Government’s PCOO opens content studio

MANILA, Philippines —  As part of efforts to promote quality content across the region, media practitioners and content creators in the Visayas can now access a state-of-the-art multimedia facility at the Bagong Pilipinas Studios Visayas in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.

Trisha Mae Apa-ap, operations head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Visayas studio, said the soft launch of the facility on December 12 marks a signal for media workers and creators who wish to produce professional content.

Those interested, she said, must book a reservation prior to use. The studio is expected to be fully operational by January 2026.

“We were very adamant that we would soft-launch in December because we’ve been operating since September,” Apa-ap said.

For the past four months, the facility has been accommodating content creators, particularly those producing podcasts. With the public announcement, she said they hope more people will take advantage of the facility.

“The building is created for us to produce more quality content, especially here in the Visayas,”

she said, quoting PCOO Undersecretary for Content Production Gerald R. Baria.

Apa-ap added that the facility is designed to meet the evolving media landscape, where content creators now produce their own coverage similar to mainstream media.

"We want them to create quality content, and this is a content factory,” she said.

The studio is open to all as long as schedules are available. For now, only two bookings per day are accepted to match the current staff capacity. As staffing grows, she said the facility could accommodate four bookings daily.

“All equipment is provided; guests and hosts only need to bring their topic,” Apa-ap assured.

It was also assured that the services, including editing, are free.

Meanwhile, content creators who prefer to edit on their own must bring a storage device with at least 1TB capacity.

Apa-ap emphasized that content produced in the studio is entirely at the discretion of reporters and creators.

“The only thing- we are not saying na limitation- but because this is a government facility we avoid the backlash," she explained.

The facility can be used for podcasts, television production, and one-on-one interviews. Equipment such as microphones and cameras are provided by the studio.

The studio operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a maximum booking time of two hours per guest.

Bagong Pilipinas Studios Visayas features four studios with six podcast sets, a multipurpose studio, a broadcast studio, a newsroom, and a press briefing room, which will also be used during visits by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

To book a schedule, media personalities must check availability and submit a project brief outlining the content and guest details.

Apa-ap stressed, “We don’t do censorship here. All content is yours, as long as it avoids backlash.”

The Visayas branch is the first of its kind in the region.

PCOO’s first Bagong Pilipinas studio in Mandaluyong City has been operating for over a year.

The Visayas Media Hub, built at a cost of P300 million, was inaugurated on February 24, 2022, with former PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar leading the groundbreaking ceremony.