What makes the NPC fail

insidetheclub

What makes the NPC fail

By Teodoro Valencia

Simply stated, the emphasis on “rights” and the disregard for duties and responsibilities of the members of the National Press Club has been the main cause of the failure of the club to achieve its goals. The second big cause of failure has been the sublimation of the good of the club to political ambitions of the few. A third big reason has been the failure of club officials to realize that the primary objective of the club is to provide them a meeting place instead of a political arena.

I was among the doubters who refused to join the National Press Club after an unpleasant experience in 1953 when the annual election of officers held at the Malacanang Park turned out to be a politician’s nightmare instead of a healthy get-together of brethren in the profession. I thought this attitude would die the moment we could put up a press building. We were wrong. After a brief respite, the apathy and indifference of club members to what’s good for them, came back.

Since 1955, the National Press Club has done great things for its members. We have settled so many in permanent homes in the various government housing projects. The press has since become a cohesive force for good, speaking with one voice in times of national crisis. We have had successful attempts to gain international recognition as an active force in the press of the free world. But, sad to say, the club itself has degenerated. It is no longer the gathering place of the press. The building stands as a symbol of unity but it has failed to generate the fellowship that it was meant to promote.

The tragedy is that every member of the Press Club is aware of his Rights. He complains loudly about bad meals, about prices and about the lack of facilities in his club. Yet, nobody has ever thought of the need for supporting the club adequately. The P1-a-month fee is entirely out of the line with present needs of the club and yet every attempt to raise funds was met with strong opposition. We want a first-class club on a tenth-rate fee. We want something for nothing. Nobody ever got that. We won’t either.

The result of these is that the administrations of the club have depended entirely on the personality of whoever was President of the club. IN other words, group action never ruled the Press Club. A careless President meant a careless carefree administration. A fighting President meant a good administration. The members could not care less. They left everything to the President and felt that their only duty was to gripe.

I have almost stopped going to the National Press Club. It saddens me to have to say this but it hurt me every time I witnessed members taking the club as if it were a business establishment that they patronize and from which they could expect the best for the least amount of money. The personal hygiene of the members left much to be desired and this was obvious from the cigarette butts all over the place, the filth that could only have come from the lack of cooperation from the general patronage.

It is strange that the library, for instance, is the very same library that it was when we put up for the first time. Many good books are no longer in the shelves because some members have taken them home for their personal libraries. On had a right to expect that the library would receive personal donations from the members instead of being pirated of valuable editions. We once tried the honor system in the library but it turned out that even with the usual library registry rules, we were to lose our books.

The National Press Club is saddled with debts incurred by members who signed chits without regard to their ability to pay. The SWA (Social Welfare Administration) had nothing on the NPC. For many, the Press Club was for exploitation. Their answer to requests for payment was to stop going to the Press Club and to denounce it for arrogance or for unreasonableness on members.

The quality of the membership deserves one paragraph. Every self-proclaimed newspaperman feels that he has a “right” to membership and the officers of the club felt that some persons “have to be” taken in. It has never occurred to anyone that bad eggs should be eliminated from the membership and barred from entering the club in order to make the club a pleasant place for the rest of the newspapermen. We have had so many sad experiences with drunks and deadbeats that one would think we have learned a lesson but the truth is that we have not.

It has come to a point where members of the club don’t dare take their friends to the club because of the possibility that they would be accosted for a “touch” or perhaps engaged in a debate on subjects that have little or no interest for the guest. There was a time when foreign correspondents felt it a “must” to visit the National Press Club. Now, it is safer to show them the building and then detour them to more pleasant places for taking meals or snacks.

The National press Club was never meant to be anything but a club. It is not, and should not be molded into a headquarters for labor activities or politics. People are supposed to go to the club for relaxation from their daily toils – to sit with friends and contemplate the passing events in comparative ease, devoid of the tensions of a newspaper assignment. We have never learned to relax in the club. We have always tried to make it a battleground for ideas instead of tired heads and aching muscles.

There are many good newspapermen with executive abilities who could make the club work but they shy away from the National Press Club because they know that they would have to work alone and against odds if they want anything done at all. Unless we remove the “gimme” attitude of the members of the club and inspired in them, instead, a desire to do their part, we shall always have the building but no National Press Club.

One of the best examples of how we have ruined our own club is the way we butt into other people’s business. Almost no one is safe in giving a party in the NPC without the danger of being invaded by uninvited gusts or “kibitzers”. We have been thrown the rule book in our insane belief that since the NPC is “ours”, we can do in it what we please. In the process, we have ruined it even for our purposes.

It is incredible that the only time we get the newspapermen to go to the NPC is during election day. And most of the members go only to vote. Throughout the year, we have a handful of people who park around the club because they’ve been used to the idea or they have nowhere else to go. During special occasions, such as Gridiron Night or some special press conference, many who attend don’t want to pay their share of the expenses because they feel they have “rights”.

Unless we learned that we can’t have a real club unless we pitched in and did our share of responsibility, we shall never have one that we can be proud of. It is pointless for anyone to devote his entire energies to making a good club if that someone finds himself alone and derided for the effort.

In retrospect, I think we made a mistake in putting up this edifice called the National Press Club. We should have put up a more modest one that we could have improved as the years went by. The brutal truth is that we made the mistake of putting up a National Press Club building before we had a National Press Club in fact. We tried to build a club around a building and failed in the process. We’re still trying but the building is the handicap. Most of us feel that we “own” a share in the glory and the advantages but not in the work necessary to keep the club going.

We might save the day for the Philippine press if we elect dedicated men who will run for office in the club for what they can do for it and not for the glory that they will heap upon themselves by winning an election. The trouble today is that so many become candidates in the hope that with victory they shall be an inch taller. We need tall men who shall guide the membership, work with vigor and selflessness, not ambitious men who will inflict themselves on the club and to hell with what happens to it.

Perhaps it is time to dissociate glory from club officership. We need a permanent board of management who shall be chosen on merit and not by popularity vote. This, we must divorce from the elective board of the club who shall decide policies of the press as a professional body and help managers of the club re-make the National Press Club into a real social residence of the members. This is how they do it in the National Press Club in Washington and in other places they have successfully run press clubs.

We don’t stand to move ahead with our present ways of doing things. A politics-ridden club can only head for the scrap heap, let us forget personal glory and ambition and get together in putting up a press club that we can be proud of. We have the building. We have the land. What we don’t have is the will to make the most of our gifts of the civic community and of the government. We were given a toy but we are not playing with it. We are tearing it apart, piece by piece. There is still time to save it. If we cast aside pride, we can do it. It is later than we think.


Lifted from: The National Press Club of the Philippines 50 Golden Years

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Children of NPC members receive scholarships from Rotary International-Philippines and UNTV 37

June 29, 2008
SEED MONEY. National Press Club (NPC) President Benny D. Antiporda (3rd from right) shows off an envelope containing a check donation to the NPC worth P100, 000 from Ruth Soriano (3rd from left), niece of Filipino evangelist Eli Soriano, as “seed money” to help sustain the club’s budding scholarship program during the awarding of college scholarships to eight children of regular members of the NPC held at the Plaridel Hall of the NPC in Intramuros, Manila.Also in the photo are (from left) Jay Sonza, station manager of UNTV, NPC officials Percy Lapid (director),  Ronniel de Guzman (director), Amor Virata (auditor), Alvin Feliciano (director), Toto Causing (director), Jerry Yap (director) and Rolly Gonzalo (vice president).#



Children of NPC members receive scholarships from Rotary International-Philippines and UNTV 37

The Rotary International-Philippine District (RIPD) of Kamuning and UNTV 37 handed out college scholarships recently to 8 children of regular members of the National Press Club (NPC) at the Plaridel Hall of the NPC building in Intramuros, Manila.

The NPC and the RIPD recently signed a memorandum of agreement whereby the Rotary Club committed itself to pay for the college education of the children of NPC regular members.

The RIPD of Kamuning through its associate, broadcast journalist Daniel Razon of UNTV 37 and Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) - a bible exposition on-air program by the Philippine-based religious organization, Members of the Church of God, helped raise the funds for the free college education for the said NPC scholars.

The study grants in financial aid provide full payment of college tuition and other miscellaneous fees to its benificiaries.

The college scholarships were formally given to the eight children and their parents during a short program which coincided with the club’s weekly Celebrity Night get-together. the affiar was attended by the officers and members of the NPC, RIDP-Kamuning and UNTV 37.

Ruth Soriano, niece of Filipino evangelist Eli Soriano also donated a check amounting to P100, 000 to the NPC as "seed money" to help sustain the club’s budding scholarship program which is being supervised by the club’s Committee of Education under the chairmanship of NPC director Alvin Feliciano.

Veteran broadcaster Jay Sonza, station manager of UNTV 37 said they will continue to support the club and its members as part of the station’s avowed mission to be the country’s public service channel.

The UNTV 37 which dubs itself as “the Philippines’ undisputed public service-based channel” has been providing free medical services to members of the NPC through its flagship program “Good Morning Kuya.”

“We are a public service-oriented TV station and we stake our positioning on public service, to the extent that all our shows and programs revolve around this concept.” (Q) ###

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

NPC statement on the murder of broadcaster Robert, Sison

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB OF THE PHILIPPINES

(On the killing of broadcaster and correspondent Robert Sison
in Sariaya, Quezon last June 30, 2008)
July 1, 2008

Ref:
Benny Antiporda, president
Joel Sy Egco, chairman, Press Freedom Committee


The National Press Club of the Philippines can only express dismay and indignation over the killing last Monday in Bgy. Lutukan, Sariaya, Quezon, of broadcaster and news correspondent, Robert 'Bert' Sison, by two motorcycle-riding gunmen.

From the information we have gathered, the victim was with her two daughters, Almira, 24, and Liwayway, 30, on board the family car, when they were waylaid by the suspects armed with .45 caliber pistols upon reaching Bgy. Lutukan, Sariaya.

They were on their way home after visiting Gov. Rafffy Nantes at his office where the victim even had a conversation with Quezon police director, Senior Supt. Fidel Posadas.

Further, the gunmen made sure that Sison would not survive since nine gunshot wounds were subsequently counted by the police who responded to the incident.

Witnesses even said one of the suspects approached the victim as he lay bloodied and helpless inside the car and peppered him with bullets.

This is another bloody page in the history of journalism in the country.

Coming as it did in the wake of the dismissal of the Makati Regional Trial Court of the complaint fellow journalists filed against the policemen who hauled them to jail after the Manila Peninsula siege coverage last November, the killing of Sison is another brutal reminder that Filipino journalists have much to be worried about as they carried on the risky job of bringing the truth to our people.

While we laud the Philippine National Police for immediately forming a special task force under the Quezon PPO to investigate this latest attack on press freedom, this would hardly bring comfort to Sison's family, friends, relatives and to the entire members of the Philippine media profession.

Only the quick apprehension of the suspects and the uncovering of the mastermind behind this attack can assure us that the government is committed to protecting journalists and that it is serious in removing the 'culture of impunity' that has emboldened those with gripes against the media to settle their differences in a violent manner.

We further note that this is the second violent attack against
Quezon-based journalists in since last year in the wake of the assassination attempt last April 19, 2007, against Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Delfin 'Sonny' Mallari and DZMM correspondent Johnny Glorioso.

We therefore urged the authorities to act decisively on this latest outrage as well as in the long list of pending cases of attacks that have victimized the members of the press. ###

Monday, June 30, 2008

Statement of NPC President Benny Antiporda on the Makati RTC dismissal of media class suit

In the decision made by Judge Reynaldo Laigo of Makati RTC Branch 56 on the complaint of several mediamen against the DILG and PNP in the Manila Peninsula Siege, he stated: “Under the given dangerous situation, that order issued by defendant NCRPO D. Geary Barias was lawful and appeared to have been disobeyed by all those including some of the plaintiffs, when they intentionally refused to leave the hotel for which an appropriate criminal charge under Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code, which is applicable to all even the media personalities, could have been initiated against them. Thus, their (plaintiffs Tordesillas, Deogracias, Hachero, Galvez and Santos) having been handcuffed and brought to Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City for investigation, and released thereafter was justified. It being in accord with the police procedure.”

What is the police procedure being referred to by Judge Laigo? In as much as the “MIRANDA RIGHTS” of the plaintiff mediamen were not even read at the time of their handcuffing during the Manila Peninsula incident, this is clearly a violation of the Bill of Rights which is penalized under Republic Act 7438, Section 2.

And the fact that the police did not file a single case against the mediamen they arrested and detained only proves that there was no violation of any existing law. Which means that their handcuffing violates their rights under the Bill of Rights, Article 3, Section 2.

Is Judge Laigo ignorant of the law, or is there someone behind him dictating what is the law?

Sunday, June 29, 2008

The making of an ‘institutional shelter’

By Mitos Garcia

When Marcelo H. del Pilar founded the Diayryong Tagalog in 1882, he never dreamed there would come a day that the Philippine press would become an organized force against any kind of repression.

Neither could he have imagined that, in a mere 70 years, the Philippine press would have evolved from the clandestine operations of a few stalwarts here and abroad, to a full-pledged, nationwide force with its own building beside Jones bridge, across the Plaza Cervantes – about two kilometers from the birthplace of del Pilar’s contemporary, revolutionary leader Andres C. Bonifacio in Binondo.

On October 29, 1952, the national Press Club came into being as a formal organization, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, after two years of gestation. Former NPC president Olaf Giron wrote this book “Once Upon a Club”.

Giron’s book cites an “anonymous” newsman’s tale published by the NPC in 1962 to commemorate its first 10 years of existence edited by Amado Inciong.

Is says the idea of organizing “was born during a huddle of Manila City Hall and police reporters one timorous afternoon in 1950. Scene of the huddle was Aling Miling’s store, where the reporters used to park to sip cheap coffee or dine in those unaffluent days.”

The reporters had been alarmed by threats of reprisals from some “dreaded” City hall and police characters brought about by “unflattering reports” about them in the newspapers.

“Hence, instead of engaging in ‘smart’ conversations, as usual, the reporters talked grimly this time. Everybody was immediately concerned with his personal safety and the freedom of the press. Out of this huddle shaped up the need, painfully felt by all, for an ‘institutional shelter,’ for organizing the working press into a body which can exert restraining influence upon those who would want to suppress, infringe, limit or otherwise undermine press freedom. Thus was conceived the NPC idea.”

This was the post-war press, which found itself in physical danger due to its fearless reporting. But unlike in Del Pilar’s time, the threat did not come from a foreign conqueror but from fellow Filipinos gone wrong.

Hoever, like the Filipino newsmen of Del Pilar’s time, the post-war reporters refused to be cowed. Instead, they banded together to fight the evil that begun to make its iron hand felt.

But to quote Giron’s book: “The idea of uniting the working press on a nationwide scale was not new. Before the war there was the Manila Press Club, which sought to organize all metropolitan journalists along the pattern of trade unionism.

“Dismembered during the war years, this was revived immediately after the liberation in the form of the real trade union – the Philippine Newspaper Guild, which played a leading role in the formation and direction of the now defunct Congress of Labor Organizations.”

The Philippine Newspaper Guild was dissolved together with the militant Congress of Labor Organizations, which had been outlawed allegedly for “communist involvement.”

Having seen this happen, the newly-founded NPC’s leaders decided to limit the Club’s functions to providing entertainment and relaxation to its members, at the same time keeping it away from getting embroiled in controversial issues or advocacies.

Domingo C. Abadilla, NPC president 9in 1957-1958, wrote a glowing account about the Business Writers Association of the Philippines (BWAP) which sponsored the first two luncheon meetings which formulated plans to organize the Club.

The first was held at the Panciteria Nacional, where the group approved the idea of organizing a federation. During the second meeting, however, they created an 18-man “Executive committee for the Establishment of a Newspapermen’s Organization,” which decided to make the NPC a non-stock corporation. They discarded the federation idea, Membership was to be individual.

“Politicians, writes Giron, “immediately sensed the uses of the NPC in the politics of power … The meeting (and first elections) was held at Malacanang, nerve center of the national politics, with the late President (Elpidio) Quirino as host and, to the surprise of the President himself, also guest speaker.”

The first president elected in the Malacanang polls was Luciano Millan, who served for two consecutive terms from 1952 to 1954. (He later became a member of Congress).

Millan was followed in 1954 by Eugenio Santos, for a one-year term, after which Teodoro F. Valencia was elected. Valencia was the last NPC president, because it was in his term that the new NPC building was finished.

How the NPC obtained the land and got the building constructed ism, itself, an interesting and significant milestone in the annals of the Philippine press.

Antonio Alano of the Manila Bulletin, Jose Guevara of the Manila Times, and Jose Nable of the Manila Chronicle, Congress reporters of note, worked to get Congress to enact a law authorizing the President of the NPC a parcel of government land on Magallanes Drive, for a nominal price of one peso.

Congress passed R.A. 905 authorizing the sale of 5,184.7 square meters of land to the NPC, and President Quirino signed it into law on December 23, 1953. Millan paid the price and the deed was made over to the NPC.

Where the NPC building stands is actually a 4,288-squaremeter lot (under Transfer Certificate of Title no. 38690 entered at Manila on March 8, 1955, after Valencia became NPC president) of prime real estate in historic Intramuros. The PLDT now occupies about one-half of the land on a 50-year lease.

The building itself is a historic monument to the ideal of press freedom and unity among colleagues in the newspaper industry, designed by Architect Angel E. Nakpil, and constructed by Alberto T. Abaya.

In the 1953 national elections, President Quirino lost to Ramon Magsaysay who happened to be as generous to the NPC. He appointed NPC president Eugenio Santos as general manger of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, which enabled him to get the Rehabilitation Finance Corporation to approve a loan for the construction of the NPC building.

The loan, amounting to P354,600, was released in 1954 on representation made by Valencia, who had by then succeeded Santos as NPC president.

The NPC building was inaugurated amid much fanfare and anticipation on December 30, 1955. President Magsaysay was the sponsor, along with several cabinet members, other government officials and other donors.

Valencia’s heroic efforts to give the Philippine press a truly viable home-away-from-home must be emphasized here. He worked almost single-handedly to raise funds for the installation of an elevator and air conditioners.

His first contributor President Magsaysay, and this set the wheels in motion that got him P150,000. Businessmen and other individuals followed the President’s example. The bigges contributors, according to Giron, were The Manila Times and the Manila Chronicle, which gave P5,000 each.

However, some credit must also go to the burgeoning female population of the Club. According to Giron: “The women of the press were the first big contributors of the NPC building fund. They put up a benefit show at the Manila Hotel and turned over the collection to the NPC.”

“To this amount were added the proceeds from the first Gridiron dinner held at the University of the East auditorium by the entertainment committee headed by Joaquin P. Roces of the Manila Times.”

When the levators and air conditioners had been installed, what funds he still had left over Valencia used to furnish the NPC bar (the NPC’s main attraction donated by Stanvac), library (books donated by the Asia foundation) and the restaurant (with music system donated by Don Andres Soriano).

The origins of the famous mural painted on the south wall of the NPC restaurant by famous artist Vicente Manasala remain obscure, however.

Giron’s book mentions in passing that Valencia purchased the Manasala mural, without giving further details. But according to Neal Cruz (As I See It, NPC Digest, July 2001 issue), the mural is a “donation of the Lopez family ... A condition of the donation, as I heard it, is that the mural would be returned to the Lopez family once it is removed from the NPC premises.”

While the building was under construction, the plan included “a huge mural in the dining room and the planners solicited the financial help of the Lopez patriarch, Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr. , then owner of the Chronicle.”

With his own money, Valencia purchased a television set for the NPC and the records of the music system.

In its 50 years of existence, the NPC has gone through much trial and travail. Unlike other big organizations, it cannot charge high membership fees due to the pecuniary deficiency of most media members.

Underpaid, overworked, they all look forward to a couple of hours of socializing over a bottle or two of beer, meticulously priced at a minimum at the NPC bar. More affluent members take red or white wine and some “pulutan.”

The Club’s Board of directors decided to close down temporarily the bar and restaurant, due to a labor problem that literally brought in down to its knees. To compensate, a garden restaurant was opened on the front grounds of the Club so that members can still have their enjoyment.

In fairness to the present administration the Club’s financial woes are a problem that has festered for decades. As early as Mac Vicencio’s incumbency (1962-1963) the Club was found to be almost bankrupt. Somebody called Vicencio “the first NPC reform president.”

In 1976, the Joaquin Cuanan & Co. was authorized by Board Resolution 17-76 (9-8) to audit the NPC, due to certain defects noted by then NPC president Pat Gonzales in the accounting and financial aspects of Club operations. The auditing firm’s report revealed some shocking things, better not mentioned her.

Under the present circumstances, as the inheritor of the biggest set of problems the Club has ever faced – not just financial but also having to do with labor and other arenas – then perhaps Louie Lograta can aptly be called the second NPC reform president. -- lifted from: THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB OF THE PHILIPPINES 50 GOLDEN YEARS ###

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Lifetime Achievment Awards

Amante E. Bigornia


The National Press Club (NPC) executive officers and board officials led by Benny Antiporda, (picture below: front, left), president presented a lifetime achievement award to journalist, former press undersecretary and past NPC president (1967-1968) Amante E. Bigornia, 89, (front, 2nd from left)during the club's celebrity night last Friday/June 27, 2008 at the Plaridel Hall of the NPC Building in Intramuros, Manila. ###





NPC-SKP Cartoon Competition: The Boytogs (Boy Togonon) Awards


SKP OFFICERS AND MEMBERS. Standing (left to right): Norman Isaac, Barry Jose, Ariel Atienza. Sitting (right to left) Boboy Yonzon, Roni Santiago, Sonny Bismonte, Paulo Simbulan, Bladimer Jusi.


The Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas (SKP) led by their president Boboy Yonzon (right), met with officials of the NPC’s Special Projects Committee last Friday (June 27) to present plans for the first “NPC-SKP Cartoon Competition: The Boytogs (Boy Togonon) Awards.” 

SKP's Roster Book

The contest is scheduled to formally start on July 13, 2008/Sunday at the Plaridel Hall of the NPC Building in Intramuros, Manila. This will coincide with the launching of SKP's “Roster Book” -- a paperback published by the 30-year-old organization which showcases a compilation of cartoon sketches of its officers and members.

The Monday Club

The Monday Club was formed to further the friendships of colleagues-in-arms. This was conceptualized by Manila Standard Today news editor Francis Lagniton and gadfly Miguel Ongpin, formerly of Today and Manila Standard Today.The group assembles every Monday evening at the Headline Restaurant at the 4th floor of the NPC building in Intramuros, Manila.(photo by Louie Logarta)###

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

PAPI's 2008 midyear media conference

June 22, 2008 – PAPI MEDIA CONFERENCE. Officers and members of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) led by its President Juan P. Dayang (front, 6th from left), Presidential Management Staff Secretary Cerge M. Remonde (front, 5th from right) and National Press Club of the Philippines President Benny Antiporda (front, 4th from right) joined some 300 delegates from all over the country for the PAPI’s 12th Executive Session and 2008 Midyear Media Conference at the Makati Sports Club in Makati City, The theme of the two-day event - "A Crucial Challenge: the Strategic Role of the Press in Food Security" aims to urge “today’s press to be pro-active, catalyzing for change and taking the lead in mobilizing public opinion for a patriotic cause in tandem with other stakeholders, both in government and private sector, within the real of national security, peace and prosperity.” ##

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Filipinos are top Multiply users


Please visit NPC's Multiply account: http://nationalpressclub.multiply.com/


By DAVID DIZON
abs-cbnNEWS.com

A third of the traffic going to social networking site Multiply, or approximately 300 million page views, is coming from Filipino users worldwide, top Multiply executives said Wednesday.

Multiply president and founder Peter Pezaris said Multiply gets about a billion page views a month, a third of which comes from Filipinos in different parts of the globe. This makes Filipinos the number one users of Multiply, ranking higher than users in the United States where the site is based.

Pezaris said the Filipino culture's emphasis on family and relationships is the main reason why the social networking site is so popular in the Philippines.

"The reason why we are popular here, I think, relates to that notion of friends and family, the fact that our service is much more focused on connecting you with people that you know in real life rather than introducing you to people that you don’t know. It’s a site that really plays into the cultural phenomenon that’s here in the Philippines," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.



David Hersh, Multiply vice-president for business development, also said the integration of unlimited photosharing in Multiply is very attractive to Filipino Internet users. Most Filipino Multiply users are female, in the 18-25 age bracket, and average about 160 Multiply page views a month.

"Filipinos are just rabid consumers of content. It’s amazing. Those 160 page views aren’t just fluff page views of people bouncing from profile to profile. It’s people consuming photos, videos and blogs from the people in their world. It’s meaningful activity. It reflects the deep level of engagement that we have with our user base especially here in the Philippines," Pezaris said.

Local partner

For the Philippine market, Multiply recently partnered with ABS-CBN Interactive to tap local advertisers and launch mobile services for Filipino Multiply users. (Disclosure: Abs-cbnNEWS.com is run by ABS-CBN Interactive.)

Paolo Pineda, ABS-CBN Interactive managing director, said the company is the exclusive reseller of advertising on Multiply for the Philippines. He said ABS-CBN Interactive will also be actively campaigning to build Multiply's user base in the country.
Related links
• ‘We put a lot of emphasis on connecting with people in the real world’
• (Video) The ABS-CBN-Multiply Trade Event

One of the successful Multiply communities launched by ABS-CBN Interactive centered on the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus show. The show now has two sites - the official one where profiles and schedules are posted and a Multiply site where PBB fans can go online.

Pineda said one local call center that advertised on Multiply was able to attract recruits through its Multiply community site.

"It’s more of these community building efforts online for Filipinos worldwide. We want to really try to populate the brand and get more people to understand it and work on the advertising and get the brands to see that this is really a safe place to put your brand in," he said.

Real-world relationships

Hersh said Multiply currently has nine million registered users worldwide, of which 2.2 million are Filipinos. He said that while the growth of Multiply has been slower compared to other social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, it is the real-world relationships in Multiply that sets it apart and ensures its longevity.

"If your online social network is full of people that you have no real world connection to, there’s very little reason to keep you there and it’s very easy for you to switch. But on Multiply, it’s your real-world social network online and your content and it’s the discussion that goes on around that content that’s going to keep you coming back," he said.

Adds Pezaris: "It’s closer, deeper relationships which enables the sharing of personal, meaningful content to you and the continuing sharing of that is the personal documentation of your life online. Over a period of time, you build up this history like a living scrapbook of what’s happening in your life and it’s a collaborative effort because while you add to it, all your friends and family add to it also and that’s what really develops the long-term value."

NO HOLDS BARRED

June 2o, 2008

CES DRILON KIDNAPPING. Undersecretary Lorelie Fajardo, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson (third from left) clarifies the government’s stand regarding issues surrounding the kidnapping of broadcast journalists Ces Drilon, her news team and a Mindanao based professor to a crowd of journalists and fellow guest Col. Ernesto Torres, (left) spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and officers at a NO HOLDS BARRED news forum at the Headline Restaurant of the National Press Club (NPC) in Intramuros, Manila.

NPC gives legal and medical help for radio reporter

The National Press Club (NPC) assured yesterday radio reporter Willie Delgado, of Radio Mindanao Network’s station DZXL, who was manhandled last Thursday just outside the office of Bureau pf Immigration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino Libanan by the latter’s policeman-escort, that it will extend all the necessary legal and medical assistance.

In a statement, NPC president Benny Antiporda noted that the NPC will provide Delgado a lawyer for the immediate filing of case against Police Officer 2 Glendo Gabon, assigned with the Police Security Protection Office in Camp Crame, who is on detail assignment as one of the escorts of Libanan.

Libanan immediately asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to terminate the detail order of Gabon, whose order is set to expire by the end of the month.
Antiporda added that the NPC will also shoulder the medical expenses of Delgado, who was rushed to a nearby hospital after he was punched on the face by Gabon.

At the same time, Antiporda said the NPC will coordinate with the office of Libanan for an immediate investigation on the case and prevent such incident from happening in the future.

“The NPC is very saddened by the incident,” Antiporda said, adding that the NPC will always be at the forefront for the welfare of newsmen in the country.
The incident occurred when Gabon did not allow Delgado to enter the office of Libanan, which resulted to an argument.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

NPC welcome release of ABS-CBN crew, professor

(photos by Jedwin Llobera/Media Affairs Division, Manila International Airport Authority)

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

June 20, 2008

The National Press Club of the Philippines would like to express its gratitude to government officials and our security forces headed by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the positive conclusion to the kidnapping of broadcaster Ces Drilon and her television crew.


Despite this however, it once again highlights the risk to life and limb facing media practitioners in the country which has been dubbed internationally as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. There are stories worth dying for but this would prove horrifying to media practitioners if the news gatherer, as in the case of Ms. Drilon and company, becomes the news event.


Looking ahead and given the security risk inherent among the country’s media practitioners, the National Press Club, in the days to come, wishes to call on other media entities in the print, radio and broadcast segments to a dialogue with the end view of creating a Crisis Action Center (CAC) whose primary objective is to work silently and without funfare or grandstanding to secure the lives of our media colleagues who may become trapped in a situation similar to what Ms.Drilon just went through.


While the National Press Club was among the first media organizations to voice concern over the Drilon incident, we purposely chose to refrain from issuing further statements in succeeding days for fear of being speculative and adding tension to an already tense situation, lest we be accused of grandstanding at the expense of our colleagues.


In closing, we reiterate our call for the creation of the Crisis Action Center focused on assisting our media colleagues trapped in crisis situations and also urge concerned agencies and officials of government to support this endeavor.


Benny Antiporda

President

Monday, June 16, 2008

PPP New Set of Officers Oathtaking with PGMA


President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presides the oathtaking of the newly elected officers and director of the Press Photographers of the Philippines in Heroes Hall, Malacanang Palace. Photos from L-R Reny Pampolina-Director, Carlito Arenas-Director , Bong Son-Director, Boy Matias-Director, Val Rodriguez-Director, Rene Maghari-Auditor, Edgar Montana-Vice-Pres., Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, Gerardo Carual-President, Voltaire Domingo-Secretary, Ver Noveno-Treasurer, Edwin Bacasmas-Director, Andy Valle-Director, Ernie Tenorio-Director and Rene Dilan-Director. 14 May 2008 (RONALD ALLAN NAVARRO/PCPO)

Let’s ‘kill’ journalists


insidetheclub

 

Let’s ‘kill’ journalists

By Roy G. Acosta

The title of this piece was not my idea; it was Joe Burgos Jr.’s, an Ilokano from Ilocos Sur.  I am from Ilocos Norte, the more peaceful region called Ilocos-lovakias, and killing is not one of our cottage industries.  But I must admit my province did produce a “killing machine” many activists blame for hundreds of “desaparecidos” during his dictatorship.  I will not sully this piece by mentioning his name.

 But I am digressing.  As the title suggests, if Joe could have his way, he would have all the journalists killed.  Thank God he was Ilocos Sur officer-in-charge only for a short while.  (He was appointed by Cory Aquino, remember?)  Had he stayed on longer, he might be an all-powered politician now who could order “liquidations” here and there of those who cross or expose him.

           I’m just kidding of course.  Joe, of all people, thinking of murdering fellow journalists?  Never!  He probably had something else in his naughty mind when he suggested the title to me.  He comes from a family of journalists, as we all know, and he counts journalists among his closest friends.  Besides, we all know that he has been hailed as one of only 50 genuine world media heroes today. 

          But even if he really has murder in his mind for his wayward colleagues, I wouldn’t blame him.  I know for a fact that many in our profession who are now sick of the state of Philippine media today feel the same way.

           In my case, however, I have learned to take things in stride.  This is not to say that I have become indifferent.  It’s just that I have come to accept it as a fact of life and have thus learned to live with it … in the meantime.

           I have also just started to learn to treat some of the “sins” of media as a good source of laughter in these trying times, laughter is probably what we need most, aside from the basic necessities, of course, to keep body and soul together. Laughter is the best medicine, they say.  So why kill those who can still make us laugh?

 
            Let’s start with the radio and television news.  The fun begins when the newsreaders start “shouting” the news – some in rapid-fire fashion, some with a voice so shrill, one of them, in fact, once broke the wine glass I was holding – and some tumbling all over the place with tongue twisters but somehow still managing to modulate.  And then there is one who literally lives up to his name.  He is so shallow that when you wade through his thoughts in his morning TV show, you won’t even get your feet wet.  Thank God for cable TV.  At least, when we get tired of laughing ourselves silly after hearing our local newsreader-clowns, we could switch to BBC or CNN or Fox News, among other news agencies, where sober news is read soberly by sober newscasters who conduct sober and intelligent interviews.  Come to think of it, this is probably why this country is going to the dogs. Everybody is shouting. Singers shout their songs.  Labor leaders, legislators, Malacanang officials, hangers-on and hangers-on of the hangers-on shout themselves hoarse at the slightest provocation.  Nobody listens anymore. Everyone wants to hear only his own voice.


    Then comes the news itself:  Why do we say “tatlong katao ang namatay” or “ tatlong kababaihan and nilapastangan” or “tatlong kalalakihan ang nahuling nagnakaw?”  What happens if the culprits are gays?  Would the newsreaders say “Tatlong kabaklaan and nahuli?” We thought all along that katao is used when measuring the depth of water in a river or lake or ocean or the depth of a digging.  Like when one says, “Ang lalim ng tubig sa kinaroroonan niya ay inaakalang aabot sa apat na katao” or Ibinaon ang biktima sa hukay na apat na katao ang lalim.”  We also thought all along that “kababaihan” meant womenfolk and “kalalakihan” meant men folk.  Shouldn’t the newsreader say, “Tatlong tao and namatay,”  “tatlong babae ang nilapastangan” or “tatlong lalaki ang nahuling nagnakaw?” Hoy gising mga patnugot!

The English news items are no better.  That’s why you often hear phrases like “first year anniversary” or “cartographic sketch of the suspect” or “Sunset is at 6 p.m.” or “at this point in time” “God bless,” to cite a few. 

 
            The “anni” in anniversary comes from the Latin “annum” or year.  That’s why “first year anniversary” is a redundancy. It’s first anniversary.  A cartographer is a map makers; his product is a cartograph, most commonly known as a map.  The “drawing” that is often released by the National Bureau of Investigation or police investigators who are pursuing a suspect in a crime is simply called a sketch.  “Sunset at
6 p.m.” is an unforgivable redundancy.   Unless occasionally, the sun does not set in the afternoon.

 
            “At this point in time” is as execrable as “A pleasant good morning to you.”  What is pleasant – the good morning or the morning?

 
            The verb “bless” is transitive (vt in your dictionary) and therefore, needs an object.  So it should be “God bless you,” if you mean your listener.  The verb “assure” is also “vt.”  So one does not say, “President Arroyo assured that she will be a good President from now on.”  One says, “President Arroyo assured the people she will be a good President from now on.”  But that’s for the people to believe, of course.

   
            Kidding aside, are radio and television.  Have you noticed that when there is a tragedy – fire hits a squatter area leaving hundreds homeless, people are killed during a neighborhood rumble, a landslide buries an entire family, etc. – the first question invariably asked by a radio or television reporter interviewing the people affected is: “How do you feel about what has happened?”  Good God!

    Or the news reporters who cannot resist injecting their own @#$^%&* (read that stupid – that’s the kindest translation we can make) opinions in their reports.

 
            When some newsreaders and so-called commentators left media to join the political circus, many, I’m sure, heaved a sigh of relief.  After all, most of their news analysis always seems to come from that part of the anatomy for which such pieces are named.   

 
            But the relief has been short-lived.  They’re back.  Only this time, many of them are now defending the very institution they had been mercilessly blasting.  Talk about truth being the ultimate goal of journalism.  You know who they are!

   
            Our colleagues in the print medium are no better. 

   
            The parade of shaming Filipinisms could make your skin crawl – “lady drug pusher,” “tuition fee,”  “”toll fee,” “payroll money,” “ransom money,” and so on.  Even “carnapper,” “fiscalizer” and “owner-type jeep” should be banished from the Filipino lexicon; they don’t exist anywhere. 

   
             Reading some of our newspapers every day invariably reminds me of what a college long gone to God’s heaven that many editors have a running feud with the English language.  Or Pilipino, for that matter.

 
            And we are not talking about the contents of their papers.

 
            As I said at the beginning of this piece, many of us in media may indeed be justified in wanting to kill wayward colleagues who are giving the profession nothing but shame.  In fact, the way things are going, Joe Burgos may finally get to convince me; it’s beginning to hurt when I laugh, especially when we start talking about corruption in media. But in the meantime, I’d rather that the present state of the media in our country be allowed to continue.  That our media men, especially the so-called “broadcast journalists” be allowed to continue casting their broad net of stupidity and corruption until such time that the people themselves realize their icons are really not as special breed of people but are, in fact, just like those in other professions – the soldiers, policemen and politicians, who, incidentally, are media’s favorite whipping boys. 

   
            When the time comes, Joe, you won’t have to kill journalists; maybe the people – whom they have idiotized and fooled all along – will do the dirty, if extremely necessary, job.  Or perhaps, in an unprecedented attack of conscience, our “journalists” will kill themselves – in shame.  And we hope that from their ashes – we will burn them to reduce the risk of contamination- will rise a better breed of journalists you and I will never think of pursuing to extinction.


            Am I being optimistic, Joe?  Of course, I am.  As I’ve said, in trying times like these, there should be laughter.  And hope.  They’re beautiful when they are al your have.  - THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB: 50 Golden Years

20 NPC members' children recieve Rotary International-Philippines Districts scholarships



The National Press Club (NPC) and the Rotary International-Philippine Districts (RIPD) sponsored the college education, through scholarship grant, of some 20 deserving children of NPC regular members.

The college education support was made possible after NPC officials, led by its president Benny Antiporda and director Alvin Felciano, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) last May 19 with RIPD officials, led by Danilo Fausto (District 3780), Francisco Atayde (District 3810), Rosita Celis (District 3820), Renato Magadia, Jr. (District 3830), and Joseph Michael Espina (District 3860).

The historic MOA was signed in the presence of Lyne Abanilla, RIPD public image resource group of Rotary International Zone 7 chairw2oman; and Renato Sunico, vice chairman.

The 20 students were chosen yesterday after they undergo a rigid selection process held at the Silahis Arts and Crafts along Juan Luna Street in Intramuros, Manila interviewed by Rotarians Robert Lane and Rose Imperial duly assisted by Antiporda and Feliciano, who is the NPC education committee chairman.

Also present at the event were NPC treasurer Amor Virata and auditor Atty. Toto Causing.

Antiporda noted that the college scholarship will cover tuition fees and other miscellaneous expenses, such as books and uniforms, while transportation allowance will be given on a case-to-case basis.

"The NPC, through my fellow officers and members, humbly accepts the generosity of the Filipino Rotarians in all the participating districts and acknowledge the valuable assistance to our needy members and their children," Antiporda said.

While Imperial stressed that each of the deserving students were obliged to abide with the commitment to finish their studies and are asked to sign a covenant to maintain their grades at the level of being scholars.

At one point during the interview, emotions overcame one of the parents, a widow for six years, of the students after she cried as her only daughter was being questioned by Imperial on how she will described herself.

Angie dela Cruz, of Pilipino Star Ngayon (PSN), could not contain her tears as her daughter, Alice Marie, honestly answered Imperial.

Dela Cruz's husband was knifed dead six years ago and was left to fend the education and expenses of her daughter.

The deserving and qualified 20 students were Luckyboy Alcala, Therese Bianca Baluyot, Christian Paul Bernabe, Michelle Borlongan and her cousin Z Borlongan, Maryjane Borromeo, Jamelle Ann Catapusan, Kiko Cortez, Gian Carla David, Gabrielle Paulo de Guzman, Kristine Lara Virata Espiritu, Jamine Junco, Jahati Leanillo, Eduard Michael Muli, Aldrin Salao, Inah Patricia Simon, Arnesto Son, Jr, John Carlo Vargas, Emmanuel Munar, Jr. and Rochel Rosario.###

Social relevance of tabloids


insidetheclub

Social relevance of tabloids

The identification of people with stories they read makes tabloids more credible to the common tao who can place themselves in such situation.

By Jun Alano

Forget the general perception that tabloids are nothing but cheap entertainment magazines churned out by profit-hungry publishers.  There is more to our tabloids than meets the eye.

 

        There is a world of difference between the supermarket tabloids of Britain and the US on the one side and local tabloids on the other.  While its overseas counterparts focus on really outrageous and fantastic stories, especially when it concerns popular personalities, Philippine tabloids regularly cross over to the political sphere.  They also focus more on street crimes.  But the slant on political stories is what makes local tabloids unique.

 

        Tabloids the world over share a common feature:  they sell more than the snobbish broadsheet, and consequently are read by more people.

 

        It is mass circulation and reach that make tabloids a potent social force in the Philippines.

 

        For one, tabloid readers can easily identify with the sex and crime stories because these stories happen daily in their neighborhoods.  At one time or another, they have been witnesses, or even perhaps part, of the crime stories they have read.  The identification makes tabloids more credible to the common tao.

 

        The same identification can’t be said of the stories in the broadsheets, which are mostly political commentaries, or, in the cases of lifestyle sections, focused on the lives of the rich and famous.  Tabloids follow a set of formula:  lots of movie gossip, the standard crossword, a dash of sports, a sprinkling of household tips, horoscope, and ample servings of sex and violence.  The mix must come across not only as entertaining but also informative so that readers would feel they are getting the best of both worlds:  being informed and being entertained at the same time.  And they will gladly shell out P6 for that.

 

        When the tabloids start building a following, though, an injection of political issues makes the concoction explosive.  Screaming headlines about rumors of coup d’ etat, while generally taken with a grain of salt, cannot be simply dismissed when it comes out in the tabloids very often.  Political scandals, however mundane, can easily unmake the most astute of politicians when the tabloids hammer on them day in and day out.

 

        And this is where the essence of the tabloid rests: they can shape public consciousness in a way no other medium does because once something is printed in the tabloids, it stays in the mind of the masa, the largest segment of the population who may not have the means to have their opinions heard nevertheless easily share the sentiments projected in the tabloids.  Thus, if a public official is linked to a scandal that has been amply covered by the tabloids, rest assured that his or her popularity will dive come next survey time.         

 

        Can the tabloids really shape public opinion?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  But the number of popular columnists and political personalities who want to write a column or two in the tabloids speaks for itself.  Opinion-makers want to reach the tabloid readers, the daily jeepney commuters who devour their copies of these sleazy magazines from cover to cover, in an attempt to give masa a piece of their mind on the burning issues of the day.

 

        But do the tabloid readers care that people want to influence them somehow? If they do, they don’t show it.  They don’t write letters to the editors.  Some do text.  They are the true blue silent majority.  And they only get their news that shape their views from the tabloids.  -- THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB: 50 Golden Years

                 

 

       

         

 

 

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Gallery of NPC Presidents

NPC Seal symbol of Press Freedom



The Manila Times., Dec. 30, 1955, p11

The seal of the National Press Club utilizes Philippine motifs and symbols with rich historical background to signify freedom of the press.

The dominant motifs and symbols of the seal are the sea lion, the quill and the tambuli, complemented by the sun rayonnant with letter K written in the old Tagalog script.

According to Galo B. Ocampo, member and secretary of Philippine Heraldry committee who designed the seal, the sea lion with a sword with guard and hilt is the heralsdric symbol for Filipinos and signifies "ever alert to defend the fatherland."

The Philippine sun with eight rays and the letter K, written in the old Tagalog script as used in the Katipunan standard, is used to complement the sea lion, thus giving the seal a rich historical background.

National colors of red, white and blue give added significance . Red is the dominant color, signifying "courage to express oneself," and is tempered by blue, signifying justice and white purity. ####

nationalpressclub.multiply.com

Saturday, June 14, 2008

2008-2010 NPC Board of Directors

Militancy in the time of repression



insidetheclub

Militancy in the time of repression

by Satur Ocampo

Over the five decades of existence of the National Press Club, militancy in the Philippine press has had many manifestations. The inspiring examples of the militant journalism by Marcelo H. del Pilar, or "Plaridel" (after whom the NPC Plaridel Hall as named), and other members of the Propaganda Movement of the 1980s have kept such militancy alive, in varying degrees and extents, through all the years.

A distinct type of militancy, involving not just the Philippine press but the NPC specifically, is what I wish to dwell on this short piece. It's militancy of the revolutionary genre, with the interesting story of its own. It tells how the NPC leadership, and the NPC itself, became part of the then fast-growing national democratic movement. It also tells how such involvement radically transformed the worldview, lifestyle and career of the first two-term NPC president-the veritable "Batang Klub," our dear departed colleague and my comrade-in-arms, Antonio M. Zumel.

It was a time of political ferment amidst economic difficulties for the Filipino people. Ferdinand E. Marcos had just started to serve the second term as President of the
Philippines, having been proclaimed winner in an election term attended by widespread vote-buying, cheating, and violence. His state-of-the-nation address on January 29, 1970 attracted a huge protest demonstration in front of Congress, largely of students and workers demanding fundamental reforms.

After the militant youth demonstrations had thrown a cardboard casket symbolizing the death of democracy at Marcos, the US-trained anti-riot police brutally dispersed the demonstrators, hurting and maiming many of them.

That bloody dispersal spurred another huge protest march to the
Malacanang Palace gates the following day. The march turned into a confrontation with the Malacanang security group and then into a pitch battle between the demonstrators and the Metropolitan Police Command-later reinforced by Army troops under the Task Force Lawin from Central Luzon.

The historic event became known as the Battle of Mendiola. It signaled the beginning of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) of 1970, characterized by a series of big protest marches and demonstrations in Metro manila until March, often with violent clashes between demonstrators and armed police.

The FQS spurred the flowering of the national Democratic (ND) mass organizations, led by the Kabataang Makabayan (KM) and Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK), across the country that carried on unprecedented militant protest actions.

My wife, Carolina "Bobbie" S. Malay, and myself were then working with the Manila Times and Taliba. We were both in the NPC board of directors, she as a treasurer and me as a vice president. With Tony Zumel and a number of NPC press statements of ND activist organizations, and open the NPC as a place for meetings and a sanctuary for political activists being pursued by the police in dispersal operations.

We also sought to unify into a progressive federation the unionized workers in the four main newspapers: the Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, Manila Chronicle and the Philippines Herald. In fact, we were set to establish the federation in appropriate ceremonies at the Plaridel Hall on September 23, 1972. The declaration of martial law aborted the event. That project was later pursued and realized in the later half of the 1980s by militant journalists and unionist, led by the late Antonio Nieva, a former NPC president.

Let Tony Zumel tell the story himself, in a brief account that he wrote for Liberation, official publication of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF), in January 2000, before he passed away.

"For me, the periods from the FQS (1970) to the imposition of martial law is most important because this was when my appreciation of the Philippine society and my entire worldview underwent transformation. From being a petty-bourgeois liberal in the early part of my life, which included 18 years as journalist, I became a revolutionary of the national democratic movement by September 1972.

"I was elected president of the National Press Club o the
Philippines for the years 1969-1970 and 1970-71. These were the crucial years in the formation of the national democratic movement and revolution. The NPC, including myself, was pulled into the dynamics of the developments.

"What initially brought me and the NPC in contact with the ND activists was the case of the Dumaguete Times in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. The military arrested the entire staff and placed them incommunicado. As NPC president, I immediately issued a statement demanding the release of the young journalists. We raised a lot of noise in the media. We succeeded. It turned out that the government had no legal case against them, no matter that the staff were members of the KM.

"My association with the Dumaguete Times journalists brought me somewhat close to the KM and its leaders, and to the ND mass movement as a whole. In the ensuing period, people from the movement became close to me, or tried to be close to me and to other "progressives" in the NPC.

"I was initially impressed by the program of the ND movement. At the outset of the FQS, my sympathies were for the movement. It was in my desire to help the ND movement (and even the Lavaites) to get close to the mass media that I opened the door of the NPC to their leaders and spokespersons. My principal interest was to facilitate and promote good relations between the NPC and the movement, and to help get the movement sufficient space and time (in the case of radio or TV) in the mass media.

"I joined the discussion group (DG) in the mass media headed by Ka Satur (Ocampo). MY systematic learning of the ND movement and its principles moved me closer to it. I was no longer just a disinterested bystander.

"In May 1970, I ran for re-election as NPC president. Charlie del Rosario (then secretary-general of the KM, who disappeared and was presumed abducted and slain by the military in 1971) and a group of ND activists at the NPC's Plaridel Hall chanted slogans in support of our ticket. At the third floor the Lavaites distributed my handbills. At the NPC National convention preceding the election, we got the convention to approve a resolution aligning the NPC to the development for change.

"My participation in the ND movement increased. I became an actual participant, joining one gathering or march as my work in the NPC and the Bulletin Today staff allowed it. Upon the death of our friend and comrade Ka amado V. Hernandez, I became chairman of the amado V. Hernandez Memorial Foundation, which our group with Ka Satur set up. With Tony Tagamolia, who was then the editor-in-chief of the UP Collegian and president of the revitalized College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), we republished Jose Ma. Sison's book, "Struggle for National Democracy."

"I was soon invited to speak at ND public gatherings, including on or two occasions in Plaza Miranda. Ka Satur was the work horse, but I assisted in putting out Tingga, our small paper for mass media people.

"When the Preparatory Commission of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was set-up in 1971, I was invited to become a members.

"When my second term was about to end in May 1971, our mass media group moved to ensure that the next NPC president could not be a lackey of Malacanang.

"I went underground on the night when martial law went into effect on
September 23, 1972 and have been there ever since."

There are a number of points I can add to what Tony Zumel wrote about those days of NPC militancy.

What our media group did, besides conducting political discussions and studies among selected journalists with progressive bents, was try to raise the level of unity and militancy of media workers so that they could better struggle and win more benefits from managements. We try to achieve that through direct organizational work among the unions and through the publication and distribution among the unionists of Tingga.

One of our indefatigable colleagues was Henry Romero, a reporter of Taliba and later of the Bulletin, who "disappeared" during the early period of marital rule.

Before he declared martial law, Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus on
August 21 1971, a few hours after the grenade-bombing of the Liberal Party's miting de avance for the senatorial elections scheduled in November. Several activists were subsequently rounded up and arrested. In response, civil libertarians led by Senator Jose W. Diokno organized the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties (MCCCL), which campaigned for the lifting of the writ suspension.

The NPC became the seat of the MCCCL secretariat, with then NPC president Amando Doronilla as secretary-general. Manila Times publisher Joaquin "
Chino" Roces actively supported the MCCCL, joining its protest marches and demonstrations that invariably started at the NPC grounds. Fellow journalists who marched with chino Roces then recall with fondness how, soak to the skin by a heavy downpour, the Times publisher gamely bought "binatog" from a street vendor and shared it with everyone around him.

Marcos lifted the writ suspension in February 1972.

About what Tony Zumel wrote - that our media group ensured those who succeeded him as NPC presidents could not be lackeys of Malacanang - was fulfilled.

Amando Doronilla became an activist NPC president, and his successor Eddie Monteclaro also stood up for Marcos. After Marcos declared martial law and the military detained several journalist, including Chino Roces, Eddie Monteclaro, aided by then practicing lawyer, now Senator Joker P. Arroyo,
filed a petition for habeas corpus for the release of the detained journalists. It took some time, however, before Marcos set them free.

Even as Tony Zumel, Bobbie Malay, Henry Romero and I carried on the struggle in the underground revolutionary movement, other journalists influenced by the ND movement persisted with the anti-dictatorship struggle within the Philippine media. After the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, militancy in the press gained momentum.

By 1984, when the leadership of the NPC had gone back to the militants, the club, with Tony Nieva as president celebrated the first Press Freedom Day under martial law, on August 31, Del Pilar's birthday. As a political prisoner at the time writing a column Jose Burgos' pioneering We Forum, I was allowed a day's pass by then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile to address the celebration as key note speaker. Reporting on the event Malaya said in part; "If a journalist like Ocampo could still be incarcerated at a time when his colleagues are celebrating press freedom day, then, when is the local press be truly free? Ocampo gave the answer at the Plaridel Hall. "He said that the press will only be free if the people whom he serves shall be free."

That event paved the way for the fight to freedom, after more than nine years of military detention, on
May 5, 1985 - courtesy of the NPC. Allowed another day time pass to participate in the annual NPC convention and election, I made good my escape back into the revolutionary underground. The following year Marcos was ousted by People Power 1. ###




The Club's reason for being




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The Club's reason for being
by Manuel Almario

On October 22, 2002, the National Press Club of the Philippine, Inc. (NPC) observed its 50th anniversary. As required by the corporation law, the NPC must renew its character to prolong its existence for another 50 years.

The observance of the 50th anniversary of the filing of the club’s Articles of Incorporation should provide us an occasion to review how the organization has discharged its mandate over the past 50 years. Have we been faithful to the objectives and purposes for which the organization has been formed?

We ask this question because many members tend to forget the professional objectives of the club, viewing it simply as a social organization.

Article 1 of the NPC charter sets forth “purposes” of the organization. The first paragraph states that “the purpose for which said corporation is formed is to promote cooperation and understanding among newspapermen and newspaperwomen and to draft a code of ethics for the advancement of the newspaper profession.”

The charter of the NPC thus provides that the organization is both a social club and a professional organization. While the first part of this paragraph states that the purpose of the corporation is “to promote cooperation an understanding” among its members, it also provides that it shall draft a “code of ethics.”

It was only in 1988 that the National Press Club in its annual convention formally approved a Code of Ethics. This established the NPC as a professional organization with a self-regulating mechanism that enforces lofty standards of journalism. Its by-laws mete out sanctions to NPC members who violate the organization’s Code of Ethics. The adoption of the Code of Ethics placed the NPC on the same level as the legal, medical and other traditional professions with their respective codes of ethics and high standards of practice.

The public purpose of NPC clearly stated in the second paragraph, namely, “to uphold the freedom of the press and the dignity of the newspapermen’s profession.”

(In 1952, when the Articles of Incorporation was drafted, broadcast journalism was still in infancy. Print media dominated the field. Radio, already well established, was still primarily a medium of entertainment and commentary. Television was just emerging, chiefly as entertainment medium. So the NPC membership at that time was composed mainly of “newspapermen” and “newspaperwomen.” Now that broadcast journalism is fully developed, the NPC has accepted broadcast journalist as members. NPC members are therefore referred to in our by-laws as journalists,” both broadcast and print. Pretty soon, internet journalists may be recognized as a part of the mainstream profession of journalism.

The defense of press freedom is therefore a main objective of the NPC. It is a public purpose because freedom of the press is not just a right of media practitioners, it is also a right of all people in a democratic society. It is an integral part of the freedom of expression guaranteed to the people by the Philippine Constitution. This is one reason why the NPC is more than just a social club, as some of our members tend to think, but a professional association as well.

Webster’s International Dictionary defines a profession as: “A calling requiring a specialized knowledge and often too long and intensive preparation including instructions in skills and methods… maintaining by force of organization or concerted opinion high standards of achievement and conduct, and committing its members to continued study and to a kind of work which has its prime purpose the rendering of a public service.”

The other part of paragraph 2 of article 1 declares that another purpose of NPC is to “uphold the dignity f the newspapermen’s profession.” This means that, aside from requiring its members to adhere to the Code of Ethics and to maintain respectable personal behavior, the NPC must also show concern for the working and living conditions of the journalists, consistent with their dignity as individuals and as leading members of the society. In short, the NPC cannot just close their eyes to the economic exploitation of journalists but must strive for better working conditions and acceptable standards of compensation for Filipino Journalists. Unless the working and living conditions of journalists ആരെ to a level commensurate with the dignity and intellectual requirements of their profession, their efforts to maintain high standards in the practice of their profession could suffer.

The public purpose of the National Press Club justified the congress of the Philippines in enacting Republic Act No. 905 in 1953, only a year after the formal organization of the NPC, donating to it a lot measuring 5,184.7 square meters, on which to construct its clubhouse. Under the Constitution of the Republic, the government cannot give donations to individuals or entities not imbued with a public purpose. But since the NPC is committed to defending the freedom of expression, a basic human right, and to upholding high standards in journalism, a profession imbued with public interest, then the Congress felt justified in providing a subsidy to the club in the form of a land donation. The donation, however, is not absolute because the land reverts to the ownership of the national government upon dissolution of the club.

The charter authorizes the NPC to “raise funds for the establishment of a non-profit facility for the recreation of the working newspapermen.” The founding fathers envisioned the club as providing services to its members, such as a library, recreational, social and professional facilities, and a restaurant that the journalists may patronize at relatively lower cost commensurate their incomes, considering that the club is non-profit and earns rentals from office space and income from fund-raising activities and other services to the public. In turn this would reinforce journalists against accepting favors from sources.

Unfortunately, journalists are notoriously incompetent business people. Thus the club is burdened with debts, to the extent that a government financial institution “title” over its properties (the NPC clubhouse proper and another building previously leased to the PLDT, as well as the land itself) after the NPC failed to pay its loans and real estate taxes. The club has also failed to keep up with the expectations of the membership they have provided with facilities for recreation and services that promote professional excellence. Many bona fide journalists have in fact distanced themselves from club affairs, promoting the club leadership to undertake campaigns to “bring back” members to the club.

The NPC, however, has been militant in defending the freedom of the press, except for occasional lapses. In cooperation with other media organizations, such as the Philippine Press Institute, Kapisnan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the NPC has been vigilant in denouncing threats to press freedom and in opposing any move from any quarter, including the government, to limit the freedom of speech and of the press.

In the 50’s, the NPC played a significant role in bolstering press freedom. This development occurred following the incarceration of five newspapermen for refusing to reveal the sources of their information in connection with the trial in Pasay City of the famous Monroy case involving the bribery of a murder witness in which a cabinet official was the principal accused. As a result, the NPC mounted a campaign that resulted in the amendment of Republic Act No. 63, which protected a journalist from revealing the source of his information unless required by the “interest of the state.” The amendment, under R.A. 1477, broadened the rights of journalists by changing the phrase “Interest of state” to “security of the state.” The “security” of the state is of narrower connotation than the “interest” of the state, so that a journalist cannot be forced to reveal the source unless it involves the national security.

Following the declaration of martial law in 1972, the National Press Club, under the presidency of Eddie Monteclaro of the Manila Times, fielded a petition for habeas corpus with the Supreme Court on behalf of the journalists arrested by the martial law government of President Marcos.

The petition challenges the constitutionality of martial law and questioned the act of the government in arresting and detaining journalists who merely exercised their right reporting on public events and in criticizing the acts of public officials. Joker arroyo, now a senator, as counsel for the NPC, together with then constitutional convention delegate Aquilino Pimintel jr., also now a senator, argued on behalf of the detained journalists.


In months of activism and protests against the Marcos government’s perceived efforts to curtail civil liberties and restrict press freedom, the NPC allowed its social hall, aptly named after the hero Marcelo H. Del Pilar, to be used by activists and the protestors for their meetings, and as a refuge from pursuing troopers and policemen. During martial law, protesters against the dictatorship were also allowed to make use of the facility to voice their protests. Conventions of the NPC were utilized to air demands for press freedom. The alternative press contributed to the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, and the NPC was not a mere bystander in the struggle for the return of civil liberties.


After the fall of the dictatorship, the NPC has continued to be vigilant in defending press freedom as mandated by its charter. It denounced threats to press freedom, including the murder of, physical assaults on and threats to individual journalists, as well as acts of harassments, legal or otherwise, of media institutions, like newspapers and broadcast stations.

The NPC sometimes had gone beyond mere defense of press freedom but had moved further to defend civil liberties, realizing that freedom of expression alone is futile unless civil liberties for the entire societies are likewise protected.


So the NPC, despite some inconsistency and some notable weaknesses and lapses, has striven to pursue its objectives and discharge its obligations to the Filipino public as stated in its character. Nevertheless, there is need to strengthen the professional character of the organization. The concentration of some NPC administrators on mere social and fund-raising activities might at times be beneficial and necessary, but these are merely supportive of our greater purpose that is public good, as spelled out in our character and purpose of the organization, the NPC will become irrelevant, especially since mismanagement of the club’s financial affairs and disregard of members’ welfare, is turning away working professional journalists from the club.

So let’s lay the foundation for a more professional, militant and purposeful NPC in the next fifty years as our legacy to future generations of Filipino journalists ant to our country as well. ###