Legarda Seeks Funds for Nat’l TV

Senator Loren Legarda has called for support in seeking funds for the state-owned television network, People’s Television Network, Inc. (PTNI), noting that it does not receive annual appropriation for its operations.

“The PTV4 has no allocation from the government and is not allowed to receive commercial revenues, how then is it able to survive? We need to resuscitate our national television because it has a great potential, not for propaganda, but for information dissemination of the advocacies of our various departments of government,” the Senator stated during the deliberations on the budget of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

“I know for a fact that they have a ten-year-old charter which would not allow them to sell commercial spots for revenues and they are presently seeking the amendment of that charter to allow them to sell commercial spots for their viability,” she added.

Legarda, a former media practitioner, said that she has already filed a bill to amend the People’s Television (PTV) Charter and she sought the support of her colleagues in the Senate for its immediate passage.

Senate Bill No. 2985 seeks to amend the PTV Charter to do the following: (a) to allow the network to generate funds from advertising and airtime sales and the same shall be utilized by PTV solely for its operations and capital expenditure; (b) for government to approve a capital infusion to jumpstart the rehabilitation of the network; and (c) for the network to adopt other measures that will help restore the viability of the network operations.

“I hope we can immediately pass this proposed measure. It’s a priority measure as agreed upon in the LEDAC (Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council) and this is the national television station, it is inexcusable if we do not find ways to address the urgent need to regenerate and improve the information mechanisms of government,” Legarda stressed.

“If we are able to find resources for PTV4, even in the remotest possibility, I will be supportive of that. In the meantime, the measure to amend the charter is in our hands and I will seek the support of my colleagues for that,” Legarda concluded.