MANILA, Philippines – Remember President Rodrigo Duterte’s weekend television show when he was still Davao City mayor?

Soon, the show Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa will be launched as a national television show and will be renamed Mula Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa, Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said on Thursday, August 18.

But while preparations for the TV show are still underway, the Presidential Communications Office is set to release the tabloid version of the show with the same title.

“Ladies and gentlemen, habang wala pa po ‘yung television show, ginagawa pa po namin ‘yung studio sa Malacañang (while the TV show is not yet ready, we are still preparing the studio in Malacañang), please welcome Mula Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa tabloid,” said Andanar during a Thursday press conference in Davao City.

He held up the first edition of the tabloid covering the dates August 19-31, 2016. Unsurprisingly, the main story is about Duterte’s war on drugs.

Andanar said it will be a bi-monthly publication with an initial printing of 5,000 copies. The tabloid is free.

The topics of the tabloid are not all serious. It comes with an Entertainment or Showbiz section, said Andanar.

The Showbiz section even features a blind-item piece about a childstar whose career suffered from drug addiction and a singer whose talent faded due to vice.

Assistant Secretary Mon Cualoping said an online version of the tabloid will be launched within the next 3 weeks.

“We will also launch an online version, News for Change. We are finalizing the URL with DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology). Hopefully, we will launch in the next 3 weeks,” said Cualoping.

Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa was a TV show that aired every Sunday in Davao City. Duterte himself co-hosted the show.

It was primarily his way of directly addressing Davao City residents and discussing his government programs, policies, and insights about various topics. 

Notably, he read out names of people suspected of involvement in the drug trade during the show.

He also used the show as a platform for reading out complaints or concerns of citizens. – Rappler.com