No media censorship under my watch, Aquino says

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino declared yesterday that media censorship like that during martial law will have no place under his administration.

Aquino gave the assurance in a speech during the 25th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the official information arm of the government.

“Those in my generation – if they would care to admit it – know that we got nothing from Marcos’ Ministry of Information. It’s where news got filtered before reaching the public,” he said in impromptu remarks.

He said this prompted the administration of his late mother Corazon Aquino to organize the PIA after the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

“We expect them (PIA) to give the public the true information at the right time so that our countrymen can make right and intelligent decisions always,” Aquino stressed.

Aquino reminded the PIA under director general Jose Fabia that its mandate is to provide accurate information and not to twist facts or churn out propaganda.

“That’s your mandate: Not just to make anyone look good but to enable our countrymen to make the right decision all the time,” he said.

Fabia, for his part, revealed that PIA has partnered with Globe Telecom to ensure faster dissemination of information.

“The use of text messaging as a tool for keeping our citizenry informed and aware is timely, given that cell phones are now the most pervasive form of communication,” Fabia said.

In a statement, Fabia said the partnership “shows that the government and the private sector can work together and maximize resources to deliver public service to Filipinos from all walks of life.”

The program, called Text Blast, is part of PIA’s “initiatives to automate and expedite its operations, specifically the dissemination of advisories, news and warnings to national and local government officials, police and military personnel, barangay officials and media nationwide.”

“The PIA will utilize the TxtConnect service of Globe Business, the unit within Globe that services corporations as well as small and medium-scale enterprises with information and communication technology services that match a company’s needs for cost efficiency, security, mobility, IT integration and reliable connectivity,” PIA said.

TxtConnect enables companies, schools and other organizations to transmit high volume of text messages to a pre-registered group of recipients, up to a thousand mobile users, in one sending.

“It is better than doing individual text messaging as it is more efficient and offers reduced SMS rates,” the PIA statement read.

“We are honored to be part of this worthwhile initiative of the PIA which demonstrates a practical and relevant use of our ICT services to keep our citizens informed, warn them of impending disasters and even potentially save lives,” said Yoly Crisanto, head of Globe Telecom corporate communications office.