For first time, NBN-4 not covering President's visit to US, UK

MANILA, Philippines - For the first time in history, the government-owned NBN-4 network did not send any news team to cover President Aquino’s official visit to two allies, the United Kingdom and United States, due to lack of funds.

A reliable source revealed that management decided against sending a reporter and cameraman – which it has done since the post-Marcos era – especially during the term of globe-trotting former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Sending a team to cover the President in his two official visits will be very bothersome because NBN-4 employees will be deprived of their salaries, considering that this coincides with the opening of classes,” one insider related.

“In short, they’ll go hungry,” the source said.

Another source disclosed that the government network does not have enough funds to cover the two visits, reportedly a total of almost P1 million – or half a million each for the London and Washington visits.

This would entail two teams – one news team for UK and another for US – which includes airfare, hotel accommodations and allowances for the broadcast journalist assigned as well as the TV crew.

With this setup, sources said NBN-4 will just be getting its video footage and interviews of the President – in all his official functions – from Radio-TV-Malacañang (RTVM), and make a news story out of them, which is not ideal since it is not first-hand.

At the same time, several sources hinted the national government even had a hard time coming up with retirement benefits for some 16 to 18 retirees of the government TV network, whose benefits range from P1.6 million to P1.8 million each.

Six of the retirees come from the news department, who have been with NBN-4 for at least 35 years and are more than 60 years old. Some employees below the mandatory retirement age of 65 have also availed of early retirement.