Philippine Information Agency (PIA) was founded in 1986 through an executive order of the then President Corazon Aquino. The agency was established as a platform for the President to communicate with the public. PIA has a network of 16 regional offices and 78 provincial information centers.
Media assets
News agency: PIA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
PIA is headed by a Director-General who has a governmental position (at Undersecretary level), reporting directly to the secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Source of funding and budget
PIA is fully funded from the government budget and operates financially as a government entity, according to the company’s financial reports released every year. In 2021, PIA had a budget of over PHP 300m (US$ 6.2m), most of it coming from the state budget. In 2022, PIA had a total budget of PHP 326m (US$ 5.7m), almost entirely coming from the state budget, according to a company report.
Editorial independence
PIA’s declared aim is “to disseminate information about government programs, projects, and services to the Filipino public,” according to information from the agency’s own website. Local journalists say that the agency has no editorial freedom, but operates as a state department in charge of disseminating information about the government’s activity.
The Presidential Administration has discretionary power in all aspects related to PIA’s operations, including its editorial agenda.
No independent assessment of the PIA’s editorial performance has been identified, but the agency’s information output is clearly designed to promote the government and its interests.
October 2023