History of Journalism in the Philippines
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Early Years
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Period of Revolution
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American Colonial Period
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Japanese Occupation
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Post Liberation
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Martial La Contemporary !imes
Early Years !he history of "ournalism in the Philippines #oes bac$ to the %&th century' the same period hen En#land and Europe ere startin# on the proliferation of community nespapers( )t as in the year %&*+ hen the ,-ather of -ilipino Printin#,' !omas Pinpin' launched the first Philippine nesletter called ,.uccessos -elices, /-ortunate Events0( !he publication as ritten in .panish and contained a %12pa#e report on current events( )n %+33' folloin# Pinpin4s debut in printin#' he a#ain came up ith his Ho"as 5olantes 5olante s or ,flyin# ,flyin# sheets,( sheets,( )t )t as titled titled ,Aviso ,Aviso Al Publico, /6otices to the Public0' hich served the .paniards and had a role comparative to a ,ton crier(, .urprisin#ly' it too$ a #ap of a little more than a decade before the first actual nespaper' ,7el .uperior 8ovierno', as launched by 8ov( -ernande9 del -or#ueras on Au#ust :' %:%%( )t as the so2called first re#ularly issued publication publica tion that that reported reported developments developments about .pain .pain and Europe( )t as also also the first nespaper that included in its layout the name' date and place of its publication( publica tion( ;nfortunat ;nfortunately' ely' the the paper only came came up ith ith %< issues issues ithin ithin its years of operation from %:%% to %:*=( 7ue to the constraints of the church and #overnment at that time' *< years had lapsed before the Philippine press continued on its development( -rom the first re#ular publication' then came the first daily nespaper on 7ecember %'
%:1& called ,La Esperan9a(, !he paper' edited by -elipe Lacorte and Evaristo Calderon' lasted only for three years( Hoever' it #ave ay to the birth of other dailies such as ,La Estrella, in %:1+ and ,7iario de Manila, in %:1:( 7iario4s e>istence as si#nificant because it monopoli9ed the mar$et a year after its launch and became the #overnment4s daily or#an in %:<=( )t as renamed to ,?oletin Oficial de -ilipinas, hich later ceased circulation by Royal Order in %:&@( !he paper reappeared ith -elipe del Pan as its editor and encountered another official decree that led to its permanent closure on -ebruary %3' %:3:( !here had been a surplus of nespapers but most of them tal$ed about the same issues and had almost similar formats( ;ntil %:&=' a !a#alo# publisher' Mariano .evilla' founded El Catolico -ilipino( )t as considered the first Philippine reli#ious nespaper' une>pectedly not mana#ed by the Church( )t as also a paper hich seriously dealt ith the problems of -ilipinos( Another first in the history is El Porvenir -ilipino founded in %:&<( )t as the nespaper that pioneered in to2edition dailies( Later it as folloed by Revista Mercantil hich came out the same year( )n the succeedin# years there had been attempts to create a more liberal and mass appealin# press( !he year %::+ mar$ed the be#innin# of a more opinionated "ournalism in the Philippines( )t officially be#un on April %' %::+ ith the birth of La Opinion( Accordin# to historians' ,it as the first paper to defy the friars and campai#ned for the ouster of the reli#ious,
Period of Revolution )n -ebruary %3' %::3 La .olidaridad came out as the ,mouthpiece of the revolution(, )t operated ith its policies ,to or$ peacefully for social and economic reforms' to e>pose the real pli#ht of the Philippines and to champion liberalism and democracy(, !he staff of the paper as comprised of $non personas li$e Jose Ri9al' Marcelo H( del Pilar' Mariano Ponce' Andres ?onifacio' Pio 5alen9uela and 8raciano Lope92Jaena( !he later became the foundin# editor until he as succeeded by del Pilar on October *%' %::3( !he paper ceased publication on 6ovember %<' %:3< hich as then folloed by the death of its second and last editor in the early %:3&( -rom the reformists4 nespapers' the secret society of rebels or better $non as the Batipunan also came up ith their on publication( !hey established ,An# Balayaan, /Liberty0 on January %' %:3&( )t as edited by Pio 5alen9uela' Emilio Jacinto and Andres ?onifacio( ;nfortunately' it only came out ith one issue hen a Batipunero betrayed the secrecy of the paper( 6evertheless' its e>istence increased the membership of the society to *@'@@@( Other revolutionary papers that emer#ed in those times ere El Heraldo de )loilo on January %' %:3: and La Libertad on June =@' %:3:( Also in the same year' La )ndependencia as founded on .eptember * by 8en( Antonio Luna and -ernando Ma( 8uerrero( )t as staffed by then famous riters Rafael Palma' Cecilio Apostol' Epifanio de los .antos and Jud#e Jose Abreu( )t folded up in
January %3@@ hen the American decided to stay in the island and -ilipino bias presses one by one closed don( Dhen the Americans ere sloly #ainin# control over the island several so2 called -il2American Dar nespapers then cropped up( 8en( Emilio A#uinaldo' in his effort to unify his armies' put up his on revolutionary or#an called ,El Heraldo de la Revolucion, on .eptember =:' %:3:( Li$eise' ith the arrival of more American fleets on Au#ust %*' %:3:' American editors aboard Admiral 7eey4s fla#ship came up ith the paper' ?oundin# ?illo( .ucceedin# the ?illo' nespapers such as American .oldier' -reedom' and !he American also came to e>istence(
American Colonial Period After the .paniards4 defeat from the Americans' En#lish nespapers started to circulate( )t as lead by the Manila !imes of !homas 8oan hich as established on October %%' %:3:( !he paper as a response to the complaints of American soldiers ith the lac$ of a #ood En#lish nespaper at that time( )t encountered various chan#es in onership includin# then President Manuel L( ue9on ho bou#ht it in %3%+ and sold it after four years of possession( !o other forei#n oners had the Manila !imes before Ale"andro Roces' .r( acFuired it in %3=+( Roces already runnin# the !5! /!aliba2La 5an#uardia2!ribune0 chain at that time then reali9ed the unnecessary onin# of another En#lish paper and so he closed it don in %3*@( Also sometime in %3=+ the son of Ale"andro Roces' .r(' Ramon Roces put up a ma#a9ine $non as 8raphic( !5! then as considered the first nespaper chain in the Philippines( )ts foundin# as one of the hi#hli#ht events durin# the %3=@s and had bestoed on Roces the titled ,father of modern "ournalism(, Manila !ribune as established by Roces on April %' %3=<' ith Carlos P( Romulo as editor( Another American nespaper issued that time as the ,oldest e>istin# nespaper,' !he Manila 7aily ?ulletin ' established by Carson !aylor in -ebruary %' %3@@( !he paper started out as a shippin# "ournal and later idened its scope in %3%=( .ome time after %3*@ ith Herald and !ribune on tou#h competition for hi#h number of circulation' .en( 5icente Madri#al' oner of the Herald' put up his on publication chain called 7MHM comprised of .panish daily' El 7ebate' ee$ly' Monday Post' Herald and Mabuhay' a Pilipino daily(
Japanese Occupation Dith the invasion of the Japanese most publications ere shut don e>cept for the ones they used for their propa#anda( 7MHM as the first destroyed hen Manila as bombed( )t as only !5! hich as left to operate hoever it as controlled and functioned as ,solely for the benefit of the Japanese state, on October %=' %31=( !he chain to#ether ith Ramon Roces4 Liayay as alloed to be published re#ularly but under censorship of the Japanese )mperial Army( !he printin# and distribution of the periodicals ere transferred under Osa$a Mainichi Publishin# Company'established by Manila
.inbusya Corporation( !he only papers thate>isted those times ere that of !5!' Liayay' Manila .himbun' .hin2.ei$i' ?icol Herald and 7avao 6ichi26ichi' all under the control of the corporation( Dith the side of the #uerrillas they also came up ith their on periodicals( !hese ere typeritten or mimeo#raphed paraphernalias on : G > %%2inch paper edited by "ournalists2#uerillas( !he publication served to empoer the soldiers4 and people4s morale and aid as counter propa#anda a#ainst the Japanese(
Post Liberation After the atrocities of the Japanese and Dorld Dar )) in #eneral' Manila as freed on -ebruary *' %31<( At that time came a rapid proliferation of publications ith most of them simply printed li$e flyers or in sin#le2sheets( Manila -ree Philippines became the first post2Liberation nespaper published by the ;. Office of Dar )nformation( !he paper circulated from -ebruary 2 .eptember %31<( .ome of the periodicals closed by the Japanese made comebac$s but those used for propa#anda one by one perished( !hose that disappeared included Philippine Liberty 6es by Manuel -( Manahan' Manila Post edited by Abelardo .ubido and ife !rinidad !arrosa2.ubido'Manila !ribune edited by 5icente Albino2Pacis and a certain Mornin# .un( !hose that ere revived included !he Manila ?ulletin' further developed in %31+' Philippines Herald' Manila Chronicle' started as ,!he People4s 6espaper, and as later bou#ht by Eu#enio Lope9 in %31+ and Manila !imes' re2 established by the Roces family( Li$eise' Ramon Roces' son of 7on Ale"andro' also put out Manila4s first afternoon nespaper called Evenin# 6es( -urthermore' his 8raphic' renamed as Bislap28raphic 'Liayay and vernacular sister publications ?isaya' ?annaa# and Hili#aynon ere also re2launched(
Martial Law After more than three decades of free press' on .eptember =%' %3+= upon the declaration of Martial La' publications ere once a#ain halted from their liberal operations( !hen Pres( -erdinand Marcos issued Letter of )nstruction /LO)0 6o( ) hich contained the ordinance' ,to ta$e over and control or cause the ta$in# over and control of the mass media for the duration of the national emer#ency' or until otherise ordered by the President or by his duly desi#nated representative(, Almost similar to the press4 situation durin# the Japanese Occupation' publications ere put under #overnment supervision( Media entities ere seFuestered or closed don restrainin# their operation unless approved by the MMC MAC a#ency' hich as tas$ed to re#ulate them( Editors' publishers and activist2"ournalists ere put into "ail considerin# them as threat to the administration( )t as in this period hen the li$es 8eny Lope9' Jr(' Chino Roces' Ma> 5( .oliven' Luis ?eltran' !eodoro Locsin' Jose 7io$no' ?eni#no AFuino' Jr( and others ere detained at Camp Crame(
!he only periodicals that continuously e>isted ere those oned by Marcos4 cronies and relatives( !hese included Manila 7aily ?ulletin' then oned by the late 8en( Hans Men9i ho as presidential aide2de2camp' !he !imes Journal by ?en"amin ,Bo$oy, Romualde9' brother of then -irst Lady' )melda Marcos' and !he 7aily E>press by Roberto .( ?enedicto' ho as a family friend(
Contemporary Times Dhen the Marcos4 administration ended because of the first PeoplePoer revolt' the press as once a#ain freed( !here as an influ> of periodicals hich as a result ofthe repression( As forthe case of Manila !imes' Ramon Roces decided to revive the paper on January %3:&' re#istered under his#randson' Alfredo R( 8uerrero( He also brou#ht bac$ La 5an#uardia Publishin# Co(' )nc( hich as for his other #randson' Ramon R( 7avila( !he nespaper came out -ebruary <' %3:& ith his cousin' JoaFuin ,!iton#, R( Roces as editor2in2chief( !he Manila Chronicle as re2established ith publisher JoaFuin ,Chino, Roces and editor Amando 7oronilla( !he ee$ly' De -orum' also emer#ed ith Jose ?ur#os as its publisher( Present day nespapers such as Philippine 7aily )nFuirer 'Philippine .tar' Manila .tandard and even ?usiness Dorld ere born durin# those times(