Interview: World Media Summit an opportunity to enhance cooperation, mutual understanding, says Philippine News Agency chief

“With better mutual understanding, it is natural that we will cooperate towards achieving our common goals,” says Philippine media leader on cooperation with Xinhua.

   GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — The Philippine News Agency hopes to take the opportunity of the World Media Summit to enhance cooperation and foster mutual understanding, said Luis Ausan Morente, head of the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

   “I expect that PNA and Xinhua will continue to partner with each other in the future,” Morente told Xinhua in an exclusive interview while attending the ongoing fifth World Media Summit here on Saturday.

   Also on Saturday, the two agencies signed agreements to deepen cooperation in areas such as news exchanges, personnel exchanges and visits, as well as integrated media development.

   Recalling that PNA and Xinhua had signed a news cooperation agreement in 1978, he said this signing indicated a longstanding healthy relationship between the two sides.

   Morente said the well-organized summit provided platforms for media outlets to learn more about each other’s cultures, contexts and current events.

   “With better mutual understanding, it is natural that we will cooperate towards achieving our common goals,” he said.

   As for artificial intelligence (AI), Morente deemed it a breakthrough technology in the media industry and a tool, which can be leveraged to promote the development of media.

   “We can harness the power of AI to determine patterns for us so that we will be able to make more informed decisions as we create and publish more content,” he said. 

 This photo taken on Dec. 3, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the 5th World Media Summit (WMS) in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

   A seasoned journalist who has visited China over 10 times, the Philippine media leader expressed his gratitude to China.

   He thanked China for offering help a few years ago to rebuild their office, and for donating laptops along with other supplies.

   “My first trip to China was in 2000,” Morente said, adding that he has witnessed China’s development in the past 20 years through multiple visits to China.

   Commending China’s efforts in alleviating poverty, he said it’s very inspiring, and it’s a good example to learn from.

   “China’s great fight against extreme poverty demonstrates China’s bravery, vision, readiness to confront challenges, and its strong sense of duty,” Morente said.