CEBU, Philippines — The first-ever Visayas Visayas Media Hub will soon rise in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City after Congress has approved the inclusion of the P300 million budget for its construction. The project was initiated by Senator Bong Go.
“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,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.
Aside from the P300M budget for the construction of the hub, another P300M 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.
It will be managed and maintained by the PCOO. This hub will serve as the main broadcast center 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).
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.
Andanar said that this hub will be equipped with state-of-the-art broadcasting apparatus, similar to the Mindanao Media Hub, to further advance this endeavor of undertaking measures and actions in bringing tailored news and information and establishing direct connectivity with the people.
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 Duterte.
This Mandaue hub, which was stalled for over two years, is touted as another legacy of the Duterte administration for effective government communication operations, after this was finally included in the 2022 national budget under the flagship ‘Build, Build’, Build’ program of the national government.
Andanar added that the initiative was primarily pushed by Go which was a vital move for the continuation of the PCOO’s goal of modernizing government media operations nationwide.
Andanar further assured the national government, Congress and president that transparency and accountability in the construction of the Visayas Media Hub will be upheld. — FPL (FREEMAN)