dating mo. Keep your cool. Less than 100 pesos lang yung libro sa National Bookstore. Yung mas mahal, may konting explanation. Di ko kasi maintindihan yung mga sinasabi ng mga “your honors” natin.
Tama ka alam ng majority na guilty siya sa pagtawag kay Garci. Kaso majority nag-antay ng iba pang ebidensiya paano ginawa yung “manipulation” dahil wala naman napansin nung 2004. Nasaan na yung mga mother mother na yan. Sinamahan pa ng opposition ng kung anu-anong jueteng, North Rail, at kung iba pa. Sila rin ang gumulo sa kuwento. Puro ingay wala naman laman.
O ngayon, nasaan na ang Pilipinas. Kulelat. Nagbawas pa ng empleyado opisina namin ha. Masaya ka na? Alam ko masaya mga komunista at meron silang nahihimok sa kanilang pinaglalaban kuno. Kasama ka ba nila? Baka naman galing ka sa mga crony families.
schumey
September 16th, 2005 at 9:52 am
Bakit kaya kung for social or political change ka, you’re branded as a communist. Sana bago kayo mag-comment or mag-stereotype, alamin niyo muna what socialism, communism and all the other ideologies are. “Di ba ang stereotyping is a form of bigotry?
Gagay, whatever your ideology may be, I respect you for your stand and principle. Kaya maraming giyera and oppression dito sa mundo is because of bigots who think that they are the masters of the world.
schumey
September 16th, 2005 at 9:54 am
Yung makeover baka makakuha pa siya ng discount or baka libre pa kung endorse niya si Dr. Vicky Belo or Dr. Calayan.
gagay
September 16th, 2005 at 10:13 am
hey Mr Bensgr8 im back.
you’re giving me too much credit naman. matatawa tatay ko nyan may nagkamali dito sa blog na i come from crony family. tsaka ako communist? akala ko ho ba ang sabi nyo 21st century ho kayo mag isip, eh nung 1957 pa patay si McCarthy bwehehe. pero honestly po someday gusto ko dung makinig kung ano ba ang “pinapaglalaban” ng mga communist. pero ngayon, medyo busy po sa work dito sa private company na pinagtratrabahuhan ko. so trabaho muna, lalo na ngayon, malapit na naman akong ma promote, increase na naman, ang sarappp! dito kasi ako kumukuha ng pang kain, pambili ng damit, ng make up, pang spa, tsaka pang donate sa paborito kong orphanage.
i have a suggestion Mr Bensgr8, minsan ho labas kayo ng bahay, tungtung po kayo sa lupa, alisin nyo muna ang pagiging “gr8” nyo, and you need to be really sober. kausapin nyo po yung nag titinda ng bbq sa kanto, yung pedicab drivers, yung mga school teachers, mga ordinaryong empleyado, pati mga jobless, malalaman nyo po na inis na inis at depress na depress na sila sa nangyayari sa bansa natin na pinamumunuan ni gloria. And you cant stop them even if you accuse them of being a communist or a crony.
eh kayo naman po, if you dont mind my asking. tsaka wag po kayong magsisinungaling, ang mag la lie tutubuan sa butt cheeks ng malalaking pigsa at hindi gagaling forever. do you work for gma po ba or one of her cronies? (baka kay chavit) pero kung ayaw nyong sagutin ok lang. no one will be proud naman talaga na maging bayaran ni gloria.
Bensgr8
September 17th, 2005 at 11:12 pm
gagay, i apologize for getting carried away and calling you names.
I went out yesterday and today, as you suggested, and guess what, it’s true they are depressed but people are more concerned with Pinoy Big Brother. Think GMA is here to stay for the time being.
Wala akong pigsa pero humaba ilong ko, hehehe. Just kidding. Peace.