Martin Andanar

Personal life

Andanar lives with his wife, Alelee, and two kids in Manila.

Education

Martin spent his high school years in Cagayan de Oro and Manila. After a year in University of the Philippines-Los Baños, he moved to Australia with his mother where he graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Social and Political Studies & Film and Media Studies at the Federation University in Australia.

Post Graduate Studies

Andanar completed his Master in Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management in 2007.

In 2008, along with 30 Filipino Youth Leaders, the US State Department sent Andanar to Northern Illinois University for an International Visitors Leadership Fellowship Program. On June 2009, he went to Georgetown University in Washington, DC to attend an Executive Course in Public & Non Profit Management. He also completed a Senior Executive Fellows Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University on March 2010.

Andanar attended courses on Communications in Public Policy Delivery (2015) and Countering Violent Extremism (2017) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. As well as the FB News Literacy (2017) and APAC news literary executive course at the Hong Kong University. He also pursued further doctorate studies on Public Administration at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Academic Recognition

Andanar is the first Filipino to be conferred the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Federation University of Australia, having been recognized for "his outstanding contribution to his chosen field of endeavor and continuous pursuit of excellence, both as a government official and as a private citizen."

Government career

Martin Andanar was appointed Secretary for the Presidential Communications Operations Office by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on June 30, 2016. The Commission on Appointments confirmed his appointment on October 12, 2016.

As PCOO Secretary, Andanar spearheaded the formulation of a National Communications Strategy that focused the rehabilitation of existing government media and communications resources, and the development of new platforms for communicating and engaging with the public.

Andanar was initially tasked with supervising both the operations of the government's news and information agencies, which includes the Philippine Information Agency, Philippine News Agency, People's Television, and PBS-Radyo ng Bayan, Bureau of Communications Services, National Printing Office, APO Production Unit, Radyo ng Bayan and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp., as well as the duties of the Presidential spokesperson. This was a departure from the practice of previous administration, wherein the duties were distributed among several government officials. A reorganization of the department was effected on March 2017, wherein the duties of the Presidential spokesperson were given to Undersecretary Ernesto Abella.

Dutertenomics

Dutertenomics is one of the flagship communication programs of the PCOO. It refers to the socioeconomic policies of President Rodrigo Duterte, which includes the development of infrastructure and industries. It was launched on April 18, 2017 by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) in a forum attended by local and international media, with discussions focused on President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic reform agenda and its primary objective of accelerating poverty reduction and transforming the Philippines into a high middle-income economy by 2022.

It has since been replicated in similar communications roadshows in Cambodia during the 2017 World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and at the sidelines of the 2017 One Belt One Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China.

Conflict with the media

Andanar's appointment to the PCOO comes at a time when social media is emerging as an alternative source of news and information. In the Philippines, this has resulted in an ongoing conflict between mainstream media companies that have dominated the nation's publishing and broadcasting industries, and independent social media publishers and bloggers who are steadily gaining following with the public.

In the wake of these changes, Andanar has had to balance the often opposing interests of both groups, in the context of his role as head of the presidential communications office. This has been particularly difficult since many of the social media publishers and bloggers are supporters of the Duterte administration; while there are mainstream media outlets who are seen as being overly critical of the President.

As a result of the dynamics between social and mainstream media, Andanar and the PCOO have been on the receiving end of criticisms from both camps.

Interim Social Media Practitioner Accreditation

In August 8, 2017, Andanar signed department order no. 15 entitled “Interim Social Media Practitioner Accreditation.” The department order stipulates that before social media publishers and bloggers could cover Presidential and Malacanang events, they should be at least 18 years old with at least 5,000 followers to cover President Duterte. Andanar states that this order would enforce responsible journalism ethics on those who publish on social media and the bloggers.