Maniolas

Malacañang on Tuesday said the administration’s priority is still improving the government’s performance and not enhancing President Benigno Aquino III’s image. During a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said any effort to build a positive image of the administration will not work if the government will not do its job. “Kinakailangan mauna ‘yung performance. Wala naman pong mahihita sa pagpapalabok o sa pagpapaganda kung ang produkto ay may diperensiya,” Coloma explained. The Palace’s explanation came after broadsheet The Manila Standard Today reported that Malacañang had hired a foreign strategist to rebuild Aquino’s image, which, according to recent polls, was on a downswing. Last week, a Social Weather Stations survey found that more Filipinos became dissatisfied with the Aquino administration in the second quarter of 2014. The same poll showed that the President’s satisfaction ratings dropped to a moderate +25, the lowest since he took office in 2010., Similarly, results of a Pulse Asia poll released last month showed a significant drop in Aquino’s approval and trust ratings. Coloma said he had no information on a massive public relations campaign for Aquino, but maintained his office was doing its best to communite the administration’s gains to the public. “Sa araw-araw sinisikap ng aming tanggapan na maihatid ang makatotohanan at tamang impormasyon na makatutulong sa mga mamamayan hinggil sa pagpapabuti ng kanilang kabuhayan,” the communications secretary said. — DVM, GMA News

The head of one of the country’s disaster warning systems said one of the fastest ways through which warnings could be disseminated was the social media. Project NOAH director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, however, said that if information shared through social media went unnoticed by the public, efforts of the government will be put to waste. “It’s not all about science and technology, kahit gaanong ganda nito, kapag hindi ito inembrace ng taong bayan, magiging balewala ito,” Lagmay said in a speech at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila. Lagmay recalled sharing information on Twitter about an impending storm in Mindanao. He, however, only received 15 retweets. “Mario Maurer tweeted at the same time I did, and he immediately gets 600 + retweets, and all he said was ‘good afternoon po’,” he added. Lagmay said they are now coordinating with many specialists, including some psychologists, “para mahuli ang kiliti ng mga tao.” He also urged the public to be more vigilant in sharing information that may save many lives. Lagmay explained that Project NOAH or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazard was an inter-agency collaboration “to promote and integrate advanced science and technology to enhance disaster management and prevention capacity of the Philippine government.” —Amanda Fernandez/NB, GMA News

Retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan expressed his disappointment with a court’s decision to keep him in the Bulacan Provincial Jail. In an exclusive interview with GMA News on “24 Oras” Tuesday, Palparan said that the Malolos City Regional Trial Court’s decision was rushed. He also insisted that the court did not listen to him and ignored the threats to his life. Palparan’s lawyer Narzal Mallares also called for his client to be transferred, saying the retired general deserves better jail conditions. He suggested that Palparan should be detained at a military facility or at the Philippine National Police detention center. The former general also had something to say about Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. “Talagang she really meant to put me in jail. It’s a good accomplishment for her. Mahaba pa ambisyon ni Secretary eh,” he said. Palparan was considered one of the country’s “Big 5” fugitives after the Bulacan RTC issued a warrant for his arrest in December 2011. He was charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006. — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News