THE state-owned television network People’s Television 4 has undergone a transmission signal upgrade as part of the Duterte administration’s program to streamline and maximize government’s media assets, President Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Friday. “Images are now more vivid, sharper, and real-life,” Andanar said of the upgrade. “And we’ve only just begun.” Andanar said his first order was to assess the capabilities within the network because “we cannot rely on guesswork. We have to identify what areas that need attention with the right system. We need a technical audit of all RF transmission mode.” “PTV will undergo a major revitalization program to make the station at par with International Broadcast Standards,” Andanar said in a statement. “A law should be passed to create the People’s Broadcasting Corporation to replace PTV4. We are looking at the BBC of the United Kingdom, NHK of Japan, and ABC Australia,” he said. “Teams from BBC and ABC are set to visit the country to train our broadcast people to observe editorial independence through innovative programs and intelligent treatment and analysis of news reports, as well as developments of national and international significance,” he added.The Palace communications chief envisions a revamped independent media network with state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities being established in the Visayas and in Davao City in Mindanao as crucial sites for government information campaign. Davao City is relatively typhoon-free and capable of conducting maximum broadcasting services to the public. Also in the pipeline are the establishments of the first Muslim TV to be called Salaam TV and Lumad channel in the country. The plan is in sync with President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to be kept abreast with the issues and concerns of the indigenous peoples, such as education, livelihood and the protection of their cultural identity.