Radio Veritas Asia is a non-commercial Catholic shortwave radio station that broadcasts across Asia. Headquartered in Quezon City, Philippines, it is operated by the Philippine Radio Educational and Information Center (PREIC), which also managed the original Radio Veritas from 1969 to 1991. The station's Urdu Service commenced operations on August 14, 1987, in

Lahore, Pakistan Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 27th largest in the world, with a population of over 14 million. Lahore is one of Pakistan ...

, targeting Urdu-speaking audiences. Radio Veritas Asia focuses on promoting social justice for marginalized communities through programming centered on moral, religious, and inspirational themes. Additionally, it aims to foster peace and unity across diverse sects, ethnicities, and genders by producing sociocultural content and facilitating interfaith dialogue. Aligned with its mission, the station emphasizes ethical values, advocates for harmony, and serves as a platform for intercultural and interreligious understanding in Asia.

History

Radio Veritas Asia traces its origins to December 1958, when delegates of the Southeast Asian Bishops' Conference unanimously resolved to establish a radio station serving

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. Eleven years later, on April 11, 1969, Radio Veritas was inaugurated. The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC) assumed operational oversight of Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) starting in 1970. This responsibility was formally confirmed by the FABC General Assembly in 1974. Since 1991, the annual magazine of RVA's

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Service has been housed in the office building of WAVE Studio in Lahore, Pakistan. A majority of the Urdu Service's programs are also recorded at this studio.

Role in the People Power Revolution

During the 1986

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

Camp Crame Camp General Rafael T. Crame () is the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City. It is situated across EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo, the national headquarters of ...

emerged as a key rallying site for protesters. In February 1986, allegations of election fraud during the

1986 Philippine presidential election The 1986 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on February 7, 1986. Popularly known as the 1986 snap election, it is among the landmark events that led up to the People Power Revolution, the downfall of the preside ...

sparked nationwide unrest. Mass protests ensued, including the ''Tagumpay ng Bayan'' rally at

Rizal Park Rizal Park (), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area of . The site on where the park is situated was ...

on February 16, and a boycott of businesses linked to Ferdinand Marcos' regime. Amid the turmoil, the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), led by Defense Secretary

Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juan Valentin Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 to ...

, attempted a coup by seizing

Camp Aguinaldo Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo (CGEA; formerly Camp Murphy), also known as Camp Aguinaldo, is the site of the general headquarters (GHQ) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It is located in Quezon City along EDSA, a major thoroughfare ...

. After learning Marcos' forces had uncovered the plot, Enrile invited Philippine Constabulary Chief

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reached ...

to join the rebellion. Ramos agreed, and the two held a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo to announce their withdrawal of support for Marcos. Following the event, Ramos returned to Camp Crame, while Enrile remained at Camp Aguinaldo. Cardinal

Jaime Sin Jaime Cardinal Lachica Sin, ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and also formally known as Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardina ...

, upon learning of their defiance, broadcast an urgent appeal via Radio Veritas, urging Filipinos to form a human barricade along

EDSA Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major Ring road, circumferential road around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or citi ...

between the two camps to shield the rebels from Marcos' military.

Post-revolution developments

After the revolution, Radio Veritas expanded its outreach by adopting new technologies, including internet streaming and webcasting, while planning a transition to digital broadcasting. From 2007 to June 2011, the station received over 30,000 listener letters from Pakistan, 3,500 from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and 500 from other countries. On October 9, 2011, RVA's Urdu Service hosted its 11th Listeners' Conference in Lahore, attended by over 80 participants nationwide. The service aired 13 daily programs in Urdu, reaching audiences in Pakistan and India, under the leadership of studio director Father Nadeem John Shakir. The 15th Catholic Radio Listeners' Conference was held on September 21, 2015, at Lahore's Loyola Hall, drawing 120 attendees. Bishop Joseph Arshad of

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

, head of the Commission for Social Communications, emphasized the role of radio in fostering peace, tolerance, and brotherhood. RVA's shortwave transmissions officially ceased on June 30, 2018.

Funding

Radio Veritas Asia’s operations are primarily funded by Missio, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Catholic pontifical mission society. In 2010, Missio announced a 10% reduction in its annual financial support to the organization. Additionally, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan provided annual funding of PKR 10,000 (approximately $170 USD as of 2005) to support RVA's Urdu Service until 2005.

Programs

Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) designs its programming around its dual objectives of

evangelization Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

and sociocultural empowerment.

Evangelization

RVA's evangelization efforts feature a mix of moral, religious, and sociocultural content, alongside limited political, economic, and informational programs. Core offerings include: *Gospel Reflection *Church News *Morals *Catholic Doctrines *

Catechesis Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

*Liturgy and Sacraments *Dialogue with Religions and Cultures *Role of the Church in the Modern World In 2015, the station introduced two daily 27-minute programs (morning and evening) covering health, cultural values, global landmarks, notable personalities, social issues, literature, inventions, and international news.

Thematic focus

RVA's sociocultural programming emphasizes: *People Empowerment *Community Building *Family *Women and Youth *Science and Technology *Environment *History and Culture *News and Information *Health

Through the years

Papal endorsements

During Radio Veritas Asia's (RVA) 25th anniversary in 1995,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

emphasized the importance of supporting the station’s mission, acknowledging that doing so would require "greater sacrifices and renewed commitment" from local churches across Asia. On April 11, 2019,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

sent a message to RVA for its 50th anniversary, urging the station to continue fostering "a more just and united society."

Archives and UNESCO recognition

RVA's archives house original broadcast recordings from the 1986

. In recognition of their historical significance,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

cataloged these audio files under its ''Memory of the World Programme'' and ''

Digital Preservation In library science, library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal process to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable in the long term. It involves planning, resource allocation, and appli ...

of Documentary Heritage'' initiatives.

News service expansion

On July 25, 2020, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, then-chair of Pakistan's National Commission for Social Communications, launched RVA's Urdu-language news service. This marked the first dedicated Catholic news program in Pakistan.Herald Malaysia August 1, 2020
/ref>

References

Website

Radio Veritas Asia's website
{{Authority control International broadcasters 1969 establishments in the Philippines Radio stations in the Philippines Mass media companies of the Philippines Philippine radio networks Catholic radio stations Companies based in Quezon City Companies based in Lahore Catholic Church in Pakistan Mass media in Pakistan Urdu-language mass media Radio stations established in 1969 Mass media in Lahore Privately held companies of the Philippines Defunct shortwave radio stations