PCOO launches media hub for Mindanao regions

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar led yesterday the inauguration of the P700-million Mindanao media hub that would serve Mindanaoans and further expand the reach of government media in regions across the island.

Andanar, during the ceremonial opening in Davao City, described the hub as a state-of-the-art facility that would provide opportunities for development in the region.

“The Mindanao Media Hub will now serve as the government’s main broadcast hub for Regions 10 to 13 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to expand our areas of coverage and help deliver truthful news and information tailored for the region and its people,” Andanar said in his message.

“Not only that, this facility will help contribute to regional development as well as serve as training ground for the wave of next-generation media practitioners and professionals for our country,” he added.

The P700-million facility houses the PCOO’s satellite office in Davao and its attached agencies such as PTV, Radyo Pilipinas, Philippine News Agency and Philippine Information Agency.

Andanar also cited plans to expand government media in the Visayas through the construction of its own media hub by 2022.

“May the success of the Mindanao media hub contribute and serve as a pilot initiative for us to establish the Visayas media hub, so we can work towards our goal of having all three major islands covered by the government’s news, information and communications agencies,” he pointed out.

“The realization of this goal will go a long way to promote civic engagement and awareness among all Filipinos on relevant national issues and inform them of the government’s services and programs,” he added.

Aside from the media hubs, PCOO is also eyeing to build the Government Strategic Communications Academy at Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon. Although its construction was already set for this year, its fund was reprogrammed to augment the COVID-19 response budget of the country.

The training facility will help address the lack of communications paradigm among government offices by providing an avenue for information officers to be trained and introduced to more communications technologies that will help them deliver information more efficiently and effectively.