Monday, January 30, 2006

PJI Editorial

Church channels


NOW that the Catholic Church has its own television station, it can no longer claim unfair media treatment of its stand on key issues of the day.

The Church hierarchy quietly launched its own TV station called TV Maria to match the aggressive "televangelism" by other local Christian denominations, according to a broadsheet.

For years, the Church was only able to reach out to its flock through the broadcast media via its radio station Radio Veritas.

But with its new TV station, it is now at par with the Iglesia ni Cristo (Net 25 and Gem TV), Ang Dating Daan (block timer on UNTV 37 and RJTV) and Jesus Is Lord (QTV 11) in reaching out to members and potential converts.

The Archdiocese of Manila, backed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines,discreetly launched TV Maria on New Year's Day on Channel 21, CBCP secretary general Monsignor Hernando Coronel said.
Channel 21 has the satellite back-up of businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco's Dream TV.

TV Maria, the first Catholic channel broadcasting from Manila, was so named to honor the role of Mary as the one who points the way toward Jesus.

While other religious stations "sign off" after midnight or a little later, the shows in the new channel air 24 hours daily in a saturation campaign involving Catholic doctrine, family fortification, and the youth. Clearly, this is a big advantage over other sects with limited broadcast capabilities.

The CBCP can thus better expound on its doctrine and not merely give "sound bites" on political issues, particularly the scandals hounding President Arroyo.

TV Maria's launch comes at a time when a number of top Church officials have been complaining about how the media, specifically newspapers, have been reporting about the Church and religion.

Earlier, Archbishops Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato snapped at the media for allegedly portraying bishops as divided on political issues. Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros had come to the defense of Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla for his supposed benign approach to the political crisis during his incumbency as CBCP president.

They forget that there are a lot of senior church leaders who also write commentaries in broadsheets and tabloids.

Anyway, TV Maria, according to its proponents, was not designed as a counterweight to critical media and rival sects as Coronel said its programs would be geared toward promoting moral values, especially among the young and poor, noting that this sector comprises about 50 percent and 70 percent of the population, respectively.

"They are the treasures of the Church. We are trying to strengthen our youth because the future of the Catholic faith relies on (them)," he said.

TV Maria's fare should be a refreshing break from the amusing programs of the Iglesia ni Cristo and Ang Dating Daan, which are focused mostly on demolishing each other's doctrines.

Philippine Journal Editorial
Saturday, January 07, 2006
10:15:22 PM

http://search.yehey.com/search_redirect.aspx?url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.journal.com.ph%2fnews.asp%3fsid%3d3%26month%3d1%26day%3d7%26year%3d2006

Sunday, January 29, 2006







Thursday, January 26, 2006

WE ARE ON THE AIR!!!

Last january 1, 2006, TV Maria, Joining You in the Fullness of Life, went on the air for test broadcast on Channel 21 Dream Satellite Cable. UGAT, every Tuesdays, talks about the issues affecting the Filipino Family today. Produced through the hard work of volunteers and edited with personal funds (in short with NO budget but with pure heart , embarassing ourselves a little as we go along, but then that is how we learn, right?), UGAT envisions reaching out to more and more Filipinos as the weeks go by.

TV Maria Article

Taken from Father James Reuter's Sunday column on the Philippine Star, Saturday, January 21, 2006

TV Maria: Leading you to the fullness of life!

At 6:00 in the morning of New Year's Day, 2006, TV Maria went on the air, over satellite television. It has been on the air, 24 hours a day, ever since.

The number of Catholics in Asia is 1.5 percent. One and a half people out of every hundred. The Church has three strong traditional ways of bringing God to men.

The first is the parish. Wherever the Church is established, you have the parish. The Chruche reaches the people through the priest in the pulpit, face to face.

The second is the school. If, after the parish established, the Church has enough energy, money, and personnel, the parish priest establishes a school. The word of God comes to the people through the nun, or the priest, or the teacher, in the classroom.

If, aftre that, there is enough energy, money, personnel and inspiration, the Church establishes a chirtable institution: the hospital, the orphan asylum, the deeding center, the leper colony.

After that, stop!

When we were driven out of China in 1949, we had no more parishes, no more schools, no more charitable institutions. So what did we do? Suddenly we realized that--as God gave the Roman Roads to the 12 Apostles, to carry the word of God to his children all over the known world, on foot--he had given us the airways!

Then came Vatican Radio, and Radio Veritas Asia, and satellite television in the United States, in Europe, in all the world. John Paul II spoke to all the children of God, over satellite television, for the last 27 years.

If we relied on the traditional methods: the parish, the school, the charitable institutions--how many people could the Church reach in Asia? By the figures of the Vatican, only 10 percent of the Catholics around the world go to Church regularly. In the Philippines you could probably raise that figure to 15 percent, or even 20 percent. But no more. That means: by using the traditional methods of evangelization, we would reach, at most, one out of every 500 Asians!

On the airways, we can reach every person on this continent. There is no one in Asia who can not get to a transistor radio. And we can reach them where they are! The mother cooking breakfast, the father driving work, the farmer in the field, who has the transistor radio lashed to the handle of his plow. We can reach the Muslim, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Boran Again, and the Born Against, in their bedrooms!

The Archdiocese of Manila has two channels on the Dream Satellite--one for television and one for radio. The footprint of the Dream Satellite covers the whole Philippines; a large part of Asia, including most of mainland China; the whole continent of North America--the United States, Canada and Mexico--and five nations in the Middle East.

This does not mean that everyone in these areas are listening to us, or watching us; but it does mean that they would listen and watch if they went to the effort arraning it it! The satellite has tremendous potential!

TV Maria--Channel 21 on the Dream Satellite--does not mean to compete with the great national Free Television Networks: ABS-CBN, GMA 7, ABC 5, NBN 4, RPN 9, IBC 13. We are presenting "Alternative Programming". Our accent is on the spiritual values that every person needs, that our country needs: reconciliation, unity, peace, reaching out to one another, sharing, caring, love.

Our programs come from excellent groups of people who have consecrated their lives to serving God by serving his children, wherever they may be:

* Jescom, the Jesuits Communication, led by Father Aris Dy, S.J., present "Soul Mix", their own MTV, starring their Music Ministry, which has a strong appeal for young college boys and girls. Their "Light Talk" stars Bishop Chito Tagle, who received a standing ovations from all the Bishops of the Philippines for his vivid realistic portrayal of the real problems of our nation, and the answers that Christ Our Lord presents in the Gospel.

*The Family Rosary Crusade offers the Mysteries of the Rosary, filmed in English by Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., whose cause has been introduced for canonization. They also present all 15 Mysteries in Tagalog, beautifully dramatized by European actors.

*Saint Paul University in Quezon City is televising their theatrical dramas, which have played in standing room only.

*Miriam College, under the direction of Nonoy Molina, present the issues of womenm in Manila, in the Philippines, and in the world. It is young people, talking to young people. Their "Catholics Online" travelogue, presenting the strong Catholic history of the Philippines.

*UGAT, presented by Karen Vardeleon, treats the problem of the family, featuring families who have met these problems and have solved them with the wisdom of God, which they found in the Gospels

*Assumption College, presented by Tato malay, reaches out to the youth, showing how they are trying to make a difference as changers, and movers of our troubled world.

*Pro-life, hosted by Sister Pilar Versoza, R.G.S, presents "Love Life", probably our strongest program, drawing fan mail from distant provinces. She faces what John Paul II called: "the culture of death", handling very real problems on life, family, love, sexuality, youth and parenting.

*Family land, presented by Winnie Vicoy, is televising the inside story of the life of John Paul II. The men who lived and worked closest to John Paul reveal the intense drama of his life.

*Defensores Fidei, an agressive, apostolic group from Opus Dei, present "Ano ang Totoo?", hosted by Bo Sanchez. they live up to their name: "Defenders of Our Faith"

*The RVM Hour, hghlights the development of the RVM congregation from the time its foundress, Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo up to the present. The program brings back four centuries of the Philippine past, the dramatic life of the Religious of the Virgin Mary.

*Kerygma, hosted by Bo Sanchez, is a down to earch discussion on real problems that we meet every day, right here, right now.

*Couples for Christ, led my Maricar Gatchalian and Ching Custodio, present "In Hi Steps". Their program is rich with their wide, intense experience of marriage and the family.

*Children of Light, presented by Lourdes Carido, in their program "May Liwanag" portrays the deep peace of soul that comes to struggling families, when they try to live by the Gospel.

*"Men of Light" produced by the Priests of Pampanga, tells the story of Filipinos who have been called by Gid to serve their people.

*The National Office of Mass Media offers "Insight", dramas produced in Hollywood, and starring top flight actors. The series was produced by the Paulists, a religious order founded to serve those outside the Christian faith. They are also televising Filipino documentaries to "Stop Humam Trafficking!"

TV Maria has two strong assets:

1. The satellite video is cleaner, clearer, and sharoer than the ordinary programs on our national free television networks.

2. The message is always positive. It is not only easy on the eyes and ears. It is easy on the soul. Its objectives are reconciliation, unity, peace, reaching out to one another, sharing, caring, love. It presents a truth: there are many things, in the Philippines and in the world, that are beautiful and good

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

First Article about the station

January 6, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Catholic Church goes on TV with own station
By Christian V. Esguerra

THE CATHOLIC Church hierarchy has launched its own television station called "TV Maria" amid aggressive proselytizing by other Philippine-based Christian sects on television.

It joins the Iglesia ni Cristo (Net 25 and Gem TV), Ang Dating Daan (block timer on UNTV 37 and RJTV) and Jesus Is Lord (QTV 11) in using television to reach out to members and possible converts.

The Archdiocese of Manila, backed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), quietly launched TV Maria on New Year's Day on Channel 21, said Monsignor Hernando Coronel, CBCP secretary general.Channel 21 is supported by Dream Satellite TV of businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco.

TV Maria, the first Catholic channel emanating from Manila, was named so to honor the role of Mary as the one who points the way toward Jesus.

The shows in the new channel, now aired 24 hours daily, are all about Catholic doctrine, family enrichment and the youth.

The CBCP has been getting high media mileage mainly on political issues, particularly the scandal centered on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, according to Coronel.

"We are always visible in the media but this concerns political matters," he told reporters yesterday. "What we are concerned (about) are the values especially in defense of family and life."

TV Maria was launched at a time when a number of high-ranking Church officials have been complaining about how the media, specifically newspapers, have been reporting about Church and religion.

Archbishops Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato earlier sniped at the media for allegedly portraying bishops as divided on political issues. Others like Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros had come to the defense of Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla for his supposed soft and vague approach to the political crisis during his incumbency as CBCP president.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales and his supporters also fumed over an Inquirer report that Ms Arroyo had surreptitiously donated P1 million to his "Pondo ng Pinoy" project. He said he had no knowledge of the donation but later admitted it went to Radio Veritas.

But TV Maria was apparently not the Church hierarchy's response to what some of its officials claim as unfair reporting by the media.

Treasures of the Church.

Coronel said its programs would be geared toward promoting moral values, especially among the young and poor."

They are the treasures of the Church," he said, noting that the youth and the poor comprise about 50 and 70 percent of the population, respectively.

For a start, programs will include family counseling and the explanation of Church doctrines courtesy of bishops and their corresponding application to the young, the CBCP secretary general said."

We are trying to strengthen our youth because the future of the Catholic faith relies on (them)," he said.Radio Veritas.

To reach a wider audience, TV Maria and existing Catholic media outfits would promote and "synergize" one another, Coronel said.

The Church-run Radio Veritas borrows much of its credibility from its role in helping topple the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

It was on Radio Veritas that the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin called Filipinos to troop to EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) to defend coup leaders Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile. Their defection from then President Ferdinand Marcos triggered the collapse of his 20-year dictatorial rule.

Monday, January 09, 2006

TOPICS

Episode 1:
Mga Anak ng OFW ,
Episode hosted by Papo Ong-Ante and Jihan Pring,
with guests Jimleth Dulla and Mark Anthony Abenir.

Episode 2: Mga Asawa ng OFW,
Episode hosted by Papo Ong Ante with Fr. Nilo E. Tanalega and parents from the JGSS

Episode 3: Midlifing Couples,
Episode hosted by Papo Ong-Ante with Mary Ann Patcsil and Pete Buhion and Father Nilo E. Tanalega

Episode 4: Successful OFW Families
Episode hosted by Papo Ong Ante with Jose and Malou Nava of the Taho Co and Father Nilo E Tanalega.

Episode 5: OFW Family Reintegration
Episode hosted by Nerisa Dimapilis with Father Nilo E. Tanalega.

Episode 6: Dealing with Crisis: A Portrait of Guinsaugon, Leyte
Episode with Fr. Nilo E. Tanalega and the UGAT Southern Leyte Debriefing Team: Carlos T. Lagaya, Nerisa Dimapilis, Mary Ann Patacsil, Emie Enteca, Marnie Malicse, Monette Caberte, Warlit Fontanoza, Yolly Pabillano & Kay Vardeleon