GMA News adopts PHL, drops RP for headlines
GMA News has decided to replace RP with the international standard PHL for use in headlines and TV crawlers. The move comes on the heels of the decision last week by the Department of Foreign Affairs to begin using either PH or PHL in its correspondence and reports. “We have an international audience so it’s best for the country’s brand identity if we follow the DFA’s lead and use a common abbreviation," said Howie Severino, editor-in-chief of GMANews.TV. However, he added that his news organization will continue to use RP when the initials form part of formal names that the government continues to use, such as “RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement." Among the news site's headlines on Wednesday were “Defense chief: PHL still safe for foreigners despite travel warnings" and “PHL to receive $1.25B in renewable energy loans." Aside from GMANews.TV’s headlines, country initials also appear in headlines and crawlers on GMA News' TV news programs. PHL has long been used to refer to the Philippines by international organizers of sports events, while the .ph web domain is used for Philippines-based web sites. GMA News decided on PHL rather than PH because the latter is also the brand name of a commercial product. Both PHL and PH are country codes for the Philippines designated by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The DFA has said the use of the designated country codes PH or PHL would “avoid the ambiguity and confusion with the use of the initials RP." Other agencies are expected to follow suit, although according to Manuel Quezon III, Undersecretary of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning, the change has not yet been discussed at the Cabinet level. With the shift, the government will begin abandoning RP — initials that have been used since 1946, the year the country became independent from the United States. – VS/HS, GMANews.TV