PRRD tells officials to use gov’t TV network to explain issues

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over the Joint Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) Command Conference at the Malacañan Palace on January 15, 2019. ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte has instructed Cabinet officials to use state-run People’s Television Network to explain issues and their respective programs, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“The Chief Executive instructed the members of his official family to utilize the government-owned television station to explain issues, concerns to the public relative to their respective departments,” said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement.

The President, according to Panelo, issued the directive during the 38th Cabinet meeting held Monday.

“Siguro para iyong mga (Perhaps, so that the) department heads will have a forum to explain their concerns or issues,” Panelo replied when asked in a Palace press briefing why Duterte made the instruction.

“More on telling them na (that), “Uy, you have a forum, why don’t you use it,” Panelo added.

Panelo clarified that the directive has nothing to do with Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista’s tiff with broadcaster Erwin Tulfo, who berated the official on his program on DZRB Radyo Pilipinas, a government radio station.

“That was never mentioned. It was never mentioned,” Panelo said.

Panelo said government media, particularly the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), will also be utilized in the pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) activities of various Cabinet clusters next month.

“There are three Pre-SONA forums to be spearheaded by the Presidential Communications Operations Office,” he said.

Panelo said the first pre-SONA forum entitled “Patuloy na Pag-unlad” will be held in Manila on July 1 and to be led by the Economic Development and Infrastructure Cluster.

The second forum, “Patuloy na Malasakit at Pag-kakaisa”, will be led by the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster, alongside with the Participatory Governance Cluster, in Cebu City and is slated on July 10.

He said the third and last forum, “Patuloy na Katatagan”, will be held in Davao City on July 17 and shall be presented by the Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction Cluster and the Security, Justice and Peace Cluster.

Aside from People’s Television Network, other government media entities under PCOO are the Philippine Broadcasting Service-Radyo Pilipinas, online newswire Philippine News Agency, Philippine Information Agency, and Presidential Broadcast Staff Radio-Television Malacanang (RTVM).