The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) partnered with Reliance Broadcasting Unlimited (RBU) — the newly created affiliate company of the leading fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. — for the official live feed of the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last July 22.
Through the partnership, Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) seamlessly aired the President’s SONA from the Batasan Pambansa Complex to thousands of homes across the country.
President Marcos’ third SONA was the pilot broadcast of the company.
“We take great pride in leveraging our technology for public service and information—after all, as a broadband company, we champion access to information. With RBU now up and running, we were able to stream RTVM via our entertainment box at the House of Representatives and to our thousands of Vision box subscribers,” said RBU President, Atty. Frank Martin Abalos.
Converge parent company ComClark Network and Technology Corp. installed entertainment boxes called ‘Vision’ in the majority of the television sets at the Batasan Pambansa Complex, allowing the guests and employees of the House of Representatives to tune in to the SONA.
The Vision boxes were installed in the Manuel Villar Jr. Hall, Prospero Nograles Hall, Women’s Legislator Lounge, Hallway COA, inside COA, the Plenary Hall, Social Hall, Andaya Hall, Elizalde, RTVM Room, RVM 1 and 2, North Lounge Extension, and the People Center.
With the devices now equipped with Vision, employees can also access local and international TV channels and exclusive channels like USA Today News, USA Today Sports, Pocketwatch, and Ryan & Friends.
The service comes with reliable security features and enhanced artificial intelligence, providing viewers with quick and easy access to channels and platforms such as Google apps, online games, and OTT apps like HBO Go, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Spotify.
Converge has the largest fiber-to-the-home network in the Philippines with over eight million ports and a fiber footprint extending over 700,000 kilometers, reaching 16 million Filipino homes nationwide.
As of the end of March 2024, Converge serves 2.3 million residential broadband subscribers across the country. PND
