| Introduction:
Cagayan de Oro City, a highly urbanized city with
a population of more than 500,000 is the regional
center for Northern Mindanao that also includes
the cities of Gingoog, Malaybalay, Valencia, Ozamiz,
Oroquieta, Tangub, Iligan and Marawi and the provinces
of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon,
Camiguin and Lanao del Norte.
The city’s mass media facilities include
three community daily newspapers, 8 newsweeklies,
7 AM radio stations, 10 FM radio stations, 5 television
stations and 2 cable systems.
Two of the local dailies are published in English—the
Mindanao GoldStar Daily and the SunStar Cagayan
de Oro City and one—Super Balita, a sister
publication of SunStar Cagayan de Oro is published
in the local dialect (Cebuano).
Mindanao Gold Star Daily is published by Ernesto
Chu, a businessman while the SunStar Cagayan de
Oro and Super Balita are published by the SunStar
Publications of Cebu City.
The three local dailies have a combined circulation
of some 30, 000 copies daily with each claiming
to have a daily circulation of 10,000 copies.
There is, however, no way of verifying the figures.
Mindanao Gold Star Daily is circulated in Cagayan
de Oro City and other urban centers in Mindanao
like Butuan City, Davao city, General Santos City,
Zamboanga City, Dipolog City and Iligan City.
On the other hand, SunStar Cagayan de Oro City
and Super Balita are circulated mainly in Cagayan
de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and Camiguin.
Mindanao Today, another local daily newspaper
folded up less than a year after its first publication
in 2000. The daily broadsheet came out in full
colors. Lack of financial resources, however,
forced the paper to cease publication.
The eight other weekly community newspapers in
Cagayan de Oro City include Ang Bag-ong Katarungan,
published by Isidra Neri. It was founded in 1903
making it the oldest existing community newspaper
in Cagayan de Oro City.
The other community
newspapers in the city are:
Golden Chronicle published by Gladis Q. Munez, Mindanao
Sunday Journal published by Bernardita Basay, Oro
Gazette published by Oro Gazette Publishing, Golden
Banner Atty. Gil Banaag, Sports Balita, Oro News
Star Lulu Lapada and News Express published by Noli
Olarte, Jr.
Except for the Golden Chronicle, which claims to
have a weekly circulation of 1,000 copies, the other
newsweeklies did not disclose their circulation
figure.
The city also boasts of having one of the oldest
existing radio broadcast station in Mindanao—DXCC
of the Radio Mindanao Network. Established in 1952,
the radio station is said to be the 2nd broadcast
facility established in Mindanao.
DXCC broadcast with a power of 10 KW, a far cry
from its 300 Watt power when it first went into
the air on August 28,1952.
The local broadcast facilities include radio and
television stations affiliated with the major broadcast
network in the country—DXIF (Bombo Radio),
DXIM (Radio Ng Bayan), DXCO (Radio Pilipino Corp.)
all at 10 KW, and DXKO (RPN), DXCL (NBC) at 5 KW.
The DXJR AM station at 10 KW is operated by the
Cagayan de Oro College Broadcast Nework of the Cagayan
de Oro College.
The 10 FM Stations include DXKB “Killer Bee”,
DXBL”Mellow Touch”,DXKS”Love Radio”,DXWS”Wild
FM”, DXQR “Home Radio”,DXEQ”Star
FM”,DXVM”Smile Radio”,DXRL(NBC),
DXLX”Campus Radio and DXNU(PBC). All of them
broadcast with a power of 10KW.
Of the five television stations, four are operated
by broadcast networks—RPN TV 5 with 2.5 KW
power, ABS-CBN TV 2 at 10 KW, RMNTV 8 and ABC TV
21. The fifth television station—DXDD with
a power of 10 KW is operated by the Cagayan de Oro
College Broadcast Network.
There are two Cable Systems in the city—the
Parasat Cable TV Incorporated managed by Engr. Elpidio
Paras, president and owner of the firm and Jade
Cable TV managed by Engr. James Jardonio and owned
by Engr. Eric Canoy and Engr. Charlie Canoy.
Trailblazers
What is considered, as modern day mass media facilities
were started in Cagayan de Oro City by a handful
of personalities with diverse interests ranging
from a passion for the communication field to an
inclination for politics and business.
The Neri brothers—Ramon and Vicente, who introduced
print media in the city were inclined to politics.
Ramon became a representative to the pre-war Philippine
legislative body while Vicente became governor of
the province of Misamis Oriental.
On the other hand, Henry Canoy who established the
first radio station in the city in 1952 belong to
a family of educators and businessmen. Henry Canoy’s
passion for broadcast communication was triggered
by an incident in the family that developed in him
interest in building and innovating.
Reuben Canoy, Henry’s younger brother and
pioneering broadcaster in the city was later elected
Assemblyman of the Batasang Pambansa and City Mayor
of Cagayan de Oro City. He was also an Undersecretary
of the defunct Department of Public Information.
Bienvenido Cruz, a businessman from Cebu City established
the second newspaper in the city—the Mindanao
Star that folded up with his death in 1995. Cruz
was into the shoe manufacturing and repair and other
business.
Edilberto S. Bustamante,Jr. who published the first
local daily newspaper The SP Daily Tribune is into
the printing business while Ernesto Chu of the Mindanao
Gold Star Daily is also a businessman.
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Print Media
Ang Katarungan—Cagayan
de Oro City”s first news weekly
Ang Katarungan (The Reason) is the first newspaper
to be established in Cagayan de Oro City. It was
printed in letterpress and was handset.
Established on July 1, 1903, Ang Katarungan was
founded by the Neri brothers—the late former
Misamis Or. Rep. Ramon B. Neri and former Misamis
Or. Gov. Vicente Neri San Jose.
Ang Katarungan initially was published in Cebuano,
the local dialect and was a 4-page tabloid printed
by an old-type Minerva printing press and was
handset. Its first issue came out with 300 copies,
a rather big circulation during the days of the
early American period.
In 1926, Ang Katarungan changed its format. It
became a bilingual—English-Cebuano news
magazine in 16 pages.
Except for the interruption from two fires in
1937 and 1940 and World War II, the paper came
out regularly up to the present making its claim
as the oldest existing newspaper in this city
valid.
The two fires in 1937 and 1940 destroyed the paper’s
office and printing facilities. However, these
setbacks did not dampen the publishers of the
paper. Through the help of their friends and loyal
subscribers it managed to put up its printing
facilities again and resumed publication.
But when World War II erupted, the Japanese closed
down the publication in 1942. When Liberation
came in 1945, bombs destroyed the printing facilities
of Ang Katarungan and again it had to literally
begin from nothing.
On July 17,1948 with Vicente Neri as its publisher-editor
Ang Katarungan resumed publication. The issue
featured stories on the eruption of Mt. Hibok
Hibok volcano in the island province of Camiguin,
which was still then a part of Misamis Oriental.
It also carried advertisements of commercial establishments
and subdivision lots for sale of the Nazareth
subdivision (the city’s first subdivision,
now one of the city’s barangays).
The newspaper later went back to being a tabloid
when Augusto Neri, son of Vicente Neri, one of
the founders of the newspaper assumed as publisher-editor
in the 60’s.Augusto F. Neri or AFN as he
was known also served as an elected ember of the
Cagayan de Oro City Council.
The paper, now renamed as Ang Bag-ong Katarungan
comes out every Saturday in four pages only due
to economic difficulties according to its publisher.
It is still printed in letterpress and earns mostly
from judicial notices.
Upon the death of Augusto F. Neri in 1982, his
wife Isidra P. Neri took over as publisher of
the paper while his son Atty. Augusto Neri,Jr.
took over as editor. Geronimo F. Valenton now
edits the paper.
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The
Mindanao Star
It was much later when the second newspaper was
established in Cagayan de Oro City, specifically
in 1950 with the publication of Mindanao Star, a
tabloid, 8 pages by businessman Bienvenido Cruz
as publisher and Alfredo Cruz as first editor.
Actually. The Mindanao Star was published first
in 1948 in Cebu City and known then as the Pioneer
Press. However, the paper, including its printing
facilities had to relocate in Cagayan de Oro City
when it came into a conflict with some political
big wigs in Cebu City that harassed them.
“It was much safer and productive then, business
wise to relocate, rather than stay in Cebu City”
Biema Cruz-Along, daughter of the paper’s
publisher said.
However, Mindanao Star stopped publication when
its publisher died in 1995. “There was nobody
in the family interested to continue publishing
the paper,” Biema Cruz-Along said.
Other
community newsweeklies
Two other newspapers were published after the Mindanao
Star. These two, which came out in the 60’s,
were the Ang Sidlak with Rodrigo Dondo Lim as publisher-editor
and Viewpoint published and edited by Noli Olarte.
These two did not survive for long.
Then the Mindanao Post, another news weekly was
established in the late 60’s with Rolando
C. Piit and Lorenzo de la Cerna as publishers and
Manuel V. Quisumbing as its first editor. It is
published in English and comes out in 8 to 12 pages.
Perhaps, as a measure to stay financially viable,
Mindanao Post went daily in the late 80’s
with the entry of local daily newspapers. However,
it went back to being news weekly up to the present.
The Mindanao Post is now published by Lorenzo de
la Cerna and comes out as a weekly in 8 to 12 pages
in English.
Broadcast Media
DXCC—Cagayan de
Oro City”s first radio station
Henry Canoy of the prominent Canoy family that includes
former Assemblyman and former City Mayor Reuben
Canoy formally established DXCC, the first radio
station in Cagayan de Oro City on August 28, 1952.
However, the idea for a radio station came even
before that in 1948 during several business discussions
with a friend Robin Cui who was a proprietor of
a radio repair shop in the city. Henry Canoy relate
the incidents in his unpublished book RMN The Vision
and the Reality:
“…While talking
with Robin (Cui) about his problem, a thought flashed
through my mind. Why not open a radio station in
Cagayan de Oro City.
It was a take- off on an old idea. In the early
days, RCA, Erlanger and Galinger, and H.E Heacock
and Co. had established their own broadcasting stations
to be able to promote and sell more radios.
I argued that…a local station would encourage
the residents of Cagayan de Oro City to own radio
sets. Robin would then have more radios to service.
To prove that people were ready for such station,
I asked Robin to go with me to Ongkoy Padero’s
Shop (a local business establishment). There, we
set up a “broadcasting “ studio with
amplifier, turntable, microphone and loudspeaker…
A few passerby stopped to listen. Soon a small crowd
gathered. When they saw that the program was being
done live inside the shop, some came in to request
or dedicate a tune. Others insisted on singing a
Capella “on the air”. The closed circuit
“broadcast” was a smashing success.
From that time on I began to think seriously of
establishing a radio station in Cagayan de Oro City.”
DXCC started broadcasting even before it could get
the necessary permit and franchise to operate not
knowing that these were needed. Powered by a homemade
30-watt transmitter, it started broadcasting without
call letters and no license.
“…It did not occur to us that what we
were doing was illegal and we could be jailed for
it,” Henry Canoy recalled.
However, the station eventually was able to comply
with all the legal requirements for its operations
required by the Radio Control Office, the forerunner
of the National Telecommunication Commission.
It got a congressional franchise upon the sponsorship
of then Rep. Emmanuel N. Pelaez.
When the station finally went on regular broadcasting,
it hired three part time people to its program staff
and not one of them had any radio experience.
Vic Bass, an English-Spanish announcer was a high
school automotive instructor, Absalon Roxas, Visayan
writer and newscaster was a former town mayor, and
Bob Avelino, a warehouseman at the Del Monte Cannery.
By and large, however, in 1953 DXCC was a family
affair.
Reuben Canoy became the Program Director after graduating
from the College of Law at Silliman University and
passing the bar exams.
His wife, Solona helped out as traffic clerk, producer
and host of a program for home makers (Iwag sa Pamilya)
and two other programs.
Reuben also handled the English news and interviews.
The DXCC early programming, just like the other
radio stations were heavily influenced by the Americans
who brought the broadcast industry back to life
after the Second World War. The program includes
replays of canned American programs.
However, this changed later when more people managed
to own radio sets. Henry Canoy said:
“…with
the introduction of the cheap transistor radio,
the audience demography underwent a revolutionary
transformation. Now that they could afford it, ordinary
folks or the so-called bakya crowd looked to radio
for information and entertainment.
As set ownership continues to rise at the lower
income levels, English programs gradually gave way
to soap operas, news interviews, commentaries and
disc jockey shows in the vernacular.”
Among the early radio stations, perhaps, DXCC holds
the distinction as the only radio station that had
a horse- drawn tartanilla for an OB van. Owned and
driven by Tirso Daaca, the tartanilla-OB van became
a familiar figure at fires, accidents and plaza
programs.
By equipping it with a World War II walkie-talkie
and a battery-operated amplifier and mounting a
loud speaker on roof, the tartanilla-OB van originated
broadcast almost anywhere in the town.
Radio programming of DXCC catered to its radio listeners
who looked up to their station as a source for information
and entertainment.
Viven Magdales, who began his radio career, as a
movie barker was DXCC’s own version of Rafael
Yabut and Damian Sotto of DZRH. He attacked politicians,
businessmen and institutions with impunity.
The program also include Visayan drama serials or
“soap operas” which were the translations
of the Tagalog version written by Lina Flores, better
known as Lina Flor, wife of Francisco “Koko”
Trinidad.
Also among DXCC”s early radio personalities
was Nestor Torre who were among the talents recruited
from Ateneo de Cagayan now Xavier University. Torre
today is well known for his work as a film and tv
director, writer and movie critic.
DXCC
introduces Wirecasting
DXCC also started wirecasting in Cagayan de Oro
City, the forerunner of the present-day cable system.
This was born out of a public necessity according
to Henry Canoy. (The Canoy family now operates the
Jade Cable System, one of the two cable tv operators
in the city.)
“ Wirecasting was born
out of a public necessity. In the early 50’s,
the main source of information and entertainment
were the newspapers and vernacular magazines from
Manila.
Television was in its infancy, and radios still
a toddler. The country had a few radio stations,
five in Manila and 2 in Cebu,” according to
Henry Canoy.
Henry Canoy wrote in his unpublished book:
“with
the aim in view of bringing radio to the poorest
of the poor, we introduced the wirecast system in
Julao-Julao(Now Barangay Consolacion, Cagayan de
OroCity). It was a depressed area where prostitution
was the chief means of livelihood.
…the cynics shut their mouth when a significant
social and moral transformation took place in that
benighted barrio.
Today, the good people of Consolacion take great
pride in their community as a model of respectability
and civic consciousness. I like to think that DXCC
and the wirecast system had much to do with the
profound change in their values and outlook in life.”
DXCC
becomes a network
In the face of growing business competition, Henry
Canoy thought that the only we to stay in the business
was for him to build a network. So he organized
the Radio Mindanao Network and applied for a congressional
franchise to operate anywhere in the country.
Radio Mindanao Network got its congressional franchise
on June 17,1961. By that time RMN had already four
stations. DXCC in Cagayan de Oro City, DXBC in Butuan
City, DXIC in Iligan City and DXDC in Davao city.
It was then the only broadcast network based outside
Metro Manila.
The RMN tied up with the Soriano group of companies
that had acquired ownership of the Inter Island
Broadcasting Company (IBC). This paved the way for
the establishment of the first television station
in Cagayan de Oro City in the 60’s—the
IBC TV 13.
Also among the early radio stations established
in the 60’s Cagayan de Oro City was the DXMO
of the University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network
of Atty. Guillermo Torres of Davao City. It was
the UMBN that also established the first radio station
in Mindanao based in Davao City –DXAW.
First
taste of media power
DXCC demonstrated the power of mass media, particularly,
radio on its first year of broadcasting on the problem
of poor street lighting. Henry Canoy related the
incident in his unpublished book as follows:
“ One night a fan wrote to complain about
the dark streets of Cagayan de Oro. No sooner had
I read the letter than the station was swamped by
a barrage of phone calls on the same subject matter.
When I proposed to solve the problem by asking donations
to replace the weak incandescent lamps with fluorescent
lamps, the response was immediate and tremendous.
A young listener kicked off the “Jambalaya
Fund Drive” by sending in a peso.
Soon contributions poured in from school children,
housewives, and businessmen. Before long, the civic
organizations pitched in. the “Jambalaya Fund
Drive,” was the first of countless community
projects that DXCC would initiate or be involved
through the years.”
Cagayan de Oro City had its first taste of the power
of mass media to harness the resources of people
to confront a problem. It was not to be the last.
Later in the 60’s, DXCC found itself again
involved in a movement with other mass media entities,
ironically against the city’s electric light
company—the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power
and Light Company (CEPALCO).
The city’s mass media reflected the sentiments
of the residents against move by CEPALCO to raise
its electric rates. The discussion led to a proposal
to turn off electricity in the residences at a precise
time to signify their protest against the proposal.
The protest action convinced the town council and
CEPALCO of the vehement objection of the residents
and stalled the increase of the electric rates.
Another demonstration of mass media power led to
the dismissal of its City Health Officer in 1996
on charges of sexual harassment. The incident was
triggered by a complaint of the victim published
in the SunStar Cagayan de Oro and picked up by the
rest of the local mass media.
A continued discussion of the subject matter prompted
the filing of the formal charges by the concerned
agencies. The City Health Officer was eventually
found guilty and ordered dismissed from office and
served a jail term.
The
community dailies SP
Daily Tribune—first local daily newspaper
The first regularly published community daily
newspaper in Cagayan de Oro City was published
by a printing press proprietor—Edilberto
S. Bustamante,Jr. this was the Southern Philippines
Daily Tribune which first came out in 1982.
The publication of the Southern Philippines Daily
Tribune or SP Tribune perhaps, was born out of
a business opportunity and a curiosity by its
publisher to prove that the city was ready for
a local daily newspaper.
At the time, the paper came out, Cebu City and
Davao City already had their own local daily newspapers
that somehow survived despite the national dailies
that also circulate in their places.
So what makes those cities any different from
Cagayan de Oro city, Mr. Bustamante thought? He
was convinced; the time was ripe for the city
to have its own daily newspaper. He was right.
The paper carried results of the Jai Alai games
in Manila as an added enticement for local readers.
This and the daily dose of local news events that
includes photos attracted more than enough readers
for the paper not only to survive but also make
some profit not realized before by any community
newspaper in the city.
A series of events, however, contributed to the
demise of the SP Tribune. It stopped publication
for a while in 1985. It resumed publication as
a weekly in 1987 until 1994 when it reverted to
being a daily newspaper under a new set up.
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SunStar
Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao Gold Star Daily
In 1996, the SunStar publications of Cebu City acquired
ownership of the newspaper and renamed it the Cagayan
de Oro SunStar and is now among the network of community
daily newspapers of SunStar publications.
Mindanao GoldStar Daily is the second community
daily newspaper to come out in Cagayan de Oro City.
Ernesto Chu, a businessman who owns a printing press
among other business interests, publishes it.
The newspaper first came out in 1989 and was known
then as the Gold Star Daily with circulation limited
to Cagayan de Oro City and nearby areas of Iligan
city, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.
Circulated initially in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis
Oriental and Bukidnon provinces, Gold Star Daily
is now also circulated in other urban centers in
Mindanao including Davao City, General Santos City,
Zamboanga City, Butuan City and other urban centers
in Mindanao. It has been renamed as the Mindanao
Gold Star Daily.
SunStar publication also publishes the Super Balita,
a daily newspaper published in the local dialect
Cebuano. Major stories in the Cagayan de Oro Sun
Star are translated into the local dialect and published
in Super Balita.
The combined circulation of these three daily newspapers
account for some 80 per cent of the local print
media in the city. The three local daily newspapers
claim to have a daily circulation of 10,000 copies
each although there is no way of verifying this
claim.
The eight other community newspapers, all weeklies
have a circulation ranging from a high of 4,000
copies to 1,000 copies per week. Obviously, this
pales in comparison to the combined circulation
of the three local daily newspapers.
The three local dailies have their own printing
machines, which is a big factor in local community
news papering. Except for two, the other local newsweeklies
do not have their own printing facilities.
The three local daily newspapers dominate the advertising
budget for the print media as well as the circulation.
This has prompted many local weeklies to scramble
for the crumbs.
Other newsweeklies tried to go daily to stay competitive.
The Golden Chronicle and Mindanao Post went daily
in the 90’s but lack of resources forced them
to revert to being weeklies.
Other weeklies were also forced out of circulation
while others became “seasonal newspapers,”
coming out only during Christmas season and election
period.
Still others changed the format of their publication
from newsweeklies to news magazines with an in-depth
treatment of events and issues to stay competitive
or just to survive.
However, in terms of readership, the three local
dailies corner most of them and appear to be more
influential in setting the trends of local news
events and issues.
Local
film industry
The local film industry had a brief fling with movie
producing in the 70’s through the Reuben R.
Canoy Productions. Before it folded up the local
movie outfit produced two films, one in Pilipino
and the other in the local dialect.
The first production was Sa Dulo ng Kris starring
Joseph Estrada, Vic Vargas and Inez Manopol. The
movie as reflected in the title depicts the Mindanao
problem.the supporting cast were all residents of
the city.
The other movie Sa Imong Lawas ug Dugo was the last
Cebuano picture produced in the country before the
return of Visayan movie with Panaghoy sa Suba. The
screenplay was written and the movie directed by
Lorrie de la Cerna.
The Cagayan de Oro
Press Club, other media organizations:
The Cagayan de Oro
Press Club is born
Among press clubs outside Metro Manila, the Cagayan
de Oro Press Club (COPC), perhaps has the distinction
of being the only press club with its own building.
The building aside from housing the club’s
office also generates income for the club from
rentals of office spaces.
The COPC was officially born on August 2,1962
with the registration of its Articles of Incorporation
with the Securities and Exchange Commission with
the following as founding members—Reuben
R. Canoy, Manuel V. Quisumbing, Lorenzo M. de
la Cerna, Sarah A. Velez, Noli F. Olarte, Alfredo
S. Cruz, Corazon A. Cid, Filomeno O. Apolinario,Jr.,Abelardo
U. Clavano, Pureza N. Ramos and Emilio V. Corrales.
The COPC was initially intended for print media
journalists as was stated in its purpose:
“THAT, the purpose for which said corporation
is formed is to promote cooperation and understanding
among newspapermen and newspaperwomen and to draft
a code of ethics for the advancement of the newspaper
profession.”
However, since then the COPC has expanded to include
broadcast media journalists in its ranks.
Six other media organizations exist in the city—Misamis
Or.-Cagayan de Oro Association of Publishers,
Inc.(MOCAP), Association of Women Journalists,
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines(NUJP),Cagayan
de Oro Chapter, PNP Press Corps, and the Cagayan
de Oro Chapter of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster
sa Pilipinas (KBP).
Among the groups, the COPC is the more active.
Among its significant activities lately was the
conduct of a conference attended by all stakeholders
in the media that addressed pressing concerns
including media corruption.
The conference held on Feb. 25,2003 was attended
by representatives of youth, professional organizations,
business groups, academe, government and labor
organizations, journalists, publishers and media
owners.
The conference funded by the AusAid/PAGF examined
the problems of media credibility, competence
and corruption.
The AusAid/PAGF also funded a COPC project arising
from the conference proceedings—the development
of a Code of Ethics of Journalists, a Training
Manual on Investigative Reporting against Corruption.
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COPC,
media corruption and other problems
It is just as well that the COPC has taken a serious
look at the problems confronting the Cagayan de
Oro City media in the face of accusations from the
public against the local media ranging from corruption,
irresponsibility, and involvement in partisan political
activities.
Two Cagayan de Oro City media men in fact were discovered
and admitted to being in the payroll of the Misamis
Oriental Provincial Government. The two eventually
were censured by the COPC and their respective media
entities.
The problem of media corruption in the city is not
something new if media history is to be taken into
account. Henry Canoy said in his unpublished book:
“What is now decried as “envelopmental
journalism” had its start in 1949 when press
agents bought reporters, editors, columnists and
commentators to attack Quirino. As though on cue,
the newspapers, radio and TV took turns assailing
him for allegedly purchasing a P5,000 bed and a
gold-plated chamber pot.”
This type of media corruption has taken new forms
such as ATM, ACDC.
ATM refers to the bribery wherein the money is desposited
in the ATM Account of the media men concerned while
ACDC means “Attack Collect Defend Collect,”
a practice of either criticizing or praising or
defending a certain personality for a fee.
This form of media corruption becomes prevalent
particularly during the election period when many
candidates vie for the services of corrupt media
men to promote their candidacies or destroy their
opponents.
Accusations have also been made against some mediamen,
mostly in the broadcast industry of being biased
in their reportage or of being promoting the interests
of some city officials.
It was in response to this concerns that the Cagayan
de Oro Press Club conducted a conference attended
by representatives from all sectors of society to
examine the problems confronting mass media in the
city.
A spin off of the conference is the formation of
a new civil society organization Sangga Kagayanon
that has set up an Independent Media Watch Committee
with the full endorsement of the COPC.
This new civil society organization includes representatives
from the academe, senior members of the local mass
media, professional, business and youth groups.
This body hopes to monitor, report and take action
on reports of corruption and other problems in the
local mass media.
The COPC has also formed the Journalists Against
Corruption Network (JACNet) that includes grants
for investigative journalism.
Officers of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, however,
were the first to admit that the problem of media
corruption is something that will not easily die
out.
“It is something that is deeply rooted and
dependent also on other factors such as low remuneration
of the media people particularly those in the provinces,”
a COPC official admitted.
During a series of media forum initiated by COPC,
it was also realized that the lack of formal training
by many local media people was contributing to the
irresponsible exercise of press freedom, if not
abuse by many mediamen.
In many instances, newspaper columnists and broadcast
commentators due to their lack of knowledge act
as if they are the prosecutor, judge rolled into
one in declaring suspects in criminal acts or suspected
grafters as guilty even before a formal charge has
been filed.
The COPC and the academe led by the Department of
Development Communication of Xavier University is
working on a training manual that will incorporate
subject matters in the communication schools curriculum
that will address the concerns of the local media.
These were among the matters discussed during the
public proceedings on mass media.
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Communication
Schools
Xavier University offered the first communication
degree in 1976. Under its College of Agriculture
it opened a major in Development Communication
under its Bachelor of Agriculture program of the
College of Agriculture.
Pilgrim Christian College since 1986 offers under
its School of Communication a program leading
to a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication.
It has also a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication
program.
Three other schools in Cagayan de Oro City offer
communication programs—Lourdes College and
Liceo de Cagayan de Oro University have AB in
Mass Communication programs while Cagayan de Oro
College has programs for AB Mass Communication,
AB Journalism and AB Broadcast Communication.
Among the schools, Cagayan de Oro College has
the best facilities. It has a radio and television
station aside from having a radio production room
and a photo laboratory. Pilgrim Christian College
and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro University have a
radio production room and a photo laboratory.
Many graduates from the local communication schools
are now employed in the various Cagayan de Oro
City mass media entities contributing to the upgrading
of its professionalism and competence.
The Xavier University Development Communication
Department, on the other hand is cooperating with
the Cagayan de Oro Press Club on various programs
and projects that address concerns of the local
media.
Sources:
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The
Cagayan de Oro Press Club, other
media organizations
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