PCOO’s European junket

Sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells”: “Junket here, junket there, junket all the way!”  That’s what readily came to mind after reading “Gov’t execs to brief Europe on Rappler rap,” 2/18/19).

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has dispatched a “press caravan” of underlings (Lorraine Badoy, Joel Egco and Kris Ablan) to convince European media that the prosecution for cyberlibel against Rappler chief executive Maria Ressa — who seems to have made it her life’s mission to dare the Duterte regime to throw her in jail for telling the truth about its rottenness to the core — was not politically motivated.

The group’s junket itinerary includes Bosnia, Belgium and Switzerland, and God knows where else — all at taxpayers’ expense.

And does anybody really believe their travels and accommodations are all “economy class”?

How many thousands of euros are being wasted for this totally unnecessary excursion?

Hasn’t the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) ever heard of “social media,”  where its stooges can air whatever they want to say to Europe and the whole world?

Why not simply outsource that job to its former official, Mocha Uson, who has mastered the art of dishing out fake news — at little or no expense to the government?

ANNALEE LAUDER, [email protected]