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FIRST NEWSPAPERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Aviso al Publico — Published in the coun­try on February 27, 1779, it was edited by Acting Governor General Miguel Fernandez de Folgueras to keep the peo­ple informed of the events then taking place in Europe, particularly Napoleon's exploits and the British allegations con­cerning the Spanish possession.

Del Superior Gobierno — Its maiden issue came out on August 8, 1811. This was an official government publication. The first issue of the paper contained 15 printed pages. The 16th or last page was left blank for lack of news. Some of'the items in the first issue included a private let­ter from London, news from Calcutta, items about the Spanish Cortes, a memo­randum from the English government, and a dispatch from Lord Wellington to Count Liverpool regarding the battle of

Bussaco. The newspaper lived for six months. On February 7, 1812, it suspen­ded publication for lack of news to print. Its appearance marked the beginning of journalism in the Philippines.

La Pilantrofia - Published in August 1812, this newspaper was considered as the most interesting publication during that time.
Registro Mercantil - Published in 1824, this paper appeared with a program of economic development. The founders and editors who belonged to prominent fami­lies in the Philippines were Jose Azcarraga, Domingo Roxas, and Matias Vizmanos.

Precious Corrientes de Manila — The Phil­ippines' first business newspaper in Spanish and English. Its first issue was on July 6, 1839.

Ilustracion Filipino — The first illus­trated newspaper. Its first issue was dated arch 1, 1859.
iario de Manila - One of the most in-uential newspapers published by Jose elipe del Panduring the Spanish re-'me. It had a long career, from 1860 to e end of the Spanish regime in 1898. was the first newspaper to have a regu-r and fairly international news coverage.
oletin Oficial de Filipinas - It became azeta de Manila in 1861. It published vernment advertising, official orders, urt decisions, and other state docu-ents.

Azeta de Manila — A newspaper of the panish government in the Philippines. Its st issue came out on February 26, 861.

1 Catolico Filipino — The first Filipino aily, published by Redor Pelaez. Its first sue was on February 1, 1862. A religious newspaper, it was inspired by the amous native clergyman, Rev. Dr. Father Pedro Pablo Pelaez, who championed the 'ghts of Filipino priests.

iariong Tagalog — Founded in 1882 by rancisco Calvo, in collaboration with Marcelo H. del Pilar. This was the first panish-Tagalog daily. One of the most important propaganda newspapers, it was released by Del Pilar to denounce the cor-pt  administration of the Spaniards.

Evista de Administracion — A weekly newspaper established in 1865. Edited by Jose de la Rosa and Javier de Tiscar, this paper went off the press on January 4, 1866.

La Semana Elegante — The first weekly newspaper in the Philippines, founded by Don Pedro Groizard on March 1, 1884.

Manila Alegre — A Manila newspaper dealing on the varied ironies of life, parti­cularly about the prominent members of 497
the high society. Published by Pedro Groizard, its first issue came out on December 6, 1885.

La Solidaridad In 1888, the Filipinos in Barcelona, Spain, in consultation with the reformists in the Philippines, founded this forth nightly newspaper devoted to the publication of reports on conditions in the Philippines. The paper was also used to air the side of the Filipinos against the attacks made on them by writers who sympathized with friars. Graciano Lopez Jaena was the first editor followed later by Marcelo H. del Pilar. Its maiden issue came out on February 15, 1889. It was banned in the Philippines but Filipinos successfully smuggled copies into the country.

España en Filipinas — This newspaper was put out in Madrid, Spain in 1888, by Filipinos. The reformers voiced in this paper their grievances against the Spanish authorities in the Philippines.
Revista Farmaceutica de Filipinas — A
newspaper for pharmacists, druggists and physicians in the Philippines, with its first issue on January 3, 1893. It was established by Don Tomas Torres Perrona,
dean of pharmacy of the old pharmacy of the old University of Manila.

El Telegrama — A Spanish newspaper which came off the press on July 1, 1893. Its editor was Adolfo Puya y Ruiz.

El Album Militar — A newspaper for military officials in the Spanish Army. Issued once every 10 days, this was founded by Don Mariano de Circa. This 19-page paper was first issued on Octo­ber 5, 1894.

El Comercio — This newspaper, with the widest circulation in 1898, was owned and edited by Joaquin de Loyzaga.  Al­though the staff was mainly Spanish, the paper showed interest in the welfare of the Filipino people. During the Philip­pine-American war, it served as the vehicle with which Filipino leaders ex­pressed their views and opinions. Apolinario Mabini, "the brains of the Revolution", 

this newspaper to air his views against American actions and atrocities.
El Heraldo de Iloilo - One of the first provincial newspapers during the era of the Philippine Revolution. It made its initial appearance on January 1, 1898 in the City of Iloilo. Its avowed aim was political, and declared itself as "cham­pion of the interests that directly affect agriculture, industry, commerce, and other avenues of wealth of the country."

La Libertad — The first newspaper of the Philippine Revolution published by Clemente Z. Zulueta in June 20, 1898 in Manila. However, Zulueta later become a staff member of La Independencia, another paper published by Gen. Antonio Luna. The paper, however, was short-lived because President Emilio Aguinaldo sus­pended it, at the same time issued a decree that no newspaper should be pub­lished without government license.
Bounding Billow - The first American newspaper to be published in the Philip­pines. It was printed on board the Olym-pia, Dewey's flagship, shortly after the naval victory and came out in June 1898 as a victory issue. The next issue appeared in September 1898, to commemorate ihe taking of Manila. Its very first issue came out at the port of Nagasaki in No­vember 1897 and the last issue appeared in Manila in December 1898. A complete set of this valuable periodical forms part of the private Filipiniana collection of Gregorio F. Zaide.

La Independencia - Published and edi­ted by Gen. Antonio Luna on September 3, 1898. Eventually, the paper became the mouthpiece of the First Philippine Republic during the Philippine-American War. It will be noted that this paper was five weeks older than the Manila Times. At first, it was printed on Calle Jolo (now Juan Luna street) in Binondo, where it also had its editorial offices, but later it moved from place to place, sometimes in a freight car of the Manila Railroad Com­pany, due to the exigencies of war.
The staff of this paper was composed of Philippine literary figures of the time. Luna was not only a great general but also a journalist with a reputation in Spain through his columns in La Solida-ridad.
The American Soldier - The first regular, privately owned American newspaper in the Philippines. Its first issue came out in Manila on September 10, 1898. It stopped publication when regular dailies appeared. It lasted about a month, with some twenty issues.

The Manila Times This American paper (not to be confused with the Philippine-owned mass circulation daily of post World War II fame) was founded by an Englishman, Thomas Gowan. Gowan hired a small printing press, Chofre y Compania, to turn out the paper. The first issue was datelined October 10, 1898. The bulletin carried the first press cable in English received in the Philip­pines. It was in connection with the con­vening of the Paris Conference to end the Spanish-American War.
In 1899, George Sellner, joined the staff as business manager, and later bought the paper from Gowan. Apparently, Sellner was in the newspaper game not for love of journalism but for the more profitable aspect of the business. He sold the Times to a group of American busi­nessmen in 1902, and reacquired it three years later.
Again, in 1907, Sellner sold the paper to Thomas C. Kinney. In 1918 there took place a general strike of the Filipino employees of the paper. Reported to be the leader of the strike was Carlos P. Romulo, a member of the staff at the time.
After the paper was bought by Presi­dent Quezon, it was later sold to George H. Fairchild in 1921. In 1926, he sold it to Jacob Rosenthal. On March 15, 1930, the Manila Times closed, after 32 years of uninterrupted existence.
The second epoch in the history of the Manila Times began in 1945. A new corporation was formed - "The Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc." with the heirs of Don Alejandro Roces, Sr. as publisher and owner. The first issue of the paper on May 27, 1945, carried the name The Sunday Times. On September 5,  1945, the first daily issue of The
Manila Times appeared on the streets of Manila. The paper was at first quartered at the Ramon Roces Publications building on Soler and Calero streets which had not been damaged by the war, but later it moved to the T-V-T building on Floren-tino Torres street.
The Manila Times, closed when Martial Law was declared in 1972. Its last issue was dated September 22, 1972.
La Democracia (Democracy) - Founded by Dr. T. H. Pardo deTavera on May 16,
1899, this was the first Filipino news­paper in Spanish to recognize American sovereignty.

Insular Press A four-page daily news­paper in the Philippines, with its first issue on July 5, 1899.

La Voz del Pueblo — A four-page and 3-column newspaper which came off the press three times a week. Edited by Ma­riano Seguera, a Filipino, its first issue was on August 2, 1899.

El Filipino - Newspaper of the Comite Republicana, an organization of Filipinos residing in Barcelona, Spain. Edited by Manuel Artigas y Guerva, its first issue was dated November 1, 1899.

Filipinas Arte Europa - A Filipino news­paper in Madrid, Spain edited by Isabelo de los Reyes, acknowledged "Father of Philippine Socialism." Its first issue came out on November 10, 1899.

La Opinion - Like the La Vanguardia, this newspaper was also of similar per­suasion and readership. The paper was edited and published by Don Fernandez.

El Grito del Pueblo (The Cry of the Peo­ple) — Another Filipino newspaper in Spanish founded by Pascual H. Poblete in 1899.
El Filipino Libre (The Free Filipino) -Also a Filipino newspaper in Spanish founded by Manuel X. Burgos in 1899.

Nuevo Dia (New Day) — A Filipino news­paper in Spanish founded by Sergio Osmeña in 1900 in Cebu.

El Renacimiento (The Reawakening) -This became the most famous Spanish-language Filipino newspaper which was brilliantly written but obsessed with the micro-politics of the period. It became the object of several libel suits from American officials. This was established in Manila and its first issue came out on September 1, 1901, with Rafael Palm a as editor.
Cablenews - This important paper was launched in 1902 by another American armyman, Israel Putnam, who also imported the first American printing plant. The editor was William Din-widdie who later became the governor ofLepanto, the gold-rich mining pro­vince in Northern Luzon. On his staff were several journalists from the Ameri­can West.

El Mercantil (The Mercantile) — This was a Filipino newspaper in Spanish founded and edited by Jose Ma. Romero on April 1, 1902.
Cable-American - The result of a conso­lidation of the Cablenews and the Ameri­can in 1908. The Cablenews appeared in 1902, and was owned and edited by Israel Putnam, a lieutenant of the United States Army. The American appeared on October 17, 1898, about a week after the appearance of the Manila Times, and was published by F.J. Berry and edited by William Crozier. In or about 1905, the Cablenews was published and edited by Frederick O'Brien who later leased it to J.F. Boomer.
Philippines Free Press - This newspaper was founded by Judge W. A. Kincaid in 1906. This became the most influential English-language weekly in the history of Philippine journalism. It was not a success and was on the verge of bankruptcy when it was taken over by McCullough Dick, an English sailor in the U.S. Navy, and Theo S. Rogers, a charming Ameri-can-about-town in American Manila.

La Vanguardia (The Vanguard) — Found­ed by Martin Ocampo in 1910 to carry on the work of the defunct El Renacimiento. A sister paper to the T-V-T (Tribune, Vanguardia, Taliba) Publica­tions, this was a Filipino newspaper in Spanish. In 1916, it was acquired by Alejandro Roces, Sr., the patriarch of the Roces publishing clan, and it event­ually became the mcist influential Spanish daily in the Philippines.

El Ideal (The Ideal) - A Filipino news­paper in Spanish edited by Arsenio N. Luz in 1910.

The Philippines Herald — This is the first Filipino daily in English. It was founded by then Senate President Manuel L. Quezon and a group of patriotic Fili­pino businessmen, on August 8, 1920. Edited by Carlos P. Romulo, it became a part of the D-M-H-M (Debate, Mabu-hay, Herald, Monday Mail) Publications in Manila.

The Tribune - Another popular Filipino daily in English. Founded by Alejandro Roces, Sr. on April 1, 1925, as a sister publication to the T-V-T (Tribune, Van­guardia, Taliba) Publications. This was edited by a rising young journalist named Carlos P. Romulo.
Taliba (Vanguard) - A sister publication of The Tribune and La Vanguardia, this was considered as the greatest daily in Tagalog.

Soldier's Letter — Together with Ameri­can Soldier, this is considered as one of the first English-language newspapers in the Philippines, published during the Philippine-American War of 1898 by en­listed men of the 18th Minnesota Volun­teers in the US Army and financed by one "Mayor Brown" who owned the American Commercial Company and used it to advertise his imported products

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