A Magazine About the History of Magazines and Print Media in The Philippines

a magazine about the history of magazines in the philippines with a little bit about the history of philippine print media, too!

EARLY YEARS / COLONIZATION PERIOD

The concept of magazines in the Philippines started during the Spanish colonial period, and continued to evolve as the United States and Japan colonized the country.

LA ILUSTRACION Filipina 1859-1860

La Ilustración Filipina was one of the first journals that promoted culture in the Philippines. It was formatted similar to how a newsletter would look today. The first page would often consist of an editorial, while the inside pages would have features, anecdotes, poems and a ’fortnightly record of dates and past events’.

Interestingly, the magazine would also contain a rebus, a puzzle that utilizes a combination of visual images and individual letters to represent words or expressions. However, its solution would appear nowhere in the magazine.

LA MODA 1893

La Moda Filipina was the last women’s publication that was issued during the Spanish colonial era. It is viewed as both a women’s and satire publication.

It would contain colored covers, models for embroidery, poems, news and photographs of ’young people of Malay aristocracy.’

PHILIPPINE 1945

Philippine Magazine, formerly named Philippine Education Magazine, was the first publication to be called a magazine.

It was initially a semi-government publication, intended for public school teachers, but was renamed The Philippine Magazine in 1905.

In 1929, A.V.H. Hartendrop, a former teacher and Manila Times editor, became the Philippine Magazine’s editor. He widened the scope of the magazine, dedicating it to the cultural development of the Philippines. The publication focused on current Philippine and world news and economics; and also featured poetry and short stories.

The Philippine FREE PRESS 1907

The Philippine Free Press, a bi-lingual English and Spanish newspaper was founded in 1907 by Judge W.H. Kincaid. However, the paper was not as successful. Robert McCulloch Dick, former editor at the Manila Times, then bought the paper for one peso, and threw in his life savings of PHP8000 for his operating capital.

It was then re-released, but as a weekly magazine until World War II. Alongside political commentary, it played a role in promoting literature by publishing short stories. The newspaper also gained recognition for its cleverly crafted editorial cartoons. The Free Press had a notable array of staff and contributors, such as Teodoro Locsin, Leon Maria Guerrero, and Nick Joaquin.

Liwayway, founded by Ramon Roces and co-edited by novelist Severino Reyes, was a reissue of an old magazine entitled Photo News, after the publication had to stop due to low sales.

The magazine was named Liwayway as it meant “dawn”, and therefore, a “new beginning.” Roces and Reyes worked hard to ensure that Liwayway would succeed, unlike their ill-fated Photo News magazine. Liwayway was sold for 12 centavos and had up to 40 pages each, compared to Photo News that cost more with only 20 pages. Liwayway also contained more pictures, illustrations, local, and foreign news, along with an expanded section of essays, short fiction, and poetry.

LIWAYWAY

1923

Fortunately, Liwayway was successful. Its prose and poetry were deemed the best Tagalog literary outputs of the era. Severino Reyes, the co-editor of the magazine, would also have his well-known and loved “Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang” released regularly in the magazine, further attracting readers.

Liwayway also recruited significant Philippine literary figures during the time, with contributors such as poets Jose Corazon De Jesus, Florentino Collantes, Julian Cruz Balmaseda, Cecilio Apostol, and writers Lope K. Santos, Rogelio Sicat, Inigo Ed Regalado, Romualdo Ramos, Francisco Laksamana and Fausto Galaura.

The magazine was also commendable for its focus on design, art, and layout. Liwayway is still alive today, under the publication of Manila Bulletin.

THE LIBERATOR 1918-1924

The Liberator was a magazine published by guerrillas in an effort to offset Japanese propaganda. It contained 4060 pages of news, features, and antiJapanese propaganda.

POST-WORLD WAR II & THE GOLDEN AGE OF PHILIPPINE MEDIA Following the lifting of suppression from war, the Philippines experienced a surge in publications, with the number of newspapers and magazines reaching 37. A few did not last very long. This period of time was considered the Golden Age of Philippine Media, with the country’s press deemed as "the freest in Asia."

THIS WEEK

1945

This Week, a Sunday supplement of the Manila Chronicle, were among the magazines that survived. They were founded on May 20, 1945. After a format change in October 1961, it was renamed to Sunday Chronicle Magazine; and a year later, it was shortened to Chronicle Magazine.

MARTIAL LAW UNDER FERDINAND MARCOS SR.

One of Marcos Sr.’s first moves to stay in power was to suppress press freedom. It was a dangerous time for Philippine journalists, forcing some to keep underground to prevent themselves from being caught, tortured, and even murdered. Some publications were given the permission to reopen, but their content would always be pro-dictatorship and pro-government. Despite this, journalists took a stand through pen and paper, establishing alternative press publications in the 1980s to disseminate what was really going on during the Martial Law era. Albeit always on the run, journalists played a significant role in informing Filipinos of Martial Law’s reality.

JINGLE CHORDBOOK MAGAZINE 1970s-80s

During this time, publications came out with magazines catered to the different interests of the Filipino audience.

During the 1970s-80s, the Jingle Chordbook Magazine was one of the most notable publications, containing music lyrics and chords. The musically-inclined nation accepted this magazine format right away. Its smaller version of the publication entitled Jingle SongHits was also created, featuring popular songs during that era. Up until today, similar publications still exist, even if Jingle ceased to be published.

POST-MARCOS era TO EARLY 2000s After Marcos’ dictatorship, a new constitution was created, ensuring the freedom of the press was protected under Article IV of the Bill of Rights.

The market slowly became dominated by other publications of varied interests. There was an increasing trend of buying into foreign magazine franchises and releasing local versions of it. Summit Media was at the forefront of importing and adapting these foreign magazines into the country. It also housed renowned publications such as Cosmopolitan Philippines, Preview, YES! Magazine, Good Housekeeping, FHM, Town and Country, W.I.T.C.H., Seventeen, K-Zone, Total Girl, and others.

cosmopolitan philippines Cosmopolitan was one of the first of foreign titles to be adapted in the Philippines by Summit Media. It is a female fashion magazine that was licensed from Hearst Corporation in the United States of America.

1997

k-zone 2002

K-Zone, licensed from Pacific Magazines from Australia, was a significant magazine for children at that time. It kept kids upto-date with pop culture, art, music, anime, games, comics, and their favorite shows and artists.

TOTAL

2004

Similar to K-Zone, Total Girl was also licensed from Pacific Magazines by Summit Media. It was an impactful tween magazine as it gave young girls female figures to look up to in the media. Albeit being a localized foreign franchised magazine, it was very successful, alongside other girl-catered magazines during the time such as Candy, Seventeen, and Pink. This success was ultimately because of the magazines’ ability to tap into the lived experience of girls, and view and address them as well-meaning equals, as opposed to utilizing an authoritative, condescending tone.

GIRL

PRINT MEDIA DECLINE Eventually, with the emergence of digital technology, print media went on a decline. In 2013, barely 1 in 10 Filipinos read a newspaper everyday. By 2017, the Philippines ranked first in the world in terms of time spent on social media.

In 2018, Summit Media announced that they will close the print editions of their magazines, completely shifting their focus to digital editions.

For instance, the aforementioned Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine shifted to cosmo.ph, Preview Magazine became preview.ph, and Candy Magazine turned into candymag.com.

2010s For instance, the aforementioned Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine shifted to cosmo.ph, Preview Magazine became preview.ph, and Candy Magazine turned into candymag.com.

& SHIFT TO DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS

2020 to

VOGUE 2022 PHILIPPINES Interestingly, during a highly digital era for the Philippines, Vogue, one of the most established fashion, beauty, and lifestyle magazines in the world — deemed as the ‘global fashion authority,’ released its first Vogue Philippines issue in 2022, both through print and digital editions.

THE RESURGENCE OF PRINT? There has been discourse about print making its comeback, with younger generations rediscovering the value, appeal, and sensory experience of print. There is a desire for authenticity and tangible experiences that its digital counterparts cannot offer. We will continue to be on the lookout for how the Philippines will treat Philippine Magazines, print, and digital publications!

ides 101.05 final project

by frances angeles & Kiana refuerzo