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Tuesday, January 18, 2022

PCOO CHIEF GRATEFUL TO CONGRESS, SEN. GO AS VISAYAS MEDIA HUB WILL PUSH THROUGH THIS YEAR

MANILA – Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar expressed his appreciation to Congress and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go as the construction of the first-ever Visayas Media Hub will push through this year. 

This after the stalled project has been included in the 2022 national budget under the flagship ‘Build, Build’, Build’ program of the national government, nearly five months before President Rodrigo Roa Duterte steps down on June 30, 2022.

As another legacy of the Duterte administration for effective government communication operations, the government allotted P300-million for the construction of the Visayas Media Hub in Brgy. Subangdaku in Mandaue City, Cebu Province which is sourced from the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

“It is with profound appreciation that we thank Congress, specifically Senator Bong Go who initiated such an action, for the inclusion of a P300-million budget for the construction of the Visayas Media Hub in the General Appropriations Act for the Fiscal Year 2022,” Sec. Andanar said.

Sec. Andanar added that the initiative was primarily pushed by Senator Bong Go, a vital move for the continuation of the PCOO’s goal of modernizing government media operations nationwide.

“Our apparent success in constructing and operating the Mindanao Media Hub speaks for the incorruptible disposition of the PCOO in carrying out such an initiative,” the PCOO chief added.

Sec. Andanar also assured the national government, most especially President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Congress that transparency and accountability in the construction of the Visayas Media Hub will be upheld.

‘World-class media hub’

The PCOO proper will take the lead in managing and maintaining the first-ever media hub in the Visayas that will serve as the main broadcast for Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas. The People’s Television, Inc. (PTV), the flagship state broadcaster, will also serve as one of the locators of the project. 

The hub will also house other PCOO attached agencies such as the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine News Agency (PNA), and Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM). 

Aside from the P300-million budget for the construction of the hub, another P300-million will be allotted for state-of-the-art broadcast equipment and facilities including a 4-storey building with roof deck, broadcast complex, two TV studios and optional radio booths, automated master control system, transmitter and satellite uplink system, TV broadcast IT system, news graphics system, digital transmitters, and others.

The PCOO management will work closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways for the detailed architectural and engineering design, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology for use of the Subangdaku Wireless DICT lot - Innovation Hub Zone in Mandaue City.

“As we have undertaken measures and actions in bringing tailored news and information and establishing direct connectivity with the people, the world-class Visayas Media Hub will be constructed in Mandaue, Cebu. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art broadcasting apparatus, similar to the Mindanao Media Hub, to further advance this endeavor,” Sec. Andanar pointed out.

He also likened the success of the Mindanao Media Hub in Davao City to the Visayas Media Hub in Mandaue City as another world-class broadcasting hub in the country initiated under the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.