Sec Andanar pushes bill to create People’s Broadcasting Corp.

August 10, 2016 Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, August 10 (PIA) – Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Martin Andanar announced in a recent visit in Cagayan de Oro City that he is pushing for a bill to upgrade government media which will be called People’s Broadcasting Corporation.

This is a national communication strategy to integrate Radyo Ng Bayan and PTV and make it like a British Broadcasting Company (BBC) having an independent editorial board and will serve as sole broadcasting entity of the government.

Andanar said that for such a long time, media outfit of the government such as PTV 4, Radyo Ng Bayan, Channel 13 and Channel 9 (which was already sold) have been left behind. In order to be at par with big private networks in the country, integration of these two (PTV 4 and Radyio Ng Bayan) must be done.

From this, a Mindanao broadcasting hub will be born and will be stationed in Davao. Part of it is a Muslim channel, Salaam channel for Muslim brothers and sisters and Lumad TV for indigenous people.

Meanwhile, he said that government should be given the rights to use 87.5MHz FM frequency not only in Manila but the entire country since this frequency is owned by the government. 87.5MHz FM will then be the official FM station for the Filipino youth.

For the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Secretary Andanar said the vision is to give PIA a shot in the arm so that it becomes again country’s advertising agency or unit. There will be streamlining of processes and new guidelines.

PIA shall be an advertising agency creating Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to the different departments of executive branch, help LGUs with information and anything positive in the communities.

He said he will also rejuvenate Philippine News Agency (PNA), the wire agency of the country not just providing news about the country and the regions but to the rest of the world.

Further, the PCO has drafted Presidential Task Force against media killings. However, he said that before finalizing the creation of this body, there will be a media summit to pinpoint and zero in the problems of the media in the country especially in the provinces.

He concluded his talk urging the media to remind him what he should do to better improve services of the government. (JMOR/PIA10)