Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) — The Finance Department defended its consultant contract with the man behind President Rodrigo Duterte’s social media campaign in 2016 as “legal and aboveboard.”
Finance Undersecretary and Bids and Awards Committee head Gil Beltran on Tuesday said Nicanor “Nic” Gabunada, Jr. was hired to raise public awareness over the remaining priority measures of the Duterte administration.
Gabunada will “assist the DOF in developing brand and communications strategy…to aid in the swift passage of the remaining packages of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program plus other priority government measures,” Beltran said.
Gabunada is also expected to “align system-wide communications covering the DOF and its attached agencies,” he added.
Beltran stressed Gabunada’s work does not involve setting up social media platforms. However, Beltran also said Gabunada’s scope of work covers, among others, “assisting the DOF in the production and development of communications materials for television, print, and digital channels (social media and website), including the identification and coordination with third-party communications partners, whenever needed.”
The Finance official added that Gabunada’s consultancy fee of ₱909,122.40 for six months “is reasonable for this type of highly technical service and complies with all procurement laws and rules.”
In 2019, Facebook took down 200 pages, groups, and accounts linked to a network Gabunada organized for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
Netizens took to social media to point this out, as they raised concerns over Gabunada’s hiring. But his lawyer Regie Tongol said there is “nothing inappropriate” with the DOF’s move to hire Gabunada.
