Niña Corpuz —PHOTO FROM CORPUZ’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT; Jonathan Malaya
The government will debut next week its new daily public briefing called “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” on state-run television, replacing “Laging Handa” with the Marcos administration’s new governance slogan.
The multi-agency public forum will air from 12 noon to 1 p.m. from Monday to Friday on People’s Television Network (PTV).
With the same format as Laging Handa, it will be hosted by broadcast journalist Niña Corpuz and National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya. Laging Handa, which will air its final show on Friday, is hosted by broadcaster Aljo Bendijo.
Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon is expected to feature government officials and spokespersons “who will discuss pressing issues and address public queries,” according to a Philippine News Agency report.
“We’re excited to create more engaging content in the coming days—more watchable, dynamic programming that’s attuned to the viewing habits of today’s digitally-connected Filipinos,” PTV General Manager Analisa Puod told a press briefing last week.
Three ‘Rs’
According to Puod, PTV has a blueprint of “Rebranding, Revenue, and Reorganization” in its bid to become the country’s second leading station.
“More than a government station, I see PTV as a commercial station,” Puod said.
The rebranding of Laging Handa is in line with President Marcos’ Memorandum Circular No. 24 dated July 3, which formalized “Bagong Pilipinas” (new Philippines) as his main governance theme, with its own logo of a circular rendering of the Philippine flag, with the lower half of the sun partly covered by blue and red ribbons and three stars above it completing the circle.
The phrase is borrowed from a line in the President’s 2022 election campaign ditty and reminiscent of his late namesake father’s Bagong Lipunan, or New Society, the period covered by the dictatorship.
Mr. Marcos’ predecessor Rodrigo Duterte used “Change is Coming” coupled with his “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, while former President Benigno Aquino III popularized “Daang Matuwid,” or the right path.
New logos, slogans
The Marcos administration’s launch of its Bagong Pilipinas slogan came on the heels of controversy over the rebranding of other agencies, including the Department of Tourism, whose launch of its new “Love the Philippines” campaign ended in disaster after a promotional video was discovered to have used clips from other countries.
The new logo of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. also drew ridicule due to its simple design and P3 million price tag.
Aside from Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, PTV’s new lineup will include a half-hour program block on Mr. Marcos on weekdays at 5:30 a.m., featuring “BBM Vlogs,” to provide a look at the daily activities of the Chief Executive, according to PTV.
Talks with Revillame
PTV said it would continue to deliver hourly multilingual newsbreaks in English, Filipino, and other major local languages through its PTV News Now, PTV Balita Ngayon and PTV Balita Ngayon sa Probinsya.
Puod confirmed that PTV, IBC 13 and TV host Willie Revillame were having a “tripartite discussion” for the possible airing of Revillame’s game show on government-run stations.
PTV, she added, should “have the balance of news, culture, education, sports, and inspirational and uplifting entertainment content.”
Laging Handa began airing in January 2020, when the then Presidential Communications Operations Office held briefings in Malacañang that year to provide updates on the Taal Volcano explosion and later on the COVID-19 pandemic situation.