Dream Satellite TV channel for the Catholic Church in the Philippines

Some time ago, Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales consulted with Antonio "Tonyboy" O. Cojuangco, on the possibility of the Catholic Church using one of the channels of Dream Satellite TV.

Tonyboy Cojuangco is the president and chief executive officer of the ABC television network, Channel 5 in Manila. He has been trying to improve the quality of Philippine television, taking the accent off sex and violence, and presenting programs with good human values.

Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, himself, has been concentrating on "Pondo ng Pinoy", a national campaign to alleviate poverty and to unite our people, making rich and poor feel that they are brothers and sisters, one family, children of God.

Dream Satellite TV is a different organization than the ABC television network. It is direct-to-home television and radio, owned and operated by the Philippine Multi-Media System, Inc. The president and chief operating officer is Manolo F. Abellada. In charge of programming is Peter So.

Archbishop Rosales and Tonyboy Cojuangco were in complete accord as to what kind of TV and Radio programming this country really needs. So arrangements were made with Manolo Abellada, who commissioned Gerry Castro, in charge of marketing for Dream, to work out the details. Archbishop Rosales appointed Monsignor Gerry Santos to represent the Catholic Church.

Many meetings were held, among Catholic TV producers and radio broadcasters, together with the chief personnel of Dream. There was a precedent for this kind of an agreement. Dream had already signed a contract with the Eternal Word Television Network – EWTN – in May 2005. Gerry Castro made a strong, clear power point presentation of what the Dream Satellite is, the facilities it has, and how those facilities work.

One of the attractive things about Dream is that their footprint covers all of the Philippines, a large part of Asia, and the whole of North America. The chief hurdle for the Catholic producers was this: Dream is on the air for 24 hours each day, 7 days a week.

Could the Philippine Catholic Church produce quality programs, 24 hours a day? The saving factor is: when it is daytime in the Philippines, it is night in the United States. When it is daytime in the United States, it is night in the Philippines. So the programs can be repeated, to suit the time in each area. This is done by E.W.T.N.

On Wednesday, September 28, in the Quisine of Makati, Bishop Jesus A. Cabrera, chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications and Mass Media, signed a memorandum of agreement with Manolo F. Abellada, president of the Multi-Media Systems, Inc. granting to the Catholic Church in the Philippines a channel for radio and for television on the Dream Satellite. The official witnesses were Antonio O. Cojuangco and James B. Reuter, S.J.

The Catholic Church will not use this satellite channel until January 1, 2006. The radio and television producers will devote the next three months to thorough preparation, so that on New Year’s Day of 2006 they will come in strong, and stay strong for the whole year.

The programming will concentrate on deep human values, which are in the heart of every Filipino, Christian or Buddhist or Muslim. The new channel will try to do what John Paul II succeeded in doing so well – break down the walls between people, build bridges of understanding, friendship and love, for the unity of the nation, for the unity of the world.

During the period of preparation, over the next three months, the Managing Boards will be:

RADIO

Chairman, ex officio – Bishop Bernardino Cortez; Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for the incoming Chairman, Social Communication and Mass Media. who will take office on December 1, 2005

President – Father Francis Lucas, President of the Catholic Media Network, CMN

Vice President.– Father Anton Pascual, Director, Radio Veritas

Members – Erlinda So, President, Signis Philippines

Jean Paul Varela, Philippine Federation of Catholic Broadcasters

TELEVISION

Chairman, ex officio – Bishop Bernardino Cortez, Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for the incoming Chairman, Social Communication and Mass Media taking office on December 1, 2005

President – Dick Trofeo, Oasis of Love

Vice President. – Bernard Cañaberal, Family Rosary Crusade

Members – Ari Dy, S.J., Jescom Philippines

Terry Hermano, Communication Foundation for Asia

Sister Consolata Manding, FSP, Daughters of Saint Paul

Maria Montelibano, Gawad Kalinga

Marilou Diaz Abaya, Consultant

Monsignor Gerry Santos, Manila Archdiocesan Parochial School Association.

On Friday, October 7, at the National Office of Mass Media, there was a meeting of all those organizations that would like to use this new Catholic Satellite Channel for their school, parish, charismatic movement, radio station, apostolic project, or religious order.

If you are interested in using this satellite channel, please contact me as soon as you can - by telefax, e-mail, telephone, texting or surface mail:

James B. Reuter, S.J.

National Office of Mass Media,

2307 Pedro Gil, Santa Ana, Manila.

Telefax: 563-73-16

e-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 564-45-18 * 563-73-19

Cellphone: 0919-328-1011

* * *

One night, George W. is tossing restlessly in his White House bed.

He wakes to see George Washington standing by him. Bush asks him: "George, what’s the best thing I can do to help the country?

"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did." Washington advises, and then fades away.

The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight.

The third night sleep is still not in the cards for Bush. He wakes to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, what is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Help the less fortunate as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist.

Bush isn’t sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.

Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"

Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

* * *

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