QUEZON CITY, Oct. 29 -- People’s Television (PTV) Network has completed the restoration of all its Visayas stations with its Iloilo Station now back on air.

With a five-kilowatt transmitter in Barangay San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras, PTV-2 went on air after a four-year absence. The station covers the City and Province of Iloilo, and parts of Guimaras, enabling an additional 500,000 Filipino television viewers to gain access to the state-run network.

The revitalization of the Iloilo station comes on the heels of the reenergization of its PTV-11 Cebu station, in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials Meeting last August.

“With the revitalization of our Iloilo and Cebu stations, we have regained our presence in the Visayas regions,” PTV General Manager Albert Bocobo said.

PTV's signal now reaches televiewers in most parts of the Visayan Region, including Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Camotes, Siquijor, Negros, Guimaras and Iloilo.

“Our signal will further improve and reach even more Filipinos once our new transmitters from Italy are installed,” Bocobo said.

Bocobo added PTV aims to recover lost ground in Mindanao this year by revitalizing its Pagadian, Zamboanga and Cotabato stations, in partnership with the Information and Communications Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ICTO).

PTV and DOST-ICTO recently signed a 25-year Memorandum of Agreement allowing the former to co-locate in various points in the country.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma said the reenergization of the PTV stations across the country is part of a five-year revitalization plan, which has been part of President Benigno Aquino III's thrust of empowering the people living in the countryside by providing them with timely, correct, and relevant news and information. (PTV)