NAY PYI TAW, MYANMAR — Communications Secretary Martin Andanar met with his counterpart Dr. Pe Myint, Union Minister, Ministry of Information on Monday, March 20 to express the Philippines’ intention to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and Ministry of Information of Myanmar in the field of news exchange, radio and television broadcasting, public relations, printing and publishing.
Present during the meeting at the Ministry of Information in Nay Pyi Taw were Maung Pe, Director General, Ministry of Information; U Kyaw Soe, Managing Director, News and Periodicals and Enterprise; U Myint Htway, Director General, Myanma Radio and Television; and U Myint Kyaw, Deputy Permanent Secretary.
The MOU would strengthen the cooperation between Philippines and Myanmar in the fields of cooperation which include: news exchange, radio and television broadcasting, information technology in terms of the use of computers and internet as means of information and dissemination of information, public relations, printing and publishing.
According to Andanar, the two countries will benefit from each other’s experiences in the field of radio and TV broadcasting, print, and the social media.
He said that a natural calamity for instance, may necessitate the help of other countries and governments to spread information on the situation on the ground.
Andanar added that he plans to have an exchange of personnel training between the two countries.
“We will give your people the necessary training in the Philippines. You can send them and make them work in our broadcast facilities,” he said.
Andanar said the Philippine government is rebuilding the Communications department particularly the Philippine News Agency, People’s Television, Radyo ng Bayan, Philippine Information Agency, Bureau of Communications Services, and the social media.
“This government is about institutionalizing reforms,” Andanar said as he outlined his programs in achieving the reforms he seeks to achieve in five years.
Andanar underscored the importance of sharing government information to the public.
“Government information is very important. We must be able to communicate government policy to the people,” he said.
In this age of faster delivery information, Andanar mentioned that there are many challenges citing social media and the internet.
“But then again, we look at those challenges as opportunities because it is easier for any government to communicate to its citizenry,” Andanar said.
Andanar mentioned and classified the areas of communications in the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
“We have on-air, which represents radio and tv; online which represents social media; on-ground which represents our communications arms that goes straight to the people. These are the public information offices. That’s the Philippine Information Agency. And on-print – newspapers that we distribute. Our on-ground which is the Philippine Information Agency,” Andanar said. ###PND
