Media and Society – PH Mass media
History of Philippine Mass Media Reference:
Philippine Communication Today by Crispin
Maslog (2007)
Newspapers in Spanish Period
Del Superior Govierno – started in 1811, the
first regularly issued publication carrying news
from the mother country Spain meant for the
Spanish elite in the Phils.; more of a govt organ
edited by the Spanish governor general
First act of censorship – the banning by the
Spanish Cortes of the reprinting of news from
foreign publications
Del Superior Govierno ceased publication in
February 1812
La Esperanza - 1st daily newspaper started in
1846; avoided trouble with the censors
Diario de Manila – started publication in 1848;
staffed by competent men; lasted for 38 years;
suppressed by the Spanish gov gen because it
allegedly incited resentment of Filipinos against
Spaniards
El Comercio – newspaper w/ biggest circulation
& longest life span during Spanish regime – 56
years
La Opinion – started in 1827; marked a
milestone in Phil journalism; first opinion paper
in the country; not fearful of govt censors;
criticized Spanish friars & campaigned for ouster
of religious heads
Magazines in Spanish Period
Known as weeklies, fortnightlies, monthlies,
quarterlies, journals or reviews
Specialized in commerce, industry, agriculture,
professions, religion, govt, arts and letters
Registro Mercantil de Manila (1824) - products
and commerce; lasted 8 years
La Illustracion Filipinas (1859) - one of the 1st
illustrated journals w/c promoted culture
El Trovador Filipino (1874) - 1st intellectual
journal
El Bello Sexo (1881) - 1st women's magazine
Patnubay ng Katolika (1890) - 1st publication
entirely in Tagalog
La Semana Elegante (1884) – satire magazines
w/c hit important people then through sarcasm
in literary pieces
Journalism in Spanish Period
Marked by censorship by the church and state
Characterized by financial instability
Published in Spanish w/ limited circulation,
reaching only Spaniards in the Phils. & Spanish-
speaking Filipino elite
By contemporary standards, newspapers in this
period were more of literary organs; had literary
style but faulty news writing; lacked sense of
news values
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Revolutionary Press
Rose in the latter part of Spanish rule and early
part of American occupation (approx bet 1890 &
19050
La Solidaridad
Kalayaan
La Independencia
El Renacimiento
La Solidaridad
Most famous of the revolutionary papers
Published in Spain & written in Spanish; read by
the Phil. Elite or Illustrados both in Spain & in
Phils.
Became the rallying point of Filipino intellectual
expatriates in Europe
Graciano Lopez Jaena – first editor
Contributors were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del
Pilar, G. Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce
Banned by Spanish authorities
Smuggled into the Phils.
Written in Spanish, limited circulation
Kalayaan
Secretly put out by Andres Bonifacio & Emilio
Jacinto, leaders of the secret revolutionary
society Katipunan
Entirely in Tagalog
Only one issue came out but was credited with
having fanned the revolutionary fervor of the
Filipinos
Bonifacio destroyed the printing press before
Spanish authorities, who discovered its location
could move in
La Independencia
Edited by Antonio Luna
Became mouthpiece of Filipino rebels in the war
against the Spanish and Americans
Writers were Rafael Palma, Jose Palma, Leon
Ma. Guerrero, & Cecilio Apostol
Suppressed by American authorities
El Renacimiento
A nationalistic paper founded by Don Edgardo
Ocampo
Edited by Teodoro M. Kalaw
Famous in the early years of the American
regime due to aggressive staff of intellectuals
Papers founded during the American period
were pro-American
Critical towards the Americans
Freedom of the press in the Phils. was merely
theoretical upon American takeover
Very strict libel laws making it easy for any govt
official or private person to win in court
El Renacimiento was killed by a libel suit in 1908
due to an editorial entitled “Aves de Rapina,”
w/c US Secretary of the Interior, Dean
Worcester, interpreted as an attack against him
Media and Society – PH Mass media
Newspapers during American Occupation
Manila Times (1898) - 1st daily newspaper in
English; established by Thomas Gowan
 Existed for 32 years
 Bought by first newspaper chain owner in
the Phils., Alejandro Roces, Sr. in 1927
 Roces also owned Taliba (Tagalog daily),
La Vanguardia (Spanish daily) & Manila
Tribune (English daily
 Roces disbanded Manila Times
Manila Bulletin – oldest existing newspaper
(1900)
 Started out as a shipping journal
 Founded by American Carson Taylor
 Developed a reputation as the mouthpiece
of the American community in the Phils.
even after Phil. Independence was granted
in 1946 and as long as it was ran by
Taylor
 Bought by Hans Menzi in 1957
 Modernized the paper's format
 Gave it a Filipino orientation
Philippines Herald - Pro-American papers in
the American period
 Phils. Herald published in 1920
 Pro-Filipino newspaper; nationalistic
 Founded at the suggestion of Manuel L.
Quezon, who became Phil. president
 One of the early editors was Carlos P.
Romulo, who became president of the UN
General Assembly; famous in Phil.
diplomacy
 Newspapers and magazines came to the Phils. by way
of the colonizing countries – Spain then US  Movies
and radio came to Phils. through the US
Movies
Period of the Silent Pictures (1897-1929)
Talking Pictures Period (1929-1970)
New Cinema (1970 onwards)
Period of Silent Pictures
Three Stages
Dominance of the documentary film
Rise of the feature film
Establishment of Filipino film companies
Documentary Film
On Jan 1897, six movies were exhibited for the
first time at the Salon Pertierra in Escolta 
Documentaries shown in the Phils. featured –
the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1911 – local
bullfighting – gold mining in Paracale – fiesta at
Obando – films on Napoleon, assassination of
Pres. McKinley
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Rise of Feature Film
Started in 1912
American-produced films – La Vida de Rizal – El
Fusilamiento de Rizal – Walang Sugat – Gomez,
Burgos, and Zamora – Nena la Boxeadora – El
Filibusterismo – Florante at Laura
Adopted stories from sarsuwela, awit, & novels
Historical events
Drew subject matter from popular culture
associating Filipino film w/ pop culture
Establishment of Filipino Film Companies
Malayan Movies was founded in 1917 by Jose
and Jesus Nepomuceno, first Filipino producers
“Dalagang Bukid” produced by Jose
Nepomuceno in 1919
Based on sarswela starring original actors Atang
de la Rama & Marceliano Ilagan
Nepomuceno filmed “La Venganza de Don
Silvestre(1920) & “Noli Me Tangere”(1930)
Other Filipino film producers – Vicente
Salumbides – introduced new camera
techniques fm Hollywood – Julian Manansala –
produced movies on political & nationalist
themes – Carmen Concha – used authentic
costumes & props for her movies
Other Filipino film producers – Silos
brothers – Carlos Vander Tolosa – Jose
Domingo Badilla – Rafael Hernandez
Talking Pictures
“Ang Aswang” - first Filipino talking picture
produced in 1932
Advent of big Filipino film companies
Philippine Films produced “Zamboanga” in 1936
for local & int'l release
Excelsior & Sampaguita Pictures were founded
in 1937  LVN Pictures (1938)
X'otic Films (1939)
Significant developments – Star system – Rise
of genre films • Action movie • Melodrama •
Slapstick comedy • Films based on the life of a
hero or historical event
Japanese occupation 1941 – 1945
Movie companies stopped production
“Tatlong Maria” was produced by the Japanese
 War pictures like “Garrison 13” and “Camp
O'Donnel” were produced after the war
Fifties – Golden Age of Filipino Film  Award-
giving bodies – The Maria Clara Awards of the
Manila Times Publishing Co – Filipino Academy
of Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS)
Quality Filipino Films – “Ifugao” by Gerardo de
Leon – “Anak Dalita” by Lamberto Avellana –
Directors Gregorio Fernandez and Ramon
Estrella
Big Four film studios in the fifties –
Sampaguita, Lebran, LVN, and Premiere
Productions  Sixties – Closing down of some
of the big studios – Proliferation of independent
Media and Society – PH Mass media
companies – Genre films still being produced –
Towards end of 60's came the bomba films
New Cinema
Seventies
New breed of film directors and actors, some of
w/c studied abroad
Birth of new consciousness as the product of
activism in early 70's (Marcos era)
Freedom of expression was curtailed through
censors
Film artists were controlled
Ishmael Bernal - “Pagdating sa Dulo,”
“Relasyon,” “Broken Marriage” - films on the
middle class
Lino Brocka - “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng
Liwanag,” “Jaguar,” “Bayan Ko: Kapit sa
Patalim” - films on the lower class
Marilou Diaz-Abaya - “Brutal” and “Moral”- on
the new generation  Peque Gallaga - “Oro,
Plata, Mata” - period film
Short film
After assassination of Ninoy Aquino,
documentary films exposing abuses of the
Marcos regime – The Arrogance of Power –
Signos – Lakbayan
Feb 1983 – Lino Brocka organized the 1st Free-
the-Artist, Free-the-Media rally
Brocka denounced the expansion of powers of
Marcos' Board of Review for Motion Pictures and
Television (Board of Censors)
Pushed to oust censors chief, Maria Kalaw-
Katigbak
Jul 1983 – Free-the-Artist Movement became
the Concerned Artists of the Phils. - the most
militant artists group under the Marcos regime
April 1986 - Brocka spearheaded founding of
Unyon ng mga Manggagawa ng Pelikulang
Pilipino (MPP) – fought for economic rights of
film artists and technicians
Films like “Broken Marriage,” “Brutal,” and
“Moral” presented realities in society; “Sister
Stella L” sought to awaken movie audience to
political issues
Artists of the new cinema helped inspire the
formation of protest organization during the
Marcos regime
Film-related gov't agencies
Agencies formed under Pres. Cory Aquino –
Movie & Television Review & Classification
Board (MTRCB) – Video Regulatory Board (VRB)
– Film Development Foundation of the Phils,
(FDFP) – NMPC Color Laboratory – Film Archives
Radio
Radio came first to the Phils. as early as 1922
during the American regime
1st Phil. Radio stations were set up by American
Henry Hermann
In 1927 J. Amado Araneta bought 2 radio
stations fm their American owners w/c started
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the trend in later years of “media monopoly” -
Araneta also owned DMHM newspapers
In 1929, radio was introduced to the provinces,
1st in Cebu, set up by Radio Corporation of the
Phils.
Before WW II there were 6 commercial radio
stations in the country
Most prewar radio stations owned by Americans
also staffed by Americans; language used was
English; entertainment and newscasts
In 1942 during Japanese Occupation, all radio
stations were closed except for KZRH renamed
PIAM used by Japanese for their broadcasts 
Radio became the news and info medium esp
after the war in 1945
First call letters changed from “K” to “D”
Radio became mainly an entertainment medium
Newspaper Chains
Started during American occupation
First Filipino newspaper chain owner Alejandro
Roces Sr.
 Sons Joaquin “Chino” and Ramon were
to inherit and expand mass media
empire
 Roces chain was known as TVT
(TalibaVanguardia-Tribune) started in
1916
Tribune became one of the 2 leading papers
during American period
The other leading paper was the Herald – part
of newspaper chain, the DHMM (El Debate-
Mabuhay-Herald-Monday Post)
TVT & DHMM competed w/ each other until the
outbreak of WW II in 1941
First publication to be called a magazine was the
Philippine Magazine (1904), first called
Philippine Teacher
in the vernacular was started by Ramon Roces
(1923) Contents – fiction, entertainment, how-
todo articles – Liwayway (Tagalog) – Bisaya (E.
Visayan region) – Hiligaynon (W. Visayan
region) – Bannawag (Ilocos region)
Philippines Free Press – founded in 1907, taken
over in 1908 by Robert McCullough Dick
 Leading English language magazine
before martial law in 1972
 Fearless crusader against gov't
corruption
 Only Liwayway was the only prewar
publication allowed to publish during
the Japanese Occupation; used for
Japanese propaganda
Media and Society – PH Mass media
Advertising
Beginnings as a form of mass communication
date back to Spanish period
16th & 17th centuries – hand-painted bills
displayed in markets & public places; “anuncios”
were posted outside shops to announce goods
for sale
18th century – merchants printed & distributed
handbills to potential customers
1st decade of 19th century- 1st printed ads in
newspapers (“anuncios”) - for products &
services in elite areas of Manila like Binondo &
Escolta
1920s – one-man ad agencies, precursors of
modern ad agencies
Frank J. Herrier – Napoleon of Philippine
Advertising; led big & successful ad campaigns
San Miguel Brewery
Manuel Buenaventura – first Filipino to handle
advertising accounts
Philippine Publicity Service, Inc. - 1st ad agency
Two important names in Phil. advertising -
Antonio Lagos & Pedro Teodoro
Philippine Promotions Bureau or Philprom
(1945) - 1st all Filipino advertising agency
organized after the war; became one of the top
ad agencies in the country
By 1948 – 12 recognized ad agencies
In 1960s, Tagalog became more widely used as
a language of advertising; advertising in
television developed rapidly, formerly dominated
by radio
In 1974 – 41 ad agencies
Growth in advertising seen in the 1960s &
1970s  Closing of 5,000 business firms in
198485, incl. less than 25% of ad agencies
Fernando (Phil. VP) & Eugenio Lopez owned
Chronicle Broadcasting Network bought Alto
Broadcasting Network in 1957
ABS-CBN became the 1st radio-TVnetwork in
the Phils., operating the only two TV channels at
the time
Republic Broadcasting System owned by Bob
Stewart, opened another TV station, DZBB-TV
Channel 7 in 1960
1st provincial TV station was Ch. 3 in Cebu by
ABS-CBN
In 1968, ABS-CBN became the largest radio-
television network in the Phils. - 5 TV stations &
20 radio stations
In 1969, ABS-CBN made television history when
it covered live the landing of the first men in
moon, in color
Phil. Mass Media before Martial Law Martial law
was proclaimed on Sept. 21, 1972
Mass media were privately owned and
independent of gov't control
Multilingual but leadership was exercised by the
English language press  Manila-centered and
underdeveloped in the provinces
Enjoyed political freedom but controlled by big
businesses  Lacked ethics and professionalism

Postwar Newspapers
Manila Chronicle – put up by prewar newspaper
men in 1945; later sold to Don Eugenio Lopez,
brother of VP Fernando Lopez
Manila Bulletin & Philippines Herald were
revived
Joaquin Roces put up the new Manila Times to
replace The Tribune
Taliba was revived
Roces put up Daily Mirror (afternoon paper) and
Weekly Women's Magazine (leading women's
magazine before martial law)

Postwar Period Television

Television arrived in the Phils. in the 50s
1952 – FEATI University opened an
experimental TV station
1953 – commercial television came to the Phils
1st station DZAQ-TV Channel 3 was opened by
Alto Broadcasting System; owned by Antonio
Quirino, brother of then Pres. Elpidio Quirino