The Philippine News Agency (PNA), the government’s official web-based newswire service, has recently entered into two partnerships, one with New Perspective Media (NPM) Group and the other with The Filipino Times (TFT).
NPM Group is a top-tier integrated marketing, media-tech, events, and investment promotions company based in Dubai, with additional offices throughout the Middle East and Asia Pacific. On the other hand, TFT is the largest newspaper and digital platform for Filipinos living in the United Arab Emirates. These twin partnerships aim to broaden the reach and impact of PNA’s information and content.
Both agreements were signed by News and Information (NIB) Director Raymond Robert Burgos of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO); and Dr. Karen Remo, CEO and Founder of NPM Group and Publisher of TFT; PNA Executive Editor Demetrio Pisco Jr. and Vince Ang, COO of NPM Group and GM of TFT.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by NIB Assistant Director Lee Ann Pattugalan, PNA Deputy Executive Editor Luis Morente and Mark Nituma, NPM Group Country Manager and TFT Editorial Director.
Burgos emphasized that the goal of the agreement is to assist the agencies in efficiently distributing impartial information to a broader audience, both in the Philippines and internationally.
“This deal is in line with our strategic goal of expanding PNA’s reach and network worldwide especially in the Middle East, where there’s a high concentration of Filipino diaspora. It is an important step in disseminating timely and relevant news that matters to Filipinos across the globe,” Burgos said.
Remo said the agreement will further forge greater ties between the Philippines and the Middle East.
“The partnership forms part of our goal to strengthen our relationship with media stakeholders, as NPM expands its presence in the Philippines and in celebration of The Filipino Times’ 10th anniversary. It speaks of both entities’ commitment to giving Filipinos fast access to accurate and reliable media content, wherever they are in the world. Additionally, this exercise will also promote greater Philippines-Middle East ties by putting a spotlight on important economic developments in trade relations, investments and cooperation,” Remo said.
Bridging Filipinos in the Middle East
The NPM Group and The Filipino Times have been bridging Filipinos across the Middle East to the Philippines and to the world for the past ten years. Since its formation, the two news and media outlets have created various events to gather, promote and acknowledge the excellence of Filipinos overseas.
One of the main highlights of their projects is The Filipino Times Awards, an annual gathering of the best of the bests which aims to recognize and distinguish the brilliance of Filipinos in various fields and professions.
Several other community events have been born out of the NPM and TFT’s vision to bridge OFWs such as competitions, pageants, and awarding ceremonies such as The Filipino Times Rizal Awards, among others.
Promoting foreign investment opportunities in PH
The agreements emphasize NPM’s role in enhancing better communication among governments, corporations, and organizations. Since its establishment, the company has played a crucial role in channeling billions of pesos in investments to the country through the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition (PPIE), the largest international property and investment showcase in the Middle East.
On May 12-13, 2023, PPIE will once again showcase the Philippines as a leading investment destination in Asia during its 9th edition. This will coincide with another NPM-led event, the Philippine Economic and Investment Summit, on May 12.
NPM’s successful organization of the ‘Philippines Country Business Briefing at Expo 2020 Dubai’ during the World Expo in the UAE, under the leadership of the Department of Trade and Industry, resulted in securing PHP33 billion in investments (LOIs) expected to generate 4,000 job opportunities for the country.
International media cooperation
The collaboration between PNA and TFT will concentrate on fostering media collaboration through the sharing of international media knowledge and expertise, particularly during international reporting.
Pisco said: “This partnership reflects PNA’s keen objective to build international collaborations on producing news content that not only informs but inspires and aspires. It is part of our proactive step in ensuring that our modern-day heroes stay connected with important developments in the Philippines.”
Ang said: “In celebration of TFT’s 10th anniversary, our partnership with PNA represents an important milestone as the first collaboration between the Philippine government’s newswire service and a Middle East-based newspaper catering to overseas Filipinos.”
TFT has an average of 4 million page views and 35 million impressions per month in nearly 200 countries and a weekly print run of 60,000 across the seven emirates of the UAE. Together with PNA, it also maintains an active news-sharing agreement with the UAE’s Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Founded in 1973, PNA is one of the oldest news agencies in Southeast Asia.
Both media entities joined the inaugural Global Media Congress, which was organized by WAM and ADNEC Group, in Abu Dhabi in November 2022.
