“With the thrust that UNTV is a public service channel, we are living to that.”

These words of Kuya Daniel Razon marked UNTV’s 10th anniversary with the station offering the grandest public service event for the elderly.

BMPI-UNTV Chairman and CEO Daniel Razon discloses during UNTV’s 10th year celebration that the station is expanding to the fullest. He assures the public that UNTV is living to its thrust as a public service channel. (Photo from Photoville International)

Kuya Daniel, Chairman and CEO of Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International (BMPI), also unveiled UNTV’s huge plans for bigger, better, and broader broadcast coverage and public service.

BMPI is content provider for UNTV.

A flying drone carries UNTV Big 10 banner during the station’s anniversary celebration last June 25-26, 2014. UNTV is known for pioneering the use of drone in news coverage in the Philippines. (Photo from Photoville International)

Elderpowerment Expo

UNTV kicked off its Big 10 celebration last June 25-26 this year at the World Trade Center and the Philippine Trade Training Center, both in Pasay City, with an Elderpowerment Expo that benefitted roughly 8,000 senior citizens.

Elderpowerment Expoprovided elderlies with healthcare services covering medical and dental care, ophthalmology and cataract consultations, minor surgery, and diagnostic and laboratory tests.

A senior citizen avails free medical service at the Elderpowerment Expo of UNTV at the Philippine Trade Training Center during the station’s 10th year celebration. UNTV’s one-stop healthcare and social service shop serves approximately 8,000 elderlies. (Photo from Photoville International)

Senior citizens who attended the Expo also received free medicines and eyeglasses. They also enjoyedfree massage, foot spa, and derma treatment – special services that the oldies described as stress relievers.For grandparents, there was free haircut.

A job fair was also set up for seniors who, despite of their advanced age, can still work. Hundreds submitted their application where the oldest applicant was 81 years old.

Participating companies included Teletech Inc., ETE Employment Services, and SM Malls thru SM Cares Program. Two manpower agencies, Royal Employment Agency and Pioneer Manpower Services and Placement Agency, also participated.

For those who prefer to work on their own, UNTV also hosted a livelihood program seminar.

Munting Pangarap, one of UNTV’s public service programs, gave grocery items for livelihood to 10 elderlies.

The expo also gathered government agenciesfor a one-stop social service assistance desk to help senior citizens with membership processing and other inquiries.

Social service agencies put up desks at the Elderpowerment Expo to assist elderlies on processing of membership application and other inquiries during UNTVs 10th anniversary celebration at the Philippine Trade Training Center. (Photo from Photoville International)

Representatives from the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Pag-ibig Fund, and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office were seen in the venue.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also processed clearances while driver’s license was conveniently renewed at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) booth.

Other agencies that put up their desks included Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Statistics Office (NSO), Commission on Election, and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

The Elderpowerment Expo counts as one huge milestone of UNTV’s advocacy “Caring for the Elderly.” The public service campaign won as Best TV Public Service Announcement on the 22nd KBP Golden Dove Awards.

UNTV 1st Rescue Summit

Alongside the country’s biggest charity effort for the elderlies was an all-out exhibit, seminar, and fashion show of rescue gears as UNTV held its 1st Rescue Summit.

Rescue teams from various government and private groups pooled at the World Trade Center to showcase equipment used for rescue and their preparedness to save lives and properties.

Representativesfrom different rescue groups offered the public better awareness on life-saving and emergency responses.The question-and-answer portion gave audiences chances to raise their queries.

In a fashion show held on the second day of the summit, rescuers paraded in various tactical gears.

Rescue groups in the Philippines join the rescue equipment and tactical gears exhibit and fashion show of UNTV’s 1st Rescue Summit at the World Trade Center. (Photo from Photoville International)

Joining the UNTV News and Rescue team on the event were rescuers from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fire Protection, PNP, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Local government units from Manila, Quezon City, Marikina, and Pasig were present as well.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also put up a display of its rescue equipment. MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino commended the event and encouraged the local government to carry out a similar activity to raise awareness of their constituents about emergency and disaster preparedness.

“This is such a wonderful project because it suited our time when many calamities hit our country,” Chairman Tolentino expressed in an interview with UNTV News.

The rescue summit was not only about display but visitors who came to the venue got to experience wearing rescue suits and reveled on the different recreational activities.

UNTV’s 1st Rescue Summitset another milestone for the station’sTulong Muna Bago Balita (Rescue First, Report Later) that advocates media mento prioritize life-saving over news reporting during emergency situations.

The four-year old advocacy was recognized as a pioneer in the Philippine television by the Movie Writers Welfare Foundation (MWWF), a non-profit organization for the entertainment movie writers in the country.

New UNTV Broadcast Center

Soon to rise along the stretch of EDSA highway in Quezon City is the iconic building of UNTV.

Kuya Daniel unveiled during the groundbreaking ceremony last June 26the unique architectural plan of the building and its state-of-the-art amenities.

A miniature replica cake of the iconic UNTV Broadcast Tower. The new building is seen to become a famous landmark along the EDSA highway in Quezon City on its completion in 2016. (Photo from Photoville International)

The 18-storey edificewill roof a 400-plus-meter broadcast studio, a 300-seater auditorium, and one full basketball court. Prayer rooms will also be added in the soon-to-rise iconic UNTV tower.

Atop the tower are three discs for the floating AM and FM radio booths, a restaurant, and a 360-degree viewing tower.

But the building complex will not only become a tourist attraction according to Kuya Daniel. The bigger part of the plan is about public service.

“Ibig po naming maipagsilbi ang atin pong himpilan sa ano mang pwedeng assistance na magagawa po natin (We would want to serve our station in whatever assistance we can do),” the broadcast journalist stated during the event.

Kuya Daniel Razon unveils plans for the new UNTV building and its public services during the groundbreaking ceremony of the UNTV Broadcast Center last June 26. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista graced the event. (Photo from Photoville International)

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, who led the groundbreaking ceremony with Kuya Daniel, foresees that the new UNTV building is set to become a famous landmark.He expressed awe as

Mayor Bautista wa awed as tohow far UNTV has gone in only 10 years, saying: “In a decade’s time of UNTV, malaki na yung napuntahan niya, marami na siyang narating.”

Mayor Bautista also wished Kuya Daniel and UNTV 10-fold years more in service to the people.

The new UNTV building is set to complete in early 2016.

New FM station

When UNTV launched its AM radio “Radyo La Verdad” in 2012, anticipation about UNTV having an FM station were around every corner.

Last Thursday, Kuya Daniel and UNTV broke the news that the station is already testing the 107.5 FM band.

The network set to officially kick off its FM broadcast sometime in August this year.

#UNTVBig10 Free Concert

As if the 2-day Elderpowerment Expo was not enough, UNTV gathered big stars from the Philippine music industry to serenade and jam with the seniors.

Local songstress Imelda Papin brought back memories of her song Isang Linggong Pag-ibig (One Week Love) while Coritha, lead vocalist of the 70s rock band “Asin,”took especially the elderlies to their younger years with her own Si Lolo Jose (Grandfather Joseph).

Asia’s Pop Idol Christian Bautista waves to the crowd during a free concert for the senior citizens hosted by UNTV as part of its 10th year event at the World Trade Center last June 26, 2014. (Photo from Photoville International)

Bringing both young and old to their feet were the rock performance of Rivermaya, Eraserheads medley of 2012 X Factor Philippines winner KZ Tandingan, and Pilipinas Got Talent 1st season winner Jovit Baldivino’s rendition of Pusong Bato (Heart of Stone).

Oldies, but the elderlies showed they can’t be left behind when it comes to Original Pilipino Music (OPM) hits of the younger generation.They sang along the popular music of RnB Prince and Princess Jayr and Kyla,Asia’s Pop Idol Christian Bautista, and former MYMP lead vocalist Juris Fernandez.

Other performers included Pinoy Dream Academy star dreamers Bugoy Drilon and Liezel Garcia. Sheryl Cruz, who judges for UNTV’s A Song of Praise Music Festival, also graced the event.

#UNTVBig10 Twitter Party

Apart from the grand celebration at the WTC and PTTC, UNTV supporters also threw a Twitter party for its hashtag #UNTVBig10. Tweets about the anniversary events flooded Twitter from the first day of the celebration.

The social monitor shows that the hashtag was used in more than 39,000 posts in Twitter and created more than 30 million impressions.

The hashtag #UNTVBig10 joined the Philippine Trends of Twitter thrice on June 25, peaking to No. 3 at around 6:21 PM.

Written by Hazel David