BAGUIO CITY – The local government assured the city’s media sector that it will look for ways and means on how to extend available assistance to media practitioners who had been heavily impacted by the implementation of the extended Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong requested the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) to come out with its short and long-term proposals on what will be their priority bounce back programs that will allow its members to hurdle the serious negative impact of the ECQ to their sources of livelihood.
He said that what is important is for the approved programs to have the appropriate quick wins for the members while awaiting the implementation of the group’s long-term programs beneficial in providing the support to the media practitioners in the city.
The local chief executive lauded the ongoing efforts of the media practitioners to organize a cooperative for media practitioners and assured the local government’s support to the same but in case that the city will be able to provide the needed substantial support, the same should be repaid so that the city will be able to extend the needed assistance to other groups who are in need of resources to recover from the effects of the virtual stoppage of economic activities in the country.
Based on the presentations done by BCBC officers, the media sector is also a heavily impacted because the supposed sales derived from operating businesses virtually stopped following the implementation of the ECQ thereby rendering no income for publications and radio and television stations despite continuously operating to render public service to the people.
According to him, the mainstream media plays an important role in providing the people with updated information on the various programs, projects and activities that affect them that is why there is a need for the local government and other concerned agencies to extend available assistance to allow the media practitioners to be able to continue effectively and efficiently discharging their duties and responsibilities as one of the major sources of information.
He appealed to the members of the media to continue providing the public with updated information on the programs, projects and activities of the local government and other concerned government agencies to help the people cope with the challenges that they were able to encounter during the ECQ and when the status of the city will be downgraded to GCQ because the situation will not end soonest as the same will surely go a long way until such time that the city’s economy will be able to recover in the future.
BCBC president Aldwin Quitasol expressed the group’s appreciation to the city mayor for such gesture of consulting the city’s media sector and for him to have an overall picture of the situation of the media and the support that he assured for the organization to allow the members to recover from the impact of the ECQ to the operations of their outfits that serve as their main sources of livelihood for their families.
He said that the media will continue to perform their duties and responsibilities as the channel in providing information from the local government and the concerned government agencies to the people.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by: Armando Bolislis
