CATBALOGAN, Samar –
The Department of Trade and Industry provincial office here has taken
one step ahead of its usual promotion programs and services by
launching on Wednesday (March 29) noon “Pag-Asenso”, a live television
program via local channel 7 of Decobeam Cable Television Services
here.
Hosted by DTI’s
information officer Ariel Donceras and directed by senior trade and
industry development specialist Nicerio Cinco, Pag-Asenso gives way to
the different programs of the various government agencies with whom
DTI has existing coordinative agreements.
Donceras said in his
opening spiel that throughout the Philippines, this is the only
program of its kind which uses the television media. Other DTI
provincial offices are using the radio medium, he said.
The Mach 29 launch had
for its guests representatives of the Philippine Information Agency,
Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agrarian Reform,
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine
National Police, and Department of Science and Technology. Each guest
thanked the DTI for this kind of program that will henceforth be a
weekly one-hour live TV sitcom directly managed by the DTI.
In her message, DTI
provincial in-charge Ruthelma Samonte relayed the felicitations of
regional director Cynthia Nierras who could have been the principal
guest were it not for a pressing and more important engagement that
she had to attend to.
PIA officer-in-charge
Ninfa B. Quirante endorsed the live telecast and urged the general
public to keep glued to the program every Wednesday and participate by
calling in their comments, reactions or questions, as much as they do
in the Thursday live radio program of PIA over DYMS in Catbalogan.
Engr. Ray P. Gaspay,
cable operations chief of Decobeam, said that the only role that the
CATV network has is providing a permanent telecasting cable direct
from Decobeam to the Pag-Asenso studio which the DTI set up at
the agency’s southern section. Technical personnel from both the DTI
and Decobeam jointly help keep the program’s smooth and clear
cablecasting.
Since the program is
non-earning, DTI is not paying a single centavo to Decobeam and
neither does it collect any amount for the participation of guesting
agencies.
Samonte and Donceras
both revealed that this TV program has long been conceived of by the
DTI-Samar, except that it could be made possible that week after a
thorough study and getting the participating agencies enlisted for
regular appearance.
The launch was
originally planned for 12 high noon but since line and control testing
had to be made, it finally had to come about after the guests were
treated to a meantime inaugural luncheon which featured a especially
cooked tahong meat.
Cinco told this writer
that the program, though yet without a name about five months ago,
took a more concrete form during the DTI year-end national assessment
and planning workshop in Luzon.
Pag-asenso
also serves as a medium for showcasing significant achievements made
in the expanded meaning of progress and development in which a
peaceful and orderly social and business environment is a necessary
ingredient to approximate success.
