PCOO’S COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMY TO BREAK GROUND THIS SEPTEMBER

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Saturday announced that the construction of the Government Strategic Communications Academy will finally begin this September. The first state-of-theart training facility for government media workers and information officers is set to be built within the compound of the Northern Bukidnon State College (NBSC) in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Secretary Andanar bared that the PCOO project will be breaking ground this month, along with its partner agencies, including the local government of Manolo Fortich, the NBSC, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “The first Government Communications Academy will finally have its groundbreaking ceremony this September. It will focus on teaching communications to our information officers from the barangays to those in the national government agencies,” he said. This would also be open to media workers in the private sector who want to take part in the training programs. “Training programs include broadcasting and writing, among others. This profession is a vocation. It’s really something that you do because you believe in public service, in informing the people through development communication,” he added.

The GCA was supposed to start construction last year, however funds and other documentary requirements were yet to be complied with until now.

Secretary Andanar said that big-ticket projects under the PCOO would have not been realized without the support of the President. Among these is the Mindanao Media Hub in Davao City, the first government media hub outside of Metro Manila. A Visayas Media Hub will also be constructed with its initial budget already approved. “We will finally have a Government Communications Academy and this is because of President Rodrigo Duterte, who supports all of our programs,” he said. He went on to enumerate other initiatives of the PCOO, especially on policy development. The agency is firm on promoting the welfare of media workers in the country and has been one of the partners in pushing for the passage of a Media Workers Welfare bill.

Other policies passed at the legislative branch are the Freedom of Information Bill and the People’s Broadcasting Corporations Bill.