1. History of Philippine Mass Media
Reference: Philippine Communication Today
by Crispin Maslog (2007)

2. 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

3. Newspapers in Spanish Period

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

4. Newspapers in Spanish Period

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

5. 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

6. Magazines in Spanish Period

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

7. 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

8. Revolutionary Press

Rose in the latter part of Spanish rule and
early part of American occupation (approx
bet 1890 & 1905

La Solidaridad

Kalayaan

La Independencia

El Renacimiento

9. 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

10. La Solidaridad

Banned by Spanish authorities

Smuggled into the Phils.

Written in Spanish, limited circulation

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. El Renacimiento*

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

15. 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

16. Newspapers during American
Occupation

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

17. Manila Bulletin

Bought by Hans Menzi in 1957

Modernized the paper's format

Gave it a Filipino orientation

18. 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

19. 
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

20. Movies

Period of the Silent Pictures (1897-1929)

Talking Pictures Period (1929-1970)

New Cinema (1970 onwards)

21. Period of Silent Pictures
Three Stages

Dominance of the documentary film

Rise of the feature film

Establishment of Filipino film companies

22. 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

23. 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

24. Rise of Feature Film

Adopted stories from sarsuwela, awit, &
novels

Historical events

Drew subject matter from popular culture
associating Filipino film w/ pop culture

25. 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

26. Establishment of Filipino Film
Companies

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

27. Establishment of Filipino Film
Companies

Other Filipino film producers
– Silos brothers
– Carlos Vander Tolosa
– Jose Domingo Badilla
– Rafael Hernandez

28. 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)

29. Talking Pictures

Significant developments
– Star system
– Rise of genre films
• Action movie
• Melodrama
• Slapstick comedy
• Films based on the life of a hero or
historical event

30. Talking Pictures

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

31. Talking Pictures

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)

32. Talking Pictures

Quality Filipino Films
– “Ifugao” by Gerardo de Leon
– “Anak Dalita” by Lamberto Avellana
– Directors Gregorio Fernandez and Ramon
Estrella

33. Talking Pictures

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 companies
– Genre films still being produced
– Towards end of 60's came the bomba
films

34. 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

35. New Cinema

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

36. New Cinema

Short film

After assassination of Ninoy Aquino,
documentary films exposing abuses of the
Marcos regime
– The Arrogance of Power
– Signos
– Lakbayan

37. New Cinema

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

38. New Cinema

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

39. New Cinema

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

40. 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

41. 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 the trend in later years of “media
monopoly” - Araneta also owned DMHM
newspapers

42. Radio

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

43. Radio

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

44. 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 (Taliba-
Vanguardia-Tribune) started in 1916

Tribune became one of the 2 leading
papers during American period

45. Newspaper Chains

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

46. Newspaper Chains

Chain of magazines in the vernacular was
started by Ramon Roces (1923)

Contents – fiction, entertainment, how-to-
do articles
– Liwayway (Tagalog)
– Bisaya (E. Visayan region)
– Hiligaynon (W. Visayan region)
– Bannawag (Ilocos region)

47. Newspaper Chains

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

48. 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

49. Advertising

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

50. Advertising

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

51. Advertising

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 1984-
85, incl. less than 25% of ad agencies

52. 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

53. Postwar Newspapers

Roces put up Daily Mirror (afternoon
paper) and Weekly Women's Magazine
(leading women's magazine before martial
law)

54. 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

55. Postwar Period Television

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

56. Postwar Period Television

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

57. 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

58. Phil. Mass Media before
Martial Law

Enjoyed political freedom but controlled by
big businesses

Lacked ethics and professionalism