Duterte Gov’t To Provide Housing Project For Philippine Media Workers
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO)
Secretary Martin Andanar on Friday, November 17, announced that his office is
putting up a housing project for media workers as part of President Rodrigo
Duterte’s initiative to ensure the dignity and safety of journalists in the
Philippines.
Secretary Andanar said the housing project would be
constructed in a portion of a five-hectare lot owned by the government in
Malolos, Bulacan.
He made the announcement during the inauguration of the
headquarters of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) at the
Philippine Cancer Society building near Malacañang Palace.
The PTFoMS was created through Administrative Order (AO) No.
1, which President Duterte signed on October 11, 2016, to ensure the life,
liberty, and security of media workers in the Philippines.
The Task Force is also mandated to ensure that justice will
be served to victims of abuse and other acts of violence, including killings
and torture, against media workers who were targeted by reason of their
profession.
In making the announcement, Secretary Andanar, who co-chairs
the PTFoMS with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, said the task force
goes beyond just protecting the safety of journalists.
“It’s not just the physical safety of the person from harm,
from death, from untoward incidents that eventually affects the livelihood of
the person and the quality of life of the family of that media person,” said Secretary
Andanar, who was a mediaman prior to joining the government.
“In the PCOO, we try to do everything within our means to be
able to help our mediamen, not only on their safety but also in terms of
medical needs and housing needs,” he added.
The five-hectare lot where the housing project will be
constructed is owned by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), an agency
under the PCOO.
A housing project for PCOO and PIA employees is already
being developed in the area.
According to Secretary Andanar, his office has already
coordinated with the PIA and the National Press Club (NPC) about the project
for media.
He said he was already able to talk with the National
Housing Authority (NHA) to develop the property for PCOO, PIA employees, and
also for media.
“We included media because, for most of our colleagues who
retire, they retire without a house of their own. And the NPC has been trying
for decades to establish a housing project for mediamen with the help of the
NHA and Pag-Ibig Fund,” said Secretary Andanar.
Secretary Andanar said the NHA has already agreed and
planning is being completed.
To better implement the program, he assigned PTFoMS head
Usec. Joel Sy Egco to be the point man for the project.
“Since I’ve said earlier that the task force goes beyond
media security, I am now asking Usec. Joel’s help: that you include the housing
project for media as one of your projects,” said Secretary Andanar.
He noted that the NPC has been trying for decades to come up
with a housing project for members of media and only now will that vision come
to fruition.
Watch the video report below via PTV:
Source: Philippine News Agency
Duterte Gov’t To Provide Housing Project For Philippine Media Workers
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November 19, 2017
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