Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said there is “nothing wrong” with airing Chinese shows on state-run People’s Television Network (PTV-4) as opposition senators seek an inquiry into Chinese programs in Philippine airwaves.
Andanar, who supervises PTV-4 as chief of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) issued the statement following a plan by opposition senators to conduct an investigation on Chinese programs in Philippine airwaves.
“We don’t see anything wrong about this as long as yung pinapadala sa atin na content ay entertainment, may entertainment value at mayroon din siyang information value,” he said in an ambush interview in Valenzuela City on Wednesday.
Six minority senators had earlier filed a resolution pushing to probe the showing of Chinese programs on the government-owned television network.
READ: Opposition senators want probe on PTV-4 airing of Chinese shows
“So siguro ‘pag napatawag na po yung PTV sa Senado mas maipapaliwanag nila ang issue na ito ng mas maayos at mas detalyado,” he said.
Andanar explained that the network was allowed to air anything as long as the country has bilateral exchanges and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the program’s country of origin.
“We have so much to learn from them as much as they are also so much to learn from us,” he said. “Yung mga bansa po na mas ahead satin in terms of technology and in terms of entertainment, mayroon po tayong matututunan sa kanila.”
Apart from the MOUs with China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, and Russia, Andanar said that the country would be signing MOUs with Thailand and Myanmar, as well.
“So it is really about having a good bilateral relations with the countries that we work with,” he said. Daphnie Beltran,INQUIRER.net intern /muf