Secretary
Andanar: Government putting more emphasis on development, reportage of
provinces
MANILA - Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Thursday said that the government is providing more support for local development, likewise empowering local media in reporting relevant local news.
He stressed that such news coming from the national
government should also be taken in the context of how Filipinos residing
outside Metro Manila will be affected. He said that localizing context should
also be considered.
“Pagsugod nako sa paglingkod as PCOO Secretary,
nagfocus gyud ko sa pagreach sa atong mga kauban sa media sa mga probinsya. Kay
for such a long time ang focus man gud diri sa Metro Manila is diri lang sa
Metro Manila [When I sat as the PCOO Secretary, we really focused on reaching
out to media outfits in the provinces. Because for the longest time the focus
of our news is here in Metro Manila],” he said.
Secretary Andanar recalled President Rodrigo Roa
Duterte’s support to decentralize governance and empower the local government.
“Dili lang Manila ang Pilipinas [The Philippines is
not Metro Manila alone],” noting that even on the PCOO, the government also
shifted to building more infrastructure projects that will support the
operations of government media in provinces.
These projects include the state-of-the-art Mindanao
Media Hub in Davao City which houses the regional arm of the People’s
Television Network, Inc. (PTV), Philippine News Agency (PNA), Philippine
Information Agency (PIA), APO Production Unit, Inc. (APO), Radyo Pilipinas, and
the Presidential Broadcast Staff – Radio Television MalacaΓ±ang (PBS-RTVM)
there.
The same media facility will also be built in
Mandaue City, Cebu which will be called the Visayas Media Hub. Secretary
Andanar said that the initial budget of P200 million has been approved for the
construction of the building. The allocation will be included in PCOO’s budget
next year.
The promotion to deliver the information of the
government to the people has resulted in a strengthened partnership with local
media through the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP).
“It has never been done before and now we are doing
it because of the political will of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he said.
Secretary Andanar also noted that the anticipated
construction of the Government Communications Academy in Manolo Fortich,
Bukidnon is one of the tangible results of the first National Information
Convention held in Davao City last 2018. He said that all these programs and
initiatives form part of the government’s advocacy to empower local media.
