Presidential Communications Office calls Norway ‘Norwegia’ after reporting about outgoing Norwegian envoy

Image: Twitter/Chai Fonacier (@rrrabidcat)

Is it Norway? Or Norwegia?

The Facebook page of the Philippine State Communications Office, the “Presidential Communications (Government of the Philippines)”, made an error in its recent post about outgoing Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Erik Forner who paid President Rodrigo Duterte a farewell call at Malacañang Palace last June 13.

President Duterte was reported to have conferred Forner with the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu.

“The president conferred the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu to outgoing Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Erik Forner for his service as the representative of Norwegia,” wrote the Presidential Communications. “#PartnerForChange.”

Image: Twitter/Chai Fonaicer @rrrabidcat

It seems the Presidential Communications page got mixed up as Norwegians refer to the people and language of the Scandinavian country Norway.

The error has since been redacted, and can be read today in its Facebook page as “Norway.” Netizens, however, were quick to react on the blunder, circulating screenshots of it all over social media.

“After welcoming the guest from NORWEGIA, they sang our national anthem Bayang Magiliw,” wrote a certain Miguel (@mlizada) on Twitter yesterday, June 14. “They also talked about beautiful places in the country. Such as Mt. Mayon in Naga.”

https://twitter.com/mlizada/status/1007285357312860161

Actress Chai Fonacier, meanwhile, found the error funny, as she tweeted yesterday, “THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST JUST SAID NORWEGIA HAHAHAHAHA WHAT’S NEXT, CANADIA??!! THE BUHAKHAK OF MY SOUL, MUMSHIEEEEE!!!!”

https://twitter.com/rrrabidcat/status/1007272035179851776

Meanwhile, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay thinks the “Norwegia” blunder is an attempt of the administration to distract the people from bigger issues.

“Norwegia is this administration’s best attempt at distracting Filipinos from its failure to protect Filipino fisherfolk at Scarborough Shoal,” wrote Hilbay.”It’s like: we’d rather be seen as shamelessly incompetent rather than uncaring. Truth is, THEY’RE BOTH.”

Norwegia is this administration's best attempt at distracting Filipinos from its failure to protect Filipino fisherfolk at Scarborough Shoal.

It's like: we'd rather be seen as shamelessly incompetent rather than uncaring.

Truth is, THEY'RE BOTH.

— Florin Hilbay (@fthilbay) June 15, 2018

Others also called out the page by commenting on their Facebook post.

“For a team or group of people to be paid so much to perform such tasks, at least try to do your job better by double-checking everything before publishing,” commented one Trebs Homoroc Llarena yesterday.

“This isn’t just some blog or commercial Facebook page and it is especially not your homework or school project,” he added.

Image: Facebook/Presidential Communications (Government of the Philippines), Trebs Homoroc Llarena.

Lorraine Badoy, undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), however, replied to Llarena’s comment.

Badoy wrote that the PCOO represents the highest official of the land, but it doesn’t mean that they are immune from mistakes. “This doesn’t stop us from being human and imperfect,” Badoy wrote in defense.

Image: Facebook/Presidential Communications (Government of the Philippines), Trebs Homoroc Llarena.

“And yes, there will be mistakes as there will always be mistakes in anything handled by humans. Wanna know why?” continued Badoy in the latter part of her comment. “Part and parcel of being human. Give me one agency in any government that hasn’t had any mistake.”  /ra

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