Danilo Concepcion, president of the University of the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines — At least four million homes will soon have access to a TV channel operated by the University of the Philippines (UP), whose educational programs tackle history, the sciences, art and culture, financial literacy, disaster response and gender issues, among others, some of which have been in use as part of the distance learning curriculum during the pandemic.
Under a deal signed last week between UP and pay TV provider Cignal TV, the state university’s TVUP production house will run existing content like The Platform, Science Innovations; NOAH Updates; Maikling Pelikula (Short Films); Kultura, Sining, Atbp. (Culture, Art, Etc.); DRRM (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management); The Documentaries: The Filipino series; Kalusugan at Karapatan (Health and Human Rights); Batas at Bayan (Law and Society); Gender Talks; Financial Sense; UP Talks; CHE (College of Home Economics); and Gulayan sa Tahanan (Backyard Vegetable Farming).
Most of these programs have been used as resource materials for students under the hybrid learning system implemented by the Department of Education after in-person classes were suspended due to the pandemic. Their distribution, however, was limited only to areas with internet connection.
Lifelong learning
UP president Danilo Concepcion and Cignal TV president CEO Robert Galang signed a memorandum of agreement last week at the new TVUP headquarters inside the Student Union Building on the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City.
Concepcion said UP now “has the perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people” by reaching as many households as possible through TVUP.
The initiative also comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of fake news and disinformation both on social media and traditional media outlets.
For years, some UP campuses have engaged in local or university-wide broadcasting operations, such as UP Diliman (dzUP), UP Los Baños (dzLB) and UP Iloilo (dyUP).
According to Concepcion, UP tried to establish a free-to-air television station but there was no available frequency, so the university instead applied for a digital TV channel.
Jane Basas, president of MediaQuest Holdings Inc., which owns and operates Cignal TV, said partnering with UP was in line with the company’s responsibility “to enable every single customer to become better informed and better educated so they can give back to the country as more discerning and responsible individuals.”
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