Politics · Philippines Bureau
PTV-4 seeks massive budget boost to P1.7 billion from current allocation
The state-run People's Television Network is pushing lawmakers to dramatically increase its funding, arguing that its current P138 million budget is inadequate for its operations and public service mandate.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — PTV-4 chief Lino Cayetano appealed to Philippine lawmakers on Thursday to raise the network's budget allocation to P1.7 billion, characterizing the current earmarked amount of P138 million as insufficient for the state broadcaster's needs.
Cayetano made the funding request during a House committee on appropriations hearing focused on the proposed P2.6 billion budget for the Presidential Communications group, of which PTV-4 is a component agency.
The budget chief's plea underscores ongoing resource constraints facing the government-operated network, which is tasked with providing public broadcasting services to Filipinos. The significant gap between the requested amount and current allocation reflects the network's assessment of what is needed to fulfill its mandate effectively.
The appropriations committee's response to the request remains unclear, but the hearing provided PTV-4 an opportunity to make its case directly to lawmakers responsible for budget allocations during the legislative budget cycle.