AI in the Newsroom: The Dawn of a New Broadcasting Era in the Philippines

 

The 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report has shed light on how audiences around the world view artificial intelligence (AI) in news production. The verdict? People are cautiously optimistic — open to the idea of AI, but only when it helps human journalists, not replaces them.

According to the report, readers are most interested in using AI to make news easier and faster to consume. The top uses include summarized versions of news articles (27%) and automatic translations (24%). This shows a clear preference for AI as a supportive tool, not a takeover mechanism.

Interestingly, this global shift aligns perfectly with a bold move happening right here in the Philippines. The Presidential Broadcast Service - Bureau of Broadcast Services (PBS-BBS) has officially introduced Aivan and Aira, the country’s first AI-powered government news reporters.

Meet Aivan and Aira: The New Voices of Philippine Government Media

These AI reporters were created to help broadcast government news with greater speed, consistency, and accuracy - a step toward using technology to make public information, from programs to policies, more accessible to every Filipino.

Aivan and Aira now headline AI Talks with The VoiceMaster, a pioneering radio program on Radyo Pilipinas airing every Saturday. Their mission: deliver fast, factual, and bias-free news to the public.

PBS-BBS Director General Fernando Amparo Sanga explained in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that AI can help government media keep up with the demands of today’s fast-paced digital landscape.

“AI helps deliver content faster so we can adapt to people’s growing demand for more digital content,” said Sanga. “Whoever gets the first video or visual out there gets the audience’s attention.”

A Human-AI Partnership Built on Trust and Accountability

The PBS-BBS partnership with Pocholo De Leon Gonzales, widely known as The VoiceMaster of the Philippines and the Godfather of Filipino AI Voices, gave birth to this groundbreaking initiative. Gonzales also serves as the producer and host of AI Talks with The VoiceMaster and is behind the creation of Aivan and Aira.

“This isn’t just a radio show - it’s a revolution in how news and knowledge are delivered,” Gonzales told the Philippine News Agency. “Balitang AI, the world’s first AI-animated news reporter, proves that Filipinos can be pioneers, not just followers.”

Director Sanga emphasized that while AI handles the delivery, human journalists remain at the heart of content creation and verification. All AI-read scripts undergo the same strict editorial process as any government news release.

“We’ll be very strict in implementing AI reporting protocols. Every piece of content still goes through the same vetting process done by our newsroom,” he clarified.

Aivan and Aira will never express personal opinions -  their sole function is to deliver facts. “AI reporters won’t editorialize. They will only read verified facts written by journalists,” Sanga added. “This ensures the information remains objective and accurate.”

AI Is Not Here to Replace — It’s Here to Enhance

The partnership between PBS-BBS and Gonzales is grounded in one simple belief: AI is a tool for innovation, not a threat to jobs.

“AI is here to partner with humans, not replace them,” said Sanga. “That’s why through this radio program, we want to demystify AI and help ordinary Filipinos appreciate its benefits.”

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez echoed the same message, reminding communicators to use AI responsibly.

“Use AI to improve efficiency, but never lose the human touch. Empathy and judgment can’t be replaced by any algorithm,” Gomez emphasized. He also pointed out that while AI can be a powerful tool for analysis, monitoring, and production, it can never replace authenticity and emotional connection in communication.

A Vision for the Future: Empowerment Through Innovation

The Marcos administration continues to champion digitalization across government sectors — from improving internet connectivity to developing smart applications that make public services easier to access. In line with this, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has announced plans to develop a national AI engine designed to assist Filipinos in gathering information and reporting crimes, with multi-language support in local dialects.

As AI becomes more integrated into news and governance, the message is clear: the future of work isn’t about replacement but enhancement. When technology and human creativity work hand in hand, the result is faster, smarter, and more inclusive communication — the kind that empowers citizens rather than alienates them.

With Aivan, Aira, and the visionary leadership of the PBS-BBS and The VoiceMaster, the Philippines is taking a confident step into a new era of broadcasting - one where human passion meets machine precision, and where every Filipino can hear the future, loud and clear.

“AI TALKS WITH THE VOICEMASTER” HONORED AS ASIA’S MOST INNOVATIVE AI PROGRAM ON RADIO AND SPOTIFY AT THE ASIA’S PINNACLE AWARDS 2025

https://www.facebook.com/Ai.TalksPH?locale=zh_CN

The Age of Reckoning: $4.5 Trillion in Loss!? and a Scourge of Extreme Weather

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

As negotiators convene for COP30 in Belém, a new, damning report has dropped—a catastrophic ledger of three decades of climate failure. The Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026, compiled by Germanwatch, has unmasked the devastating human and economic toll exacted by extreme weather events between 1995 and 2024, issuing a thunderous call for immediate, radical action.

The headline figures are staggering: more than 832,000 people have lost their lives worldwide across over 9,700 extreme weather events. The financial damage alone totals a colossal $4.5 trillion US dollars (inflation-adjusted). This latest index is not merely a collection of statistics; it is a stark confirmation that climate-fuelled crises are intensifying, taking an ever-greater toll, and pushing the world toward an unmanageable future.

The Epicenter of Crisis: Nations on the Brink

The report shines an unforgiving spotlight on the nations least responsible for global emissions yet most vulnerable to their consequences. The retrospective analysis of impacts from 1995 to 2024 places small island states and developing nations overwhelmingly at the top of the crisis ranking.

The top countries most affected over the three decades are:

Dominica

Myanmar

Honduras

Libya

Haiti

Grenada

The Philippines

Nicaragua

India

The Bahamas

For countries like The Philippines (ranked 7th), which has weathered 371 extreme weather events, the crisis is a constant threat to communities and development. Meanwhile, India (ranked 9th) faces a terrifying spectrum of events, from floods and cyclones to debilitating heat waves and drought.

The Shadow of Cyclone Nargis

The tragedy of Myanmar (ranked 2nd) underscores the deadly synergy between climatic and non-climatic vulnerabilities. Over the past three decades, Myanmar recorded 55 extreme events, yet a single disaster accounts for over 95% of its fatalities: Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

The storm, which killed nearly 140,000 people, was not only a natural disaster but a stark humanitarian failure. The report highlights how the death toll was tragically exacerbated by human actions: deforestation, mangrove removal, and a prioritisation of security over humanitarian aid. These failures made the low-lying delta region acutely vulnerable to the storm surge, leading to immense and avoidable loss of life and livelihood.

The crisis is not just historical. The 2024 ranking paints a fresh picture of devastation, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Chad occupying the top three spots, devastated by a mix of powerful hurricanes and months-long floods.

The Imperative at COP30: A Legal and Moral Obligation

The Germanwatch findings arrive as global leaders face mounting pressure to deliver concrete results in Belém. The data urgently demands progress on three key fronts: setting clear targets for climate adaptation, securing reliable finance for vulnerable nations, and taking decisive steps to cut global emissions.

The moral imperative is now backed by a legal one. Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion, declaring that nations have a binding legal obligation to prevent and respond to the harms caused by climate change. This puts the responsibility of decisive action squarely on the shoulders of governments. The economic stakes are equally dire: the World Economic Forum identified extreme weather events intensified by global warming as the world’s second greatest risk, surpassed only by armed conflict and war.

A Decisive Call: Closing the Ambition Gap

The experts behind the report are unequivocal in their demands for the UN climate talks.

David Eckstein, Senior Advisor at Germanwatch, warns: “The results of the CRI 2026 clearly demonstrate that COP30 must find effective ways to close the global ambition gap. Global emissions have to be reduced immediately; otherwise, there is a risk of a rising number of deaths and economic disaster worldwide. At the same time, adaptation efforts must be accelerated. Effective solutions for loss and damage must be implemented, and adequate climate finance must be provided.”

This echoes the plight of nations trapped in a cycle of destruction. Vera Künzel, Senior Advisor on climate change adaptation, points to the regularity of crises in the hardest-hit countries. “Countries such as Haiti, the Philippines, and India... are hit by floods, heatwaves, or storms so regularly that entire regions can hardly recover from the impacts until the next event strikes,” she explains. She stresses that without more long-term support—including for adapting to the climate crisis—these nations face insurmountable challenges.

As Laura Schäfer, head of international climate policy at Germanwatch, notes, heat waves and storms pose the greatest threat to human life, while storms have caused the far greatest monetary damage.

The Climate Risk Index 2026 is a chilling testament to three decades of inaction. It serves as a final, urgent warning: the choice to secure a stable world, or endure an escalating cycle of catastrophe, rests with the choices made today in Belém.

A Call to Action: The Green Philippines Mandate

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

The hour is late. The climate crisis is not a distant threat—it is the rain that washes away our homes and the heat that kills our crops. For too long, we have operated on a broken system: take, make, and dispose. That ends now.

This proposal is not a roadmap; it is a mandate for survival, prosperity, and sovereignty. We will transition the Philippines into a global leader of the circular economy, ensuring that every drop of water, every acre of land, and every ounce of potential is safeguarded for generations to come.

I. Sovereignty Over Our Soil and Water

We will end the anarchy that governs our most precious resources and finally give control back to the Filipino people.

Secure the Foundation: Pass the NLUA Now. I will certify the National Land Use Act (NLUA) as urgent, ensuring its immediate enactment within the first 100 days. This law will be the sacred shield that protects prime agricultural land, critical watersheds, and disaster-prone areas from reckless conversion and exploitation.

A New Era for Water: We will not just manage scarcity; we will create abundance. We will launch a national investment blitz in climate-resilient water resource management infrastructure and pioneer systems for massive water reuse and recycling, recognizing every drop as a valuable asset, not a throwaway commodity.

II. The Energy Revolution: Powering a Green Future

We will free our nation from the volatile, polluting tyranny of fossil fuels and build an energy system that is cheap, reliable, and entirely Filipino.

The Power of Indigenous Energy: Our energy policy will be RENEWABLES-FIRST. We will unleash the potential of solar, wind, and geothermal power through streamlined permitting and aggressive incentives, guaranteeing low-cost, secure power for every community.

No Fossil Fuel Chains: We will achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050, backed by a science-based roadmap. This means a clear, uncompromising commitment: the early, decisive retirement of all coal plants and the time-bound, temporary use of fossil gas (LNG) only as a strategic bridge. We refuse to exchange one fossil fuel dependency for another.

Safety Over Sentimentality: We are forward-looking, but we are not reckless. I will strictly REJECT the revival of the dangerous Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) while we cautiously explore advanced, safe, modular nuclear technologies for the far future.

III. Circularity and the Responsible Earth Charter

We will transform our mindset: waste is not trash; it is opportunity. Our minerals and resources belong to the Filipino people, and they will be used to build a stronger nation.

The Circular Mandate: I will establish the powerful National Circular Economy Council (NCEC) to dismantle the linear economy across every sector. We will enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and revolutionize our resource use, turning discarded materials into raw materials for our own industries.

Stop the Bleeding: End Destructive Mining. I will immediately scrap the executive order that opened the doors to reckless mineral agreements. I commit to declaring and protecting clearly defined no-mining areas—our ecological sanctuaries are non-negotiable.

Minerals for National Glory: We will enact the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB), ensuring our resources fuel our own industrialization. Furthermore, we will mandate urban mining, recovering valuable, critical minerals from e-waste right here at home, reducing our need to rip them from the earth.

Voice of the People: No resource extraction will proceed without the unquestionable, democratic consent and veto power of local communities and Indigenous Peoples.

IV. The Climate Industry: A New Economy of Hope

This transformation is not a cost; it is the single greatest economic opportunity of our time—a chance to export our resilience and create millions of secure, sustainable jobs.

The Green Jobs Tsunami: We will fund and incentivize the creation of a Green and Resilient Infrastructure Network, generating a tsunami of green jobs in areas like repair, remanufacturing, recycling, and sustainable construction.

The Climate Industry Hub: We will brand the Philippines as the Asia-Pacific hub for climate-tech and climate resilience, attracting global investment in adaptation and mitigation solutions.

Mobility for All: We will champion and invest massively in mass and active transport—trains, ferries, bicycles, and walkways—to clean our air, decongest our cities, and deliver dignity in travel.

This is the commitment. This is the challenge. We will build a Green Philippines.