The Philippine Press in early years

Tomas Pinpin - father of Filipino printing; learned the art of printing from Spanish friars and
Chinese craftsmen.
 1637, Successos Felices (Fortunate Events), a 14-page newsletter in Spanish to satisfy the
colonizers’ thirst for news about other parts of the country; devoted to the raids by Muslim
pirates.
 Del Superior Govierno, Aug. 8, 1811, first regularly issued publication to satisfy the needs of the
Spaniards for information on development in Spain and Europe. Edited by Spanish pro-consul,
Gov. Manuel Fernandez del Folgueras.
 La Esperenza, 1846, first daily newspaper; catered to the Spanish elite; was suppressed by the
Governor General after 38 years of publication, allegedly for inciting the Filipinos to rebel against
the Spaniards.
 La Estrella, 1847
 Diario de Manila, 1848-1852, in monopoly; re-established after Boletin in 1860 till 1899;
maintained correspondence service with Spain; best edited newspaper with long continuous and
prosperous existence or 38 years.
 Boletin Oficial de Filipinas, 1852-1860, lasted for less then a decade; daily government organ
 El Porvenir Filipino, 1865, appeared with two editions daily.
 El Porvenir Filipino, 1865, appeared with two editions daily.
 El Correo de Manila, 1876.

 La Oceani Espanola, 1877; paper of progressive Filipinos defending their rights to representation
in the Spanish Cortes.
 Diario de Filipinas,1880
 La Regeneracion, 1876, short-lived and succeeded by El Fenix; both usedsensational styles
 La Opinion, 1887, started political journalism, first paper to defy the friars and campaigned for
the ouster of the religious, including an archbishop
 El Resumen, 1890, published by Pablo Poblete, the first multiple newspaper publisher (founder,
publisher, chief contributor to 20 newspapers); found the secret to make it popular to the public.

The Revolutionary Period

 La Solidaridad, Feb. 19, 1889, the mouthpiece of the revolution. Vigorously exposed the abuses
of Spanish administrators in the Phil. & refuted that the Filipinos had no civilization before the
coming of the Spaniards.
 Diariong Tagalog, 1882, which lamented the wretched conditions of the Phil. and exhorted
fellow countrymen to be patriotic & fight Spaniards’ injustices. Founded by Graciano Lopez-
Jaena and Marcelo H. del Pilar.
 El Heraldo de Iloilo, Jan. 1, 1898.
 La Independencia, Sept. 3, 1898, by Gen. Antonio Luna & Fernando Ma. Guerrero to castigate
both Spaniards & Americans, to uplift the lowering revolutionary morale.
 El Herldo dela Revolucion, founded by Gen. Aguinaldo who needed the press as an ally when he
found his armies being shattered everywhere La Federacion, 1899 in Iloilo.
 La Revolucion, 1899, Iloilo. Gaceta de Filipinas, contained nationalistic pieces, official texts of the
revolutionary government’s decrees, news items, poems by Filipino revolutionaries.
 Aves de Rapina (Birds of Prey), a patriotic editorial in El Renacimiento in 1908 which described
what it termed as parasitic activities of certain aliens in the Phil. (p. 7, Malinao), caused the paper
to be sued and fined and its editor sentenced for libel.

American Colonial Period

American Newspapers:
Bounding Billow Freedom
American Soldier The American

Aves de Rapina (Birds of Prey), a patriotic editorial in El Renacimiento in 1908 which described
what it termed as parasitic activities of certain aliens in the Phil. (p. 7, Malinao), caused the paper to
be sued and fined and its editor sentenced for libel.

Manila Daily Bulletin, 1900

Manila Times, Oct. 1898
The American
Cable News
Phil. Free Press, Mc Culloch Dick, 1908, paid Php1.00 for goodwill, circulation and equipment of the
Free Press
Phil Herald, 1920, first pro Filipino English language publication, by Quezon, to allow vent/outlet of
Filipino sentiments.
Development of the first chain of ownership of newspapers in the Philippines under Alejandro Roces,
Sr., the father of modern journalism.
TVT – Taliba, La Vanguardia, Manila Tribune (ed. Carlos P. Romulo)
DMHM – Herald, Monday Post, El Debate, Mabuhay

Local Newspapers and Magazines

Bag-ong Suga (New Lamp), in Cebu; stories & essays with heavy nationalist tone
Lamdag
The Freeman
Other Cebuano publishers who became national figures: Vicente Rama, Nicolas Rafael, Paulino
Gullas, Buenaventura Rodriguez

Japanese Occupation

TVT chain of Roces was allowed to operate to benefit Japanese state; under censorship of the
Japanese imperial Army.
Dispatches from Domie (Japanese official news agency) and news reports on the achievement of
Japanese military forces in Asia were printed in the newspaper; however, all radios were confiscated
to prevent Filipinos from listening to newscast from the US.

Guerilla newspapers were published to boost the soldiers and the people’s morale, to warn against
Japanese collaboration, to fight the Japanese
- in mimeographed short bond paper, edited by journalist guerillas
- passed from hand to hand
- caught with those sheets meant death

Post Liberation Press

1945, liberation of Manila, liberation of the press. Mushrooming of Phil. newspapers; 250 papers
published.

Newspapers
Manila Free Philippines by US Office War Information, at first distributed for free then later sold
at 5centavos per copy
Philippine Liberty News, Manila Post, Morning Star
Giants: Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, Evening News, Manila Chronicle, Philippine Herald
Others: Liwayway resumed publication,Bisaya for Cebuanos,Banawag for
Ilocanos, Hiligayon for Ilongo, Bag-ong-Yuhum for Ilongo
Illustrated comics magazines contained easy to read stories, mainly responsible for the rapid
growth of the Tagalog language in non-Tagalog provinces.
Stars, stripes, Daily Pacifican, Yank, Free Philippines
Balita, Bagong Buhay, Courier, Express, Freedom, Star Reporter, Manila Post, Liberty News,
Victory News, Evening Herald, Daily Mail, Morning Sun

The Golden Age of Philippine Journalism (1945-1972)

The press during the period was forced into a "marriage of convenience" with large business
enterprises and political groups.
In 1952, the National Press Club was organized "to promote cooperation among journalists and
uphold press freedom and the dignity of journalists." In 1964, the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) was
organized "to foster the development and improvement of journalism in the country."
 Martial Law Days

Proclaimed on Sept 21, 1972; all papers then were closed, many columnists and reporters were
arrested and detained
Media regulating agencies
 MMC (Mass Media Council)was tasked to issue permits on mass media to operate;later
replaced by MAC (Media Advisory Council)
 PCPM (Phil. Council for Print Media)
 KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster),tasked to police its own rank
Major newspapers and broadcast facilities were already in the hands of Marcos cronies and his
relatives. The crony press prevailed up to the fateful four days of Feb. 1986, the EDSA People Power
Revolution.

Press under Martial Law

 Daily Express
 Times Journal
 Bulletin Today