Senator Christopher “Bong” Go congratulated the Presidential Communications Operations Office led by Secretary Martin Andanar for the first television broadcast of the People’s Television Network from the newly inaugurated Mindanao Media Hub (MMH) in Davao City on Saturday.
Go, former top aide of President Rodrigo Duterte, also highlighted PCOO’s role in empowering communities by improving access to relevant information to benefit the public.
“Congratulations sa inyong bagong Mindanao (Media) Hub. Ala-BBC [News] na po itong ating Mindanao hub. Nandito na ang print, radio, online, so kumpleto na at hindi na nahuhuli ang Mindanao (to your new Mindanao Media Hub. It’s like BBC News. It has print, radio, online. So complete and Mindanao now is no longer left behind),” Go said in an interview for Laging Handa during the MMH pilot broadcast.
Go also commended PTV General Manager Katherine S. de Castro and the Mindanao hub staff as well as Laging Handa and PCOO Undersecretary Rocky Ignacio.
“Napakalaking improvement ang ginawa niyo… Congrats sa lahat ng Pilipino, inyo ito. Government station ito para sa taumbayan (You’ve done huge improvement. Congratulations to every Filipino, this is yours. This is government station for every Filipino),” he said.
He also recognized PCOO Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns Joseph Garcia and PTV Chair of the Board Maria Fe Aliño for the untiring service they provided to make the hub possible.
The MMH is the first media hub of the PCOO outside Metro Manila. It shall soon be home to the units and attached agencies of the PCOO, including the Philippine News Agency, National Printing Office, APO Production Unit and the regional office of the Philippine Information Agency-11.
The broadcasting facilities and studios of PTV and Radyo Pilipinas are also located inside the six-story facility.
The Mindanao hub will deliver news and programs of interest to Regions 10 to 13 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The PHP700-million facility is equipped with a 10kW terrestrial transmitter and a 1kW digital transmitter to strengthen its signal within its areas of coverage. It also has a digital satellite news-gathering system to streamline the sourcing of news.
In a media interview, Go noted the heightened demand of the public for greater access to information during these challenging times.
He expressed confidence that the MMH will serve as a big step towards transforming the quality of government communication and information services in Mindanao and the rest of the country.
Go shared President Rodrigo Duterte’s hopes that the PTV shall grow into the size and standard similar to the British Broadcasting Corporation with a transformational impact on the media sector towards building a more informed citizenry.
The lawmaker from Davao City said he had already discussed the possibility of opening a similar media hub for the Visayas with Budget and Management Secretary Wendel E. Avisado, a proposal which the former believes the President would be open to.
“Ika nga mala-BBC na nga po ito. Ito ang pinangarap ng ating Pangulo na magkaroon din dito sa ating bansa, ala-BBC na programa. Kumpleto, malakas ang signal, maganda pati ang inyong pasilidad (It’s like BBC. The President dreamt of having this kind in our country, with BBC-like programs. Complete, strong signal, and nice facilities), he said.
He said he had already discussed with Andanar the possibility of building similar hub in Visayas. (PNA)
