AM radio station DWIZ 882 takes on a dynamic role in the current fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), living up to its corporate slogan of “Balitang Sigurado, Tapat na Serbisyo, Sa Komentaryo Numero Uno!”
Since the pandemic crisis hit in earnest in March, it has been providing not only the latest news and updates, but also public service and hands-on information dissemination on the latest national and local government efforts to overcome the crisis.
DWIZ 882 airs daily the Public Briefing: Laging Handa program of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), which aims to provide daily news and updates to the public in line with the current situation of the country in its fight against Covid-19.
D. Edgard A. Cabangon, chairman of DWIZ, owner and operator Aliw Broadcasting Corp. (ABC), initiated the live hookup with Laging Handa at the special request of PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar, the program’s host. Cohosting with Andanar is PCOO Undersecretary Rocky Ignacio.
Ely Aligora, DWIZ executive vice president, said the station has extended full support for the daily public briefing on air for several months now. It has dedicated its 11 am to 12 noon IZ Balita Nationwide slot to the daily public briefings.
To ensure the widest dissemination of the program, besides opening its line, it also makes it available via e-mail, Facebook and other social-media sites to fellow Filipinos in the country and abroad. The program is widely followed by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other Filipinos abroad.
Besides the DWIZ broadcast, the PCOO briefing is livestreamed in its Facebook page daily. In this interactive medium, listeners from all over the world send comments, messages and questions about the state of the government’s efforts against Covid-19.
Besides unburdening the public’s worries, DWIZ performs its public service function by serving as a help desk which compiles and consolidates queries and concerns from citizens that are then forwarded to concerned agencies, mainly the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The news and news developments and programs, like Laging Handa are reported to listeners in crisp and crystal-clear sound heard nationwide with DWIZ’s 50,000-watt transmitter. DWIZ is among a handful of Metro Manila AM stations broadcasting with this transmission power.
From the start, Aliw Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) founder Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua envisioned providing the strongest transmission power possible for DWIZ to be able to service the broadest number of listeners possible.
With its powerful transmission, DWIZ fully lives up to its other slogan of “Ang Himpilang Todong Lakas.”
The late ambassador firmly believed in radio as the best information and communication medium to serve the people because of its reach to the most remote communities. “He was always for reaching out to the grassroots as a media owner,” said Johnny Dayang, a pioneer associate who helped the ambassador set up his media companies.
Studies have concluded that stress and anxiety are common in the face of this pandemic. In line with this, DWIZ 882 continues to air programs that aim to uplift the spirit of the Filipinos in times of crisis. God-centered programs target the spiritual and emotional health of the public to bring hope and life to those who feel hopeless and helpless.
In addition to this, Covid-19 case updates and frequently-asked contact details of agencies related to the Covid-19 response are being flashed daily during DWIZ 882’s livestream, which can be viewed through its Facebook page and YouTube channel, this to maximize DWIZ 882’s platform in providing accessible information to the public.
In the end, Aligora said, DWIZ 882 persists to expand and improve its service amid the pandemic to serve and stand with Filipinos.