The Ilocos Times marked last Oct. 23 the 57th year of its renascent
edition renewing its commitment not only to uphold the basic principles of
community journalism but also to serve as a foundation for young local students
with journalistic inclinations to be infused early with the Philippine
journalist’s code of ethics, in its crusade to strengthen the local print media
early into the next century.
Looking
back, The Ilocos Times was founded
in 1920 by Adeudato Agbayani, an offshoot of Vicente Llanes’ short lived
publication El Grito de Ilocos Norte of 1918. It was then a bi-monthly paper as
it was circulated in Manila and to other provinces as far as Mindanao.
The
paper ceased publication just before the outbreak of the Japanese
occupation. In 1957, Federico Sales, a
veteran journalist revived the Times
and came out with an entirely new weekly edition that catered to the local
information needs of Ilocanos not only in the Ilocos region but also to as far
as Ilocano immigrants in Hawaii.
Since
the first publication of its renascent edition Oct. 23, 1957, The Ilocos Times, as it was renamed ,
rarely missed coming out with its regular weekly issues due to the existence of
its own printing facilities. Right after he decided to migrate to the United States
in 1970, Sales turned over the ownership of the publication and the printing
press to the late Judge Efren O. Ramos.
The Ilocos Times was not exempted from martial law and was also closed
down in 1972, even while it was edited and published in the home province of
the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
When
it was allowed to resume publication, the paper continued to play its role in
crusading for responsible journalism despite the constraints of the martial law
environment. To sustain its existence, our late father Efren nurtured it
steadfastly and bequeathed it to us as our family’s humble legacy to
Ilocandia. With the reading public’s
warm patronage over the decades, we realize that The Ilocos Times is now owned not just by our family but by
each and every citizen of the Ilocandia Republic. Therefore, what the paper should be is no
longer just our family’s option but a product of a communal discourse.
Newspapers
around the world are in peril of extinction in this age of Internet and digital
boom. Print circulation has suffered as
demand for news in real time has forever changed the media landscape. Note that
the ilocostimes.com, which debuted in 2000, was one of the country’s first
websites offering local news. The
website brought a lot of joy to Ilocanos, especially to those who are in
Diaspora beset by homesickness.
Because
of the rapid advanced in the information technology, our web ilocostimes.com
faltered, with uploads coming in as sporadic and unpredictable as
menopause. Thus, we decided to improve
our web now the new theilocostimes.blogspot.com which will serve Ilocanos in
better and bigger ways. Expect breaking news, more interesting features, and
even more incisive editorials and opinion.
Also,
the website is linked-up with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter
which will allow readers, not only to access, but share information as
well. The
Ilocos Times Facebook page, which took off a year ago, now has a weekly
reach of over 55,000 netizens.
At 57,
our Ilocos our time, The locos Times renews
its commitment to live by the Philippine Press Institute’s Code of
Professional and Ethical Conduct and share it to the readers and most
especially to budding journalists in this part of the Ilocos Region.
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