IT’S BEEN said journalists write the first rough draft of history. Before renowned figures and ground-breaking events enter our nation’s collective record, it’s the press who jots down all the minute details and hash out articles set to make the public aware and informed.
Panay News, with its 37 years of breaking reports and hard-hittingheadlines, has always been a few steps ahead of history. A renowned name in publishing, it’s a regional daily read by people from all walks of life. From the air-conditioned boardrooms of our Provincial Capitol to the bustling streets of Iloilo City, Panay News is a name recognized by Ilonggos to mean truth and fairness, recording the history of Iloilo one day at a time.
The Vendor
Newspaper vendor Elizabeth Biating has witnessed the growth of Panay News first-hand. Biating shares that she’s been selling newspapers at the La Paz Public Market for 27 years now. At Grade 3, she started helping out her parents to man their humble stall, near the market’s entrance facing Huervana Street.
“Daw diri na gid ko nagdaku sa La Paz Market, adlaw-adlaw gabulig sa ginikanan ko,” said Biating.
She shares that Panay News has always been the “pinakamabakal nga newspaper,” but admits that her sales have dipped in recent years because of the emergence of digital media.
“Lain gid sang una sa subong, grabe to ya baklanay sang una, subong ya medyo pigado na,” shares Biating. “Pero biskan sinitimo lang nga ginansya ok lang, pangbakal mo pa man na bugas kag paeskwela sa bata ko.”
During slow hours, Biating likes to read Panay News’ local and metro sections but admits that most of the time she just enjoys the crossword puzzles.
“Ang akun ginalagas ang mga gakalatabo diri sa Iloilo, mga bun-anay, sunog, mga pagpangawat, pero kalabanan ang crossword gid ginauna ko,” said Biating.
By selling Panay News and other publications Biating has managed to provide for family and send her child to college. “Tiyaga ka lang, kung di ka magtiyaga wala ka man maabtan,” shares Biating.
The Professor
For communications professor Esther Rose Romarate reading the newspaper is a communal experience.
“Reading newspapers connects us with people around us and makes us active participants in the events that impact our community, our nation, our world,” she shares.
Romarate is an experienced instructor at Central Philippine University, who’s taught generations of young writers and journalists the nuances of communication and media.
“Reading newspapers informs us and influences our view of issues,” shares the professor. “At times, it entertains and irritates us or even disturbs us.”
Though she admits she rarely reads printed newspapers now, as the internet has made it possible to access news from all over the country with a single click, she still sees their importance to most of the Philippines’ population
“Printed media provide news and other information to people who have no access to the Internet, and in the Philippines, they are still the majority,” said Romarate.
Such has become very true with Panay News, with the publication’s core readership being regular Ilonggos wanting to be well informed about the state and events of their banwa.
Professor Romarate sees newspapers as a way to reach more people and provide them with the information that they need.
“We need to read newspapers so that we are able form more logical opinions that will influence us to make the right decisions about how we can become better members of our society,” she shares.
And there’s also the tactile aspect of newspapers – “Just like printed books, the smell of paper awakens the olfactory sense in us which I think contributes much to the total experience of reading a newspaper,” said Romarate. “The printed form also allows us to focus better on an article you are reading, unlike the digital version, which usually offers links related to the story. The links often distracts readers away from a news story.”
The young proffesional
“Writing isn’t just something I am passionate about. I find it a responsibility rooted on the role to inform the public on factual events, educating them and molding their opinion,” shares Edelaine Ellenson Encarguez, an AB Journalism grad from West Visayas State University.
“As much as possible, I oblige myself to read the newspaper every day. Whenever I have time, I read all sorts of print media,” says Encarguez.
For her, the main responsibility of a journalist is to provide a voice for the voiceless and oppressed, and that’s what urged her to become a writer. “I really claimed this career as a calling urging me to pursue the said degree in college,” she said.
Even with the changing times, Encarguez thinks that newspapers like Panay News continue to be relevant sources of information. “People need to read the newspaper in order them not to become oblivious of the happenings around them,” say the student journalist. “The present generation is blinded by the innovations brought about by technology, [there is a need to be more] attentive to the contents conveyed by newspapers.”
But for Encarguez, print media just needs to up its stakes.
“Change is always inevitable,” she intones.”We only have to adjust and adapt to these modifications. Newspapers will always play a vital role, such as keeping records that run by the decades, something other media cannot provide.”
It’s 5 p.m., the professor is scrolling through news articles on her tablet and the student is conversing with her friends.
The newspaper vendor’s day is nearly over too. She stacks the unsold dailies and tabloids, bundles them together with rope.
Tomorrow she’ll rise early, wait for a new batch of newspapers at the same spot she’s held for the last 27 years. She’ll line them on her counter and hang them from her racks. Always at the same spot, peddling our city’s history that is unfolding every day./PN
