Comprehensive Media Program for Children Launched

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT) launched the Comprehensive Media Program for Children (CMPC) on Friday, October 18, to mark its 27th anniversary. The program provides a roadmap for media initiatives focused on the holistic development and welfare of children.

The CMPC is structured around three strategic pillars:

• Pagtatag (Strengthening), aimed at improving internal operations, empowering NCCT personnel, and updating Republic Act No. 8370 (Children’s Television Act of 1997), which established the NCCT;
• Paglaganap (Expansion), focused on promoting, monitoring, and improving child-friendly media, supported by research on child development; and
• Pagtaguyod (Advocacy), uniting content creators and stakeholders to ensure a collaborative approach to delivering child-friendly media.

The NCCT, an attached agency of the Department of Education (DepEd), stated that the CMPC aligns with its mandate under Republic Act No. 8370 to “promote child-friendly television and media programming that enhances the moral values and national identity of Filipino children.” It also supports the national government’s AmBisyon Natin 2040 vision program.

“Through the CMPC, the NCCT will not only strengthen its current initiatives but will also guide future program development, ensuring a cohesive and comprehensive approach to the welfare of children in the media landscape,” the council said in a press release.

Judy Galleta, head of the NCCT’s Programs, Policy, and Research Division, said the core goal of the program is the holistic development of the child.

The program addresses various factors affecting children, including institutions, people, and their environment, which were incorporated into the program’s pillars.

“The framework identifies the aspects that need to be focused on and addressed for the child’s holistic development, including emotional awareness and social aspects, as established by stakeholder groups,” Galleta said during a press conference.

Sally Lopez, NCCT council representative for the Broadcast Sector, explained that the program’s framework was developed from existing NCCT projects through consultations with stakeholders, including parents, children, civil society, and the academe.

She cited the Child-Friendly Content Standards (CFCS), launched in 2019 through Memorandum Circular No. 2019-01, as an example. The CFCS categorized programs into Children’s Television (CTV) and Child-Friendly Television Programs (CFTP) and set a gradual mandate for allocating these programs, beginning with voluntary compliance in 2019, and increasing to 5 percent in 2020, 10 percent in 2021, and 15 percent in 2022.

“The CMPC outlines activities within the four key functions of the NCCT: policy development, research, content creation, and advocacy. Many of these activities have existed under previous projects, but this year we were able to formalize them into the CMPC,” Lopez said.

“We’re trying to strengthen the NCCT’s ongoing projects. ‘Paglaganap’ emphasizes making the public more aware of the NCCT’s existence and sustaining our initiatives,” she added.

To ensure the success of the CMPC, Galleta stressed the need for public participation and collaboration with key stakeholders. Lopez emphasized expanding the council’s reach to include local government units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and training for trainers on NCCT programs and media literacy for parents, children, and teachers.

The training with teachers includes lesson planning on media literacy, aimed at incorporating NCCT-produced content into classroom materials.

Lopez also mentioned an upcoming research colloquium in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, focusing on the changing media landscape and how it aligns with NCCT’s mandates.

“These programs were previously managed directly by the NCCT. One goal of the CMPC is to expand our reach by increasing connections with LGUs and NGOs. As an attached agency of DepEd, the CMPC aims to incorporate media literacy into the curriculum,” Lopez said.

She added that discussions with stakeholders are underway to amend Republic Act No. 8370 to include content distributed through streaming services, which are not covered under the current law.