(Recording starts)… because we want to be able to achieve a few things. One, is to introduce ASEAN or reintroduce ASEAN and underline the importance of understanding the Association of South East Asian Nations. Because based on the survey, naalang nagduwa sa 23 to 24 percent ng tibuok ASEAN na population, and that is around 630 million population of ASEAN. 23% lang ang nakasabot kung unsa gyud ang importansiya sa ASEAN.

So, what is the importance of the Association of South East Asian Nations to each and every Filipino, and to each of an ASEAN citizen? Ikaduha, ang importansiya sa Freedom of Information nagi-explain na ato ni Asec. Ablan. Ikatulo, ang importansiya sa social media when it comes to disasters. Kung inyong tanawon ang Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC is the emergency broadcast center or the emergency broadcast center of the entire Australia. If you go to Japan, NHK is the emergency broadcast station of the entire nation, of the entire Japan. Sa Pilipinas, wala tay emergency broadcast center na ato aging mayngon na atua Mayor.

So for example, maglinog dito sa Bohol o mag-Yolanda didto sa Leyte, wala tay emergency broadcast center na ato gi mayngon na pwede na tabang na to, pag-communicate ba. So sa samtang…we are building PTV4 and Radyo ng Bayan as emergency broadcast center of the entire country. We have to take advantage of what we have and what we have here is social media, and most Filipinos are on social media. That’s why my friend, Carlos Munda, is here to talk about social media.

So maonang mga rason po namin diyan ay—and of course, to make Presidential Communications Operations Office a part of our daily lives. Ilapit na to, atong iduol ang PCOO sa katauhan, dili lang dito sa Manila. Remember, the President won because the President believed in decentralizing government, and making government transparent, inclusive. That’s why for the first time, the Presidential Communications Operations Office is going around the country to make its presence felt and to tell the people that we are here, we represent the President, this Communications Office and we are strengthening the Philippine Information Agency.

If you noticed, we have been opening kiosks left and right in the airports, Philippine Information kiosks. We are strengthening the Philippine News Agency. We are strengthening PTV, Radyo ng Bayan, BCS, NIB and all of the agencies under us para dool ang Presidential Communications Operations Office sa katauhan, sa tibook nasod. So ito iyong mga changes that we want to happen, and we applaud President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for signing a groundbreaking, earth-shaking Freedom of Information Executive Order No. 2, which is essentially a policy that has been relegated to the dustbins of the shelves of some of our past Congresses.

Ke wa man gi sagi pasar. Good thing we have a very dynamic Senator Grace Poe who has been fighting for FOI in the Senate. And we have congressmen like… Congressman Tinio has been fighting for FOI also in Congress. Pero, we salute President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for signing it right away. Kung hindi ninyo kaya, kami magpirma. Ugsa karon FOI is now a—it’s in the legislative agenda, priority bill na siya roon kaya palakpakan nato si Presidente Rodrigo Roa Duterte. (audience applause)

Another earth-shaking administrative order that the President signed last year is the Administrative Order No. 1 – creating the Task Force on Media Security, and that is groundbreaking. It’s a first time that the President is actually assigning one team to protect the media here in the country, para dili na ta tawagon na one of the most dangerous places for media in the world. And so many reforms are happening under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in this department called PCOO.

So morato, di nako (audio cut)… daghang salamat sa inyong oras. Daghang salamat sa paminaw, (audio cut)… tanan. Thank you.

###