THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 1

THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE

MASS MEDIA

XYRIES ZEUS L. LEGASPI

JOU11

Mass media is a powerful force in shaping the minds not only of a specific group of
people, but the entire viewership – the society. C.W. Mills (1956) claims that the media
dominates the mental life of modern societies. He added that it not only disseminates
information, it also guides the sense experience of its viewers/audience.

Media, therefore, has the capacity to influence the consciousness of the people. And the
number of these people continues to rise at an exponential rate, thus enlarging the sphere
of influence mass media holds.

The capacity of mass media to create illusions of joy, sadness, and excitement made it
famous in the mainstream. However, it has not always been the case.

This paper aims to briefly show the evolution of the different platforms of mass media in
the Philippines and their role in Philippine society.

INTRODUCTION

In the Philippines, the number of people tuned in platform for Filipinos. As of 2019, only two
to television continues to rise exponentially. A percent of Filipinos get news through
2018 survey found that 96.6 percent of Filipinos newspapers (Cabico, 2019). These percentages
watch the television, with an average watching may appear small, but they still equate to
time of 3.7 hours (Arcangel, 2017). Filipinos are millions of Filipino audiences, solidifying the
also world leaders in internet usage. According perceived popularity of mass media and its
to a recent report, Filipinos spend an average of welcome invasion in the lives of our
four hours and 12 minutes in using the internet, countrymen.
beating the global average of only two hours and
16 minutes (Adel, 2019). But how did the different platforms of mass
media began in the Philippines? How did they
However, only 15 percent of Filipinos get news change over time? These questions boggle the
through the radio, forming a huge gap between intellect and warrant a refresher on Philippine
its audio visual counterpart. Print media falls in History.
the last place as the most popular media

PRINT MEDIA
During the Spanish Occupation
(1571-1898)
The conception of Philippines Press is most
widely attributed to Thomas Pinpin – the “Father
of Filipino Printing”. He published the Sucesos
Felices in 1637, marking the beginning of the
Philippine print media. It was then followed by
the first Philippine newspaper – Del Superior
Govierno.
During the Spanish era, the Filipino print media
revolved around newspapers, novels, and
academic publications. The problem, however,
is that during this point in time, Filipinos were
kept silent by the suppressive censorship
enforced by the conquistadors. Due to this, most
news publications only persisted for a short
amount of time.
But there is one newspaper, which despite its
ephemerality, is immortalized by history – the
catalyst for the Filipino revolution – the La
Solidaridad (1888). More newspapers were
published, following the footsteps of the
Illustrado-led publication which tackled the
plight of the Filipinos under the Spanish rule
(Philippine Press History, n.d.).
THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 2
During the American Occupation
(1898-1946)
The American era saw the country transition
from strictly censorship to lax ones, allowing the
Filipinos to publish papers aimed for civic
consciousness and entertainment. This period
saw the rise of the Philippine Magazine (1905)
which was first called the “Philippine Teacher”
– a semi-government owned publication for
public school teachers. It was then renamed the
“Philippine Magazine” in 1905. The periodical
was said to be the first in the country to publish
a smorgasbord of miscellaneous content
(Maslog, 1960).
Along with this period came the technology to
reproduce copies faster, therefore allowing
publishers to reach a wider audience. English
magazines were popular but the ones which
really made it big in the market were those
published in Filipino, particularly, Liwayway – a
paragon of Filipino magazines intended for the
“man on the street”.
This era also marked a new period for Filipino
newspaper chains. These publication chains
were pioneered by Alejandro Roces, Sr. He
established the Taliba-Vanguardia-Tribune or
TVT chain. But despite the Filipino ownership
of major newspapers and publications,
censorship enforced by the Americans was still
in place.
The Sedition Law of 1901 declared that:
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 3

patronizing mass media. Instead, they turned to

It shall be unlawful for any
person to advocate orally, or by
writing or printing or like
methods, the independence of
the Philippine Islands or their
separation from the
States, whether by peaceable or
forcible means, or to print,
publish, or circulate
handbill, newspaper, or other
publication advocating
independence or separation.
those which were illegalized by the Japanese
government – the underground publications
managed by the guerillas. After three years of
being conquered, the Philippines regained
independence after the Filipino-American forces
United ousted the Japanese.
Post-War Era
(1946-1972)
any
Along with the liberation of the Filipinos was
such
the liberation of the press. Teodoro Locsin, the
editor of the Philippine Free Press wrote:

In spite of this, the limitations enforced upon

Never had the press been so
press freedom were not felt by the lay reader –
free, never had it wielded such
an indication that the Americans managed to
power and influence. The
create an illusion of liberty where the Filipinos
government was but recently
comfortably played in.
established and uncertain of its
strength. It was extremely
During the Japanese Era
sensitive to public opinion and
(1942-1945)
the press took advantage of this
The Japanese seized all media outlets in the healthy state, pouncing on the
country. They assumed control of the mass government‟s least mistakes and
media and other means of communication, using making national issues of
it to further their political agenda. The invaders them… The power of the press
took over the newspaper publications upon was utterly out of proportion to
entering Manila on January 2, 1942. Among all the circulations of the various
other newspaper companies, the Japanese papers. None could claim a sale
mainly used the Tribune which they forcefully of more than a few thousand
acquired from Roces. copies… There was censorship
by the U. S. Army… But
The media was used solely for propaganda. The military censorship was soon
Filipinos knew this and refrained from erased and finally lifted, then it

was open season and good
hunting for politicians.
But freedom from censorship does not mean
freedom from obligation. The press was free to
express and speak for the people, however, this
period also marked the beginning of media
monopolies. Prominent newspaper companies
were forced to work with business enterprises to
remain in the field. This meant that the press
was controlled by the few, by the decisions of
the elites.
Under the Martial Law
(1972-1986)
After the declaration of Martial Law, Marcos
ordered to shut down various media
establishments. All newspaper outlets were
closed in compliance with the proclamation
except for Manila Bulletin which was exempted
and renamed Bulletin Today. The publication
focused mostly on business and economic news.
Marcos then released an order which “requires
the acquisition of clearance from the Department
of Public Information (DPI) and prohibits
printers from producing any form of publication
for mass dissemination without permit from
DPI” (DPI Order No. 1 and 2, 1972).
According to the Philippine Press History (n.d.),
the martial law period can be described as the
“Era of Guided Media and the Rise of the
Alternative Press”. Media operates along strict
THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 4
media control guidelines and journalists were
incarcerated in military prison camps for
speaking against the administration.
The assassination of Benigno Aquino became a
catalyst for change among the Filipinos. It
served as the wake-up call which called upon the
citizens to act. New newspaper companies
emerged in response to the administration‟s
blatant abuse of power, the most famous of
which is the Philippine Daily Inquirer (1985).
The press did not only chronicle this dark era in
Philippine history, they were direct participants
in the quest for democracy.
The media was a cornerstone, a great influencer
during the People Power Revolution. Despite
sanctions enforced by the government, the press
was undeterred. Journalists all over the country
educated the people about the inhumane
practices of the administration and persuaded
them to take part in ousting Marcos. Without the
media, the revolution would have been
unsuccessful.
RADIO
The Arrival
The radio industry was introduced to Filipinos
by the Americans during the early 1920s.At the
time, it was mainly used for commercial
purposes. Albeit still at its experimental stage,
the radio already served as a tool for the

Americans to advertise their products to the
Filipino market.
Henry Herman was credited with establishing
the first radio station in the Philippines – the
KZKZ (KZ was the call letters in American
radio which the Philippines adopted
accordingly). Subsequently, radio stations were
established one after another, most of them
belonging to department store owners which
they used to advertise their products (Enriquez
2003).
In 1927, KZRM and KZEG were bought by the
Far Eastern Broadcasting Company owned by J.
Amado Araneta. He would then proceed to own
the DMHM newspaper chain – an example of
media monopoly at the time. The early years of
radio in the Philippines created its huge
following from the Filipino audience. The public
grew engrossed with its more personal,
conversational tone. At the time, the radio was
used more for entertainment than as a news
outlet.
In 1931, due to the increasing number of radio
stations, the government felt the need to regulate
it, hence the creation of the Radio Control Law
which mandated the creation of the Radio
Control Board. The board issued licenses,
allocated frequencies, and conducted inspections
of the stations (Enriquez, 2003).
THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 5
During the late 1930s, however, the
entertainment trend in the radio shifted to an
interest in news and public affairs as the Second
World War kept closing in. The news were
mostly about American war efforts and military
actions.
Japanese Repression
Upon their invasion of the country, the Japanese
immediately seized all forms of media including
radio stations. The radio then became an
ideological battleground between the Japanese,
who took control of most radio stations the
Filipino-American resistance failed to render
useless, and the Americans who, along with
Filipinos, aired clandestinely.
Like the print media, the Japanese used the radio
as a tool to disseminate propagandistic
messages, drastically changing programs, which
they perceived as “harmful” foreign influences,
to educational programs in Japanese and
Filipino.
The radio was also used by the resistance to
inform the Filipinos of the true horrors brought
by the colonial government. They set up small
radio stations, frequently changing locations and
frequencies to avoid detection by the Japanese
army. Listening to these stations is punishable
by death.
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 6

Post-War Era prominence. Religious groups and educational

institutions went on air to propagate their faith
Following the defeat of the Japanese and and knowledge. An example of this is Radyo
subsequent liberation from the Americans, the Veritas (DZRV) which, later on, became a major
Philippine delegation proposed to change the player in an event in Philippine History.
call letters for the Philippine radio – an act of
claiming their independence from the Under Martial Law
Americans. From KZ, the call letters were
changed to D. DZ and DW in Luzon, DY in Upon declaring martial law, Marcos
Visayas and DX in Mindanao (Enriquez, 2003). immediately took over and controlled the media
including the radio stations. He appointed his
This period saw the rise to fame of numerous cronies as managers and owners of radio
Filipino media personalities and performers. The stations. This allowed him to grip tightly unto
radio was a medium which put musicians and the medium, repressing any comment and report
singers under the limelight. This led to a period against him and his administration.
which saw the proliferation of radio culture in
the Philippines – the Golden Years of Philippine After seizing control of the means of
Radio. communication and the press, Marcos then used
his power to, once again, drastically change the
The Golden Years medium. For one, he made it illegal for
foreigners to own and operate a media outlet. He
From 1946 to 1957, the radio became a cultural also reduced the amount of time advertisers are
movement. New programs were aired, new allowed to plug their products in radio programs.
music were heard, and new people became He also promoted Original Filipino Music
cultural icons. The sudden growth of radio after (OPM) which subsequently led to its golden
the war was credited to two historical shifts: (1) years.
the invention of the transistor radio, and (2)
politics (Enriquez, 2003). The repressed, however, did not remain silent.
Journalists continued to boycott the
During this period, media monopolies and administration despite obvious repercussions.
oligarchic companies started to invade the radio After years of unstable leadership and
business. They expanded the reach of radio eventually, the assassination of Benigno Aquino,
stations by developing stations in provinces. the Filipinos finally revolted and the radio
Non-commercial radio stations also rose to galvanized this movement.
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 7

After Aquino-„s assassination, the Catholic radio upcoming presidential election. Quirino applied
station DZRV became one of the first radio for a franchise, thus creating the DZAQ to
stations to voice out its stance against the broadcast on Channel 3. He installed televisions
Marcos regime. The Filipinos took it as a signal in public places to gain access to more viewers.
to act against the government, hence, the People However, the television remained unpopular,
Power Revolution and subsequently, the ousting losing to the influence of the radio. Ramon
of Marcos (Enriquez, 2003). Magsaysay eventually won the election.
Quirino‟s primary goal was unachieved.
Post Marcos Era
Nevertheless, he continued to air on Channel 3,
President Corazon Aquino, the wife of Benigno eventually naming the station the Alto
Aquino, and the perceived Filipino heroine of Broadcasting System or ABS which mostly
democracy, sequestered the stations acquired by broadcasted American canned shows. In 1957,
the previous administration. This period marked ABS sold its shares to the Chronicle
the beginning of radio programs which were free Broadcasting Network which was owned by the
from censorship and repression. The radio Lopezes. Under the management of Eugenio
continued to play its part not only as an Lopez, ABS-CBN became the premiere network
information disseminator to the people, but also in the country (Del Mundo, Jr., 2003).
as a means of entertainment.
The Sixties
TELEVISION
In 1961, Robert Stewart established the DZBB
The Arrival as a self-made broadcaster after tinkering with
several transmitters. He then bought a camera
The television is another media platform brought and applied for a television frequency, marking
to the Philippines by the pervasive American the birth of the Republic Broadcasting System
culture. on Channel 7 – the fierce competitor of ABS-
CBN.
In 1953, Antonio Quirino imported the
television, which was starting to be popular Though American shows were still popular at
among American families at the time, from the time, the sixties still saw the rise of Filipino
America to the Philippines to be used as a television talents especially in musical
political campaigning tool which would ideally programs. Advertisers also exploited the audio-
help his brother, Elpidio Quirino, to win the visual prowess of the television, coercing

broadcast stations to air live promos where
attractive women sold the sponsors‟ products.
The decade also marked the rise of Filipino
dramas and television programs, putting Filipino
actors, directors, and writers into the limelight
(Del Mundo, Jr., 2003).
Under Martial Law
Along with the acquisition of newspaper
companies and radio stations, the television was
not exempted from the media cleansing order of
the Marcos regime. Marcos wanted to harness
the power of media to promote his ideal state –
the New Society.
Marcos established the Broadcast Media Council
(BMC) to regulate the broadcast industry in the
country. It implemented strict guidelines which
the stations are required to follow. Among these
were rules regarding commercial loads, the
number of OPM songs to be played every hour,
filtering of news broadcasts, and establishment
of stations in remote areas.
Cultural shows also became commonplace
during the Marcos regime. This, along with the
promotion of Filipino music, led to the golden
years of OPM during 1974 – 1986. However,
despite the promotion of local culture and
focusing on cultural preservation which were all
good endeavors, the regime was still guilty of
repressing press freedom which enraged not
THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 8
only the people in the industry, but also the
viewers who know their pain.
Post Martial Law
In 1981, the BMC, which was perceived to be
Marcos‟ way of limiting the broadcast media,
was abolished. However, with the presidential
decrees implemented, the stations have no
choice but to regulate themselves. But despite
the increasing political tension, television shows
continued to be popular among the masses. The
eighties saw the rise of even more television
stars as the medium grows more prominent.
When the political turmoil ended, with Marcos
stepping down from presidency, the liberated
broadcast media, now with lax guideline
implementations, grew even more prominent
and powerful. News programs and
documentaries were allowed to air and news
parody shows became popular.
INTERNET
The Arrival
Filipinos were engrossed with the internet for
the first time on March 29, 1994 when
Philippine servers established a connection to
the internet. Unbeknownst to most of them
during that time, the internet opened the doors to
a plethora of information sources, thus changing

the course of history (Department of Information
and Communications Technology, 2015).
The internet enabled three major changes in the
country according to Palacios (2014). The first is
informational. The internet allowed Filipinos to
move their content online and add to the
growing wealth of information found in the
Web. Furthermore, those who need access to
such information can easily acquire what they
need just a click away.
The second is transactional. Filipinos were able
to conduct business through the internet,
enabling for faster and more convenient
transactions. Even Filipino business behemoths
such as SM recognized the vital role of internet
in their business and joined the Digital
Commerce Association of the Philippines.
The last is mobile. Filipinos became fond of
cheap devices and decreased access costs which
then allowed a larger portion of the population
to connect to the Internet. Palacios (2014)
claimed that most Filipinos access the internet
through their mobile phones and would probably
continue doing so as the number of users just
kept rising.
THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 9
CURRENT STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS
MEDIA
Upon the arrival of the 21st century, the different
platforms of mass media underwent noticeable
changes, but some aspects remained unchanged.
PRINT MEDIA
Based on a recent survey by Synovate, the
readership of contemporary Filipino newspapers
and magazines is mostly from the upper
socioeconomic classes, with this class making
up more than 50 percent of newspapers‟
recorded audience. This has remained consistent
over time as it can be recalled that most
Filipinos who read newspapers during the
Spanish occupation were also from the higher
socioeconomic classes, with the majority of
publications at the time in Spanish language thus
requiring a higher level of education (Oxford
Business Group, n.d.).
However, with the introduction of more
advanced media platforms, the print media
experienced, and is still experiencing, a steady
decline. The same survey showed that the
readership of print media is on a downward
trend. The readership population fell from 36
percent in 2007-08, to only 29 percent in 2010-
11. A similar case is being experienced by the
magazine industry, with readership from 32
percent to only 22 percent of the total
population.
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 10

RADIO Filipinos watch TV daily, a huge increase from

91.2 percent in 2014 (Arcangel, 2017).
The radio industry is one of the leading However, as the viewership increases, so is the
businesses with the largest income from tension between networks to attain the highest
advertisements, second only to Television. viewership or ratings.
According to the World Association of
Newspapers (WAN), P53.24bn was spent on The title of premiere Filipino network
radio spots in 2010, a leap from P22.12bn in historically belonged to the ABS-CBN
2005. These figures prove that for the longest Corporation network owned by the Lopezes.
time, the radio industry has been a staple in This has remained unchanged since the
product advertisement. establishment of the network in 1957. Its fierce
competitor, GMA 7, has undergone changes in
The medium was far from the Americanized management but still remained as the second
style it once catered upon its arrival in the largest network in the country.
country. Filipino radio stars pervaded the air
with their relatable, more casual tone. Based on The ratings war between the networks paved the
the global market research firm, AC Nielsen‟s, way for the so-called “tabloid TV” which used
“Media Radio Audience Measurement” survey, pretty women and sensationalized content to
the top FM station is DZMB, also known as 90.7 garner audiences, amassing criticisms from its
Love Radio which is famous for its DJs more conservative viewers. But the networks
entertaining barker style – a tone which may remained undeterred. After all, Wilma Galvante,
remind one of the casual Filipino. the head of the entertainment division of GMA
network, said that it is a “necessary ingredient”
TELEVISION to make a show entertaining. This rationalization
of the exploitation of women, according to Del
Among all other forms of media, the television Mundo, Jr. (2003), makes it apparent that
was hailed as the leading platform for the past commercialism is “still stronger than one‟s
decade. AC Nielsen reported that between principles.”
January and September 2011, television‟s share
of advertising spend averaged 77% of the INTERNET
national total. This coincides with the said
medium‟s expanding viewership. According to a The youngest media platform, the Internet, has
recent survey conducted by the media already gathered a huge following since its
intelligence firm Kantar Media, 96.6 percent of introduction to the Philippines more than 20
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 11

years ago. In fact, a Social Weather Station
(SWS) survey in 2019 revealed that more
Filipinos get news from Facebook than from
radio and newspapers combined. The survey
showed that 13.9 million adult Filipinos
consume news daily through Facebook, in
comparison with the 9.7 million who get news
through radio and around 1 million who read the
newspaper daily.
The same survey revealed that most of the
people who use Facebook as a news source are
mostly college and high-school graduates, thus
relating Facebook news pages to positive
educational attainment. Filipinos also widely use
social media to express their opinions regarding
political and societal issues. The same survey
found out that approximately 9.4 million people
use social media to like or promote materials
related to political or social issues, despite the
seemingly ubiquitous posts containing false
information (Cabico, 2019).
expression which crafted our national identity,
the brave media which shaped the Philippine
society, is now marred with controversy and
issues of corruption and commercialism.
With the advancement of technology also comes
the merging of platforms which is referred to as
media convergence. Newspapers, radio stations,
and the television have made its way online,
merging with the emerging media giant – the
internet.
As the 21st century bulldozes through world
history, we are still yet to discover how the
Philippine Mass Media would sway with the
tides of time.

The internet indeed catalyzed the shift from

traditional to new media.

CONCLUSION

Philippine Mass Media has gone a long way

from its primitive roots since its incarnation
during the Spanish era. The media was used as a
means of the public to fight the oppressor, and a
tool to chronicle the milestones of our nation.
However, the once noble media of self-
 THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA 12

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Cabico, G. K. (2019, June 30). SWS: More Filipinos get news from Facebook than from radio,
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filipinos-get-news-facebook-radio-newspapers

Del Mundo, C. (2003). Telebisyon: An Essay on Philippine Television. Cultural Center of the
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Enriquez, E. L. (2003). Radyo: An Essay on Philippine Radio . Cultural Center of the Philippines.

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