Filipinos had a good time this week at the expense of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, after it became more of a “miscommunications office.”
On Wednesday, the PCOO posted on its Facebook page a photo of President Rodrigo Duterte’s meeting with outgoing Norwegian ambassador Erik Forner. However, the PCOO said Forner was a “representative of Norwegia,” CNN Philippines reported.
It took the PCOO seven hours to correct the faux pas, more than enough time in this Information Age for netizens to make fun of the government. Some complained tongue in cheek that they had looked in vain for Norwegia on a map, while others related it to the fictional kingdom of Genovia in the film The Princess Diaries.
Some, however, were not amused, saying the mistake was an embarrassment. “They’re the COMMUNICATION office of the govt. They are expected to uphold the highest standards in writing,” one Filipino tweeted.
The PCOO is responsible for disseminating information about the Office of the President.
Lorraine Badoy, communications undersecretary, said the mistake was merely a “typo.” The original post has been corrected.
This is not the first time Manila has made an embarrassing error of international impact. Late last year, the Philippine Department of National Defense wrongly used the logo of the Defense Ministry of Taiwan during an event marking Beijing’s donation of 3,000 rifles to the Philippines in October.