BARSc adopts Yamsuan’s proposals to improve gov’t communications with P673-M hike in 2027 budget of PCO, attached agencies

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan is pushing for an additional P673 million in the proposed 2027 budget of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and its attached agencies to improve the capabilities of the government’s primary communications arm both as an information tool and as a pillar of public accountability.

Yamsuan’s proposals cover additional funding for the PCO’s Bangon Pilipinas studios, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC-13) and the People’s Television Network Inc. (PTV-4), which were approved by the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc) Thursday night (Oct. 1, 2026).

The BARSc is tasked with reviewing items in, and recommending institutional amendments to, the proposed national budget. This reform was introduced last year to make the budget process more transparent.

“Information is not just knowledge, it is a foundation of accountability, and an informed public is better equipped to ask questions, challenge and consistently demand responsible action if it is well informed,” Yamsuan said in proposing the increases in the PCO’s budget.

A vice chairperson of the House Committee on Public Information, Yamsuan has proposed the following additional funding for the PCO: P35.985 million for IBC-13; P12 million for PIA; P600 million for PTV-4; and P25 million to establish and operationalize more Bangon Pilipinas studios across the country.

Yamsuan’s proposed institutional amendments would help IBC-13 employees keep their jobs and possibly prevent the station from going off the air. IBC-13 was given zero subsidy under Malacañanang’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) because of its status as a government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCVC) considered for privatization.

PCO Secretary Dave Gomez has appealed to lawmakers to restore IBC-13’s subsidy, considering that the intended privatization of the company may not yet be completed before the start of the next fiscal year.

The P600 million augmentation for PTV-4 would enable it to enhance its “capacity to operate as an active, credible and multi-platform public service network,” said Yamsuan, a former key official of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), the predecessor of the PCO.

Under the 2027 NEP, PTV-4’s proposed budget is only P138.38 million.

The PIA’s proposed P12 million additional allocation would be used to temporarily rent office space while its bat-infested headquarters in Quezon City is being retrofitted, Yamsuan said.

Establishing more Bangon Pilipinas studios nationwide by adding P25 million to the PCO Proper’s budget would give more independent content creators, podcasters and local media practitioners free access to state-of-the-art broadcast and production facilities. These studios aim to support government communications initiatives.

Yamsuan’s proposed increases for the budget of the PCO and its attached agenciessss received strong support from his colleagues, particularly from Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia, the senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.

“It’s about time our government stations are upgraded,” Garcia said.

During the budget hearing in August of the House appropriations committee on the PCO’s proposed budget, Yamsuan committed to work for an increase in its 2027 allocation.

The total allocation of the PCO and its attached agencies of P2.62 billion represents only 0.03 percent of the proposed P7.2 trillion budget for fiscal year 2027.