By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA
MANILA — The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on Friday launched a book collection that highlights the country’s initiatives and achievements in information and media in the past three decades.
The book series, titled, “The Philippines in ASEAN: Initiatives in Information and Media 1969-2017”, seeks to showcase the Philippines’ best practices in communication, according to PIA Director General Harold Clavite.
“We really need to look back at how things were managed back then,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.
“We hope that this series of books will become a reference in terms of the ways forward in information and communication as an ASEAN community,” he added.
Clavite noted that among the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines was the first to produce such reference material geared towards the bloc’s further growth and development.
The publication consists of five books presenting Manila’s feats in five areas: film/video, radio and television, print and publications, interpersonal and traditional media, and the emerging online and social media.
Project director Belina Capul said projects initiated and coordinated with other ASEAN member states were also included in the books.
Joining Capul and Clavite in launching the collection were Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy and Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Liza Diño.
In the film industry, Diño said she is keen on advancing the country’s engagement with Southeast Asian nations and come up with a “unified program”, where they can organize film showings and other activities to promote one another’s places and culture.
“It’s nice to have this book so that we have a reference on how we can implement or operationalize a future ASEAN Film Week that we can revive,” she told PNA.
