A day after President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address where he mentioned that TV frequencies that would be returned to the government would be used for “uninterrupted, quality education” of students.
Deputy speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte welcomed ABS-CBN’s offer of using its transmission network for distance learning of students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Villafuerte said that the new inter-agency group should examine ABS-CBN’s offer to help the Chief Executive’s push for e-learning or distance education. He also said that it will also boost the program due to the network’s extensive nationwide reach both on television and radio facilities across the country.
“The new inter-agency panel announced by President Duterte in his fifth SONA should explore ABS-CBN’s offer, given that the network’s extensive nationwide reach on the back of its television and radio facilities across the country would give a big boost to the Chief Executive’s push for e-learning or distance education,” he said.
According to Villafuerte, as referred to the President’s directive to Cabinet officials, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III are to “come up with an integrated program and implementation, making sure that these TV frequencies are fully utilized by the government.”
Meanwhile, the ABS-CBN is willing to offer the use of their educational programs aside from the said transmission network.
“Our commitment to the public is for ABS-CBN to continue serving the Filipino in whatever capacity we can,” the network said.
“While this is not expected to have any business impact to the company, we are hopeful that our network can help in the education of our students nationwide,” it added.
Just after Congress junked the ABS-CBN franchise application, Villafuerte proposed that the government will temporarily use the former ABS-CBN radio and TV frequencies. With this, he received negative reactions from the netizens.
