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Saturday, August 19, 2006
GMA television network gets permit for Kadayawan
By Nelson C. Bagaforo
GMA Network Inc. has finally secured a permit from City Hall to set up its state-of-the-art equipment that could feed live the culminating activities of the Kadayawan sa Davao starting Saturday until Sunday.
GMA 7 secured the permit from the Business Bureau. "We got it (necessary permit) last Tuesday," GMA 7 Davao manager Mariles Puentevella said in a press conference Friday.
For this, GMA-7 can set up its equipment at vantage spots at parade and competition grounds for a better coverage of the culminating activities and feed them live not only in the country but also to the world through GMA Pinoy TV.
In the wake of this development, GMA News vowed a comprehensive live coverage of today's "Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan" and tomorrow's floral float parade.
To ensure top-quality live feeds, Rikki Escudero, GMA News and Public Affairs assistant vice president and regional television head, said they will be using their SNG (Satellite News Gathering)-Advent equipment set-up.
"It's the very same broadcast equipment the network used to transmit clear and crisp video feeds directly from Mt. Everest base camp in June," she said.
She said it will only be for the third time the network is using the modern equipment.
"The first was the Mt. Everest coverage, then the Pangasinan flashfloods and the Kadayawan sa Dabaw," she said.
Escudero said they will also pre-empt GMA's programming on Sunday morning from 8-11 a.m. in Davao City to give way for the live coverage of the colorful floral float parade.
"For the first time we will have a comprehensive coverage of Kadayawan. We want to show to the world how colorful and unique this festival is. We will give them the sights and sounds unique to Kadayawan," she said.
Updates of the events will also be reported live on GMA's Flash Report. There will be roundups this afternoon after Startalk and tomorrow afternoon after SOP.
"So expect a lot of viewers because both shows, Startalk and SOP, are both top ratings, especially in Mega Manila," she said.
Reports have it that the war between GMA and ABS-CBN has spilled over to Kadayawan as the two giant stations fought who will be given the right to cover the festival highlights.
But Escudero said: "This is not a network war. We believe Kadayawan is for everybody. It is a festival that everyone should enjoy."
Such controversy has worsened when giant networks GMA-7 and ABS-CBN were dragged into the controversial resignation of Acaylar as city tourism officer.
Escudero explained they have nothing to do with Acaylar's resignation, saying the former City Hall official was "very good... very open to us."
Acaylar was asked to resign by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte after he called for press conference announcing the scrapping of Hiyas sa Kadayawan.
Duterte earlier asked Acaylar to exclude male contestants from the search.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 19, 2006 issue)
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