Manila: Being in the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) means being a messenger of the government to the people. PCO Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made this statement in response to former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque's recent remarks, clarifying that their role is not to 'sell' the President or the administration, but rather to act as messengers to the public.

According to Philippines News Agency, Castro's response came during a press briefing in Malaca±ang on Monday, where she was asked to comment on Roque's statement that working in the PCO was akin to being a salesman for the President and the administration. Roque, who previously served as spokesperson under former President Rodrigo Duterte, had said that it is difficult to promote a product, or in this case, a president, if it is bad or flawed.

In her rebuttal, Castro emphasized that the role of the PCO is to inform the public about the government's initiatives. 'Hindi po kami salesman dito. Kami po ay messenger (We are not salespeople here. We are messengers),' Castro said.

Castro further explained, 'Ang salesman po kasi ay kailangan na maganda ang bokadura mo; kailangan na ibenta kahit na minsan ay hindi totoo iyong mga sinasabi mo para lang mabenta ang isang tao o isang produkto (To be a salesman, you must have a good vocabulary, and at times, they need to sell something even if it isn't entirely true just to make a sale).'

She insisted that the PCO's role is not about selling the president or the government. 'Hindi po kami nagbibenta ng pangulo o ng gobyerno. Pinapakita lamang po namin at inilalahad namin kung ano ang maaaring makuha ng taumbayan sa ating gobyerno, kung anong puwedeng itulong ng ating gobyerno sa taumbayan (We don't sell the president or the government; we simply present to the people what they can gain from the government and what help it can provide),' the PCO official stated.

Castro, a lawyer by profession, also alluded to the former president who was known for his rhetorics and tough-talking persona, saying it is difficult to promote someone who is only known for making jokes. 'Naniniwala po talaga kami na mahirap ibenta ang bulok o masamang produkto (We truly believe that it's difficult to sell a bad or rotten product),' Castro said.

She concluded by acknowledging the challenges of promoting a figure with a controversial public image. 'Mahirap po talagang ibenta kapag ang ibinibenta mo ay kailangan mo pang linisin ang mga sinasabi. Mahirap ibenta ang mga tao na ang laging nababanggit ay joke lamang iyan (It's hard to sell something when you have to always clean up what's being said. It's difficult to promote a person when all they can say is that it's just a joke),' she added.