GMA Public Affairs

GMA Public Affairs
General information
Headquarters	GMA Network Center, EDSA cor. Timog Ave., Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Key people	Nessa S. Valdellon (First Vice President) Arlene U. Carnay (Vice President)
Parent	GMA Network, Inc.
Area served	Worldwide

“	Tatak Public Affairs, Tatak World-Class.	”
—Tagline

GMA Public Affairs is the public affairs division of GMA Network, Inc. It currently produces and airs documentaries, magazine, anthology, infotainment and other public affairs genre programs and content for free-to-air TV channels (GMA Network and GTV) and online platforms. It later ventured into television series and movie production. The division was originally a part of GMA News and Public Affairs before the said division split in 2022, with GMA News Manila (along with GMA Regional TV) became part of GMA Integrated News.

History

GMA's Public Affairs division was established in 1987 when Tina Monzon-Palma, then head of GMA News, recognized that a 30-minute newscast was not adequate and sufficient to inform the general Filipino public on what is happening to the recently established Aquino government after the historic People Power Revolution in February 1986. The public affairs division started with original five news personnel (also added six and presently as seven pillars of news personnel) including Marissa La Torre Flores (now handles GMA News and Public Affairs as senior vice president) and held office inside the cameramen's locker room before moving into the state-of-the-art GMA Network Center with no experience, equipment, camera and an improvised set broadcasting at the old GMA building in EDSA with only a passion-to-work attitude. Today this division, with more than 500 news personnel—both locally based and with international assignments—and producing 16 of the most awarded programs on Philippine television today, is one of the more active.

Weekend with Velez was the first network-produced public affairs program on GMA, afterwards renamed Velez This Week and was hosted by Jose Mari Velez. Later that year it was joined by other public affairs shows such as Firing Line with Teddy Benigno (later on co-hosted by Oscar Orbos); View Point with Dong Puno; Straight from the Shoulder hosted by Louie Beltran and The Probe Team by Che-Che Lazaro and Issues and Answers hosted by Art Borjal.

From a makeshift and improvised set, the once GMA News garnered several honors and recognitions from local and international award-giving bodies, including two gold medals in the New York Festivals and their first Peabody Award in 1999, one of the most distinguished merits in the broadcast industry, the only one awarded to an Asian country. The first Peabody was given for Kidney for Sale, an investigative work on the selling of kidneys in a depressed area along the coast of Manila Bay. The award also recognizes Marissa Flores as the executive producer and a team of producers, writers, directors and reporters, as well as Jessica Soho, Michelle Seva-Recto, Jay Taruc, Leogarda Sanchez and Rowel Cornejo, Melchor Quintos and Gregg Gonzales.

When the Philippine longest-running noontime show, Eat Bulaga!, celebrated its silver anniversary in 2004, Public Affairs co-produced Eat Bulaga!: Silver Special with the noontime program's production company, TAPE Inc. Arnold Clavio hosted the program with his fellow Unang Hirit host Rhea Santos. Clavio was a contestant in a former segment of the noontime show.

Coinciding with its 20th anniversary in broadcasting excellence, GMA News and Public Affairs aired a documentary entitled 20: Dalawampung Taon ng GMA Public Affairs (20: Twenty Years of GMA Public Affairs) on October 28, 2007.

In the recent years, GMA Public Affairs has started producing scripted drama serials that usually tackles various issues that affect the Filipino populace.

On April 27, 2020, GMA News and Public Affairs Digital launched a podcast channel available in Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Effective October 2022, as Flores stepped down in retirement as SVP of News and Current Affairs, GMA News rebranded as "GMA Integrated News" with the appointment of Oliver Victor Amoroso as its head, splitting GMA News and Public Affairs into two distinct departments. GMA Public Affairs retained its name with First Vice President Nessa Valdellon currently heading the department.

Programming

GMA

• Unang Hirit
• Pinoy MD
• Pera-Paraan
• Tadhana
• Wish Ko Lang!
• MAKA
• I-Witness
• Reporter's Notebook
• AHA!
• Born to Be Wild
• Resibo: Walang Lusot ang May Atraso
• The Atom Araullo Specials
• Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho

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