CAMP VICENTE LIM, Calamba City – The first regional media center will soon rise in one of the premises of the Police Regional Office (PRO4A) Calabarzon camp here, following the signing Monday of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PRO-4A top brass and leaders of media organizations covering the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) Region.
The signatories to the MOU for the proposed media center were Calabarzon (PRO-4A) Regional Director Chief Supt. Ma O R. Aplasca, PRO4A Press Corps president Ed Amoroso of the Philippine Star and Camp Vicente Lim Press Corps (CVLPC) president Roy Tomandao of the Manila Standard.
The collaborative partnership would pave the way for the construction of a permanent regional Media Center, which will house news desks and press working areas inside the camp.
The simple signing rites were graced by Laguna First District Representative and Regional Advisory Council (RAC) chairperson Arlene B. Arcillas as Guest of Honor and Speaker; and Police Supt. Chitadel Carandang Gaoiran, the chief of the PRO4A regional public information office.
Aplasca said the signing of the MOU and the kick off rites will pave the way for the unity of media in the Calabarzon Region.
Gaoiran said the media center project was the initiative of Aplasca in a bid “to uplift and fortify the image of the PNP in the region through timely news and information on its services, good deeds of the police officers and significant accomplishments in the community it serves.”
“One of the thrusts and undertakings of the PNP is to have a sustained public information program with a view towards strengthening the partnership and cooperation with the communities it serves through the media,” she added.
Congresswoman Arcillas expressed optimism that the establishment of the media center would benefit not only the police and community stakeholders inside Camp Vicente Lim, the covering media representatives, but also the entire Calabarzon Region.
The Laguna lady lawmaker also became the first donor, by turning over a check worth PHP 100,000, in the construction of the media center.
The PHP 100,000 check donation was issued to the RPIO and the press corps under the name of the Task Force Tagaligtas Inc., a foundation led by Pastor Adiel De Torres, the regional police headquarters chaplain.
Amoroso also encouraged Local Government Unit (LGU) officials to be part of the project.
Noel Alamar, program anchor of DZMM Radyo Patrol who serves as the press corps adviser, said the 200-square meter Media Center would be constructed at the base police area near the camp’s main entrance gate.
“Our project is worth PHP6 million, that's for construction alone. It does not include fixtures yet. There would be a conference room, a working area, faster WiFi. There are TV sets for monitoring different stations,” Alamar said.
He shared that the project was hatched during discussions with Aplasca after he and the press corps felt that they would also lose their temporary media spaces in case of a change in the regional police leadership.
Alamar said that Aplasca explained there is actually no fund for the project under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and that it can only be realized through donations in cash and in kind, like construction materials such as galvanized sheets for roof, nails, iron rods, equipment and even labor.
He said that from the project concept, it was also decided that the media would form a coalition, not only for the press corps inside the camp, but also for police beat reporters in the five provinces. (Robert Maico/PNA)
