Art talk by Icelle G. Borja, Filipina Artist and Writer from Zamboanga City, Philippines

Arts & Culture of Zamboanga City

by contributing writer & local artist: Icelle G. Borja

IcelleARTicles: Art Talk

ARTTALK

By: Icelle D. Borja

SURVEY ON THE FLOWERING OF

JOURNALISM IN ZAMBOANGA CITY

Journalism saw the first light in a nurturing place of Zamboanga, during the early days of colonialism and pacification — the American government brought the first Minerva presses to Mindanao as a propaganda tool for pacification. The first and most durable among Zamboanga’s newspapers was the Mindanao Herald which came out in 1903, after three years of weekly publication. It was sold to John A. Hackett in 1906, with John A. Hackett as the editor, JH Sutherland, Associate Editor; the Mindanao Herald run weekly publications fill the war broke out — it was then an early exponent of the development of Mindanao and Sulu, and also devoted to the Industrial Development and advancement of the then Moro Province.

John A. Hackett, Jr. arrived in the Philippines with the Mississippi Volunteers in 1899. Born in 1877 in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was the son of a Baptist preacher who had served the confederate colors as a sergeant. Hackett remained with the army until 1906. After a visit to the United States, he briefly became a civil service employee and then purchased the Mindanao Herald. Married in 1906 to an English woman, Hackett had nine children, each of whom worked for the newspaper as he grew older. As a sole owner, publisher, editor and reporter, he ran a one man show for many years, eventually hiring Datu Taupan subsequently Assemblyman, as handsetter, reporter and editor for the Tausog publication intended for the Basilan and Sulu readers.

The “Herald” press also did job printing, turning out stationery, business forms, ledgers and even bus tickets. On the side, carried advertisements for the growing business community featuring short stories, poems, success stories as well as editorial for pacification on local and national interest. Social announcements, sport events, transfers of many military personnel, are also carried out by the Herald.

It enjoyed wide readership and in the process, it helped to create a strong feeling of local patriotism among the planters, military government personnel of Zamboanga, Cotabato and Davao. Hackett held on his publications till 1936, the year he died and the children operated the enterprise until the Japanese invasion.

Press Freedom made a great impact on the Filipinos during the inceptive years of American rule. There was a surge of intellectual activity in different parts of the country. In Zamboanga, about a dozen newspapers, mostly in Spanish were published from the turn of the century to the outbreak of World War II.

Other newspapers followed such as the “Voz de Mindanao, edited by Luiz Lim; Voz de Pueblo, edited by Santiago Mendoza, El Fenix, by Crispin Atilano; El Impartial by Jose Gonzales; El Criterio by Vicente R. Suarez; La Antorcha by Fr. Joaquin Lim, S.J.; El Sw by Carlos Can’iins, Sr.; La Republica by Apolinario Enriquez; El Empartial by Gregorio L. Lopez.

The Zamboanga Times by Efren C. Peña on November 16, 1946, and the Zamboanga City Inquirer by Adolfo Navarro by July 31, 1952— were the leading newspaper in the early 1950’s. It also has a Spanish paper, the “El Sur”.

Aside from the local newspapers, Manila newspapers are either subscribed or bought by the people through the authorized agents and at newspaper stands. American magazines as well as comics, American and Filipino are available.

In the 1960’s two noted writers from the City who won fame in the short story are Egmidio Enriquez, an English faculty member of the Zamboanga A.E. Colleges and Ibrahim Jubaira, a Muslim and a public school teacher. Mother Zamboangueño writer, who is a regular contributor to the Free Press, is Alberto M. Alfaro. A Zamboangueña poet Toribia Maño contributed poems to the national Free Press.

In the 1970’s — there was a renaissance of intellectual activity when we saw at least twelve newspapers and journals mushroom in the City of Zamboanga.

Zamboanga Newswatch a weekly published by Noel Erasga, metamorphosed into Business star then into Zamboanga Star.

The Zamboanga Express published by Edward Lim and edited by Atty. Rodrigo Roy; the Times — a weekly by Rey Candido; the Zamba’s Reporter by Jun Feliciano; People’s Review by Eddie Enriquez; Economic times published by Bong Pecson — that run for 3 years; Mindanao Today by Rolly San Juan.

Progress and modem technology fmally crept into the media, tnmedia was born — with T.V., radio and the print created Zamboanga Journal, and the FUBC with PAL Marquez, Erbie Fabian, Bong Apolinario, and Rene Fernandez at the helm. The Morning Times in 1981 — edited by Rene Fernandez and eventually was sold in 1995. There was “City Lights” by Celso Abastillas, edited by Felino Santos; and the Spree Magazine.

Evidently, with the numerous newspapers circulating in the city and its neighboring areas, a surge of intellectual activity and a promising business lured many others to invest into the business thus encouraging writers, reporters, and more columnists and opinion makers.

Today, we enjoy 4 major newspapers; The Daily Zamboanga Times, Zamboanga Today, Zamboanga Star, and the Sun Star with around 50 active columnists.

There is enough pool of resources be it news and journalists. In 1982, the triumvirate, Rolly San Juan; Atty. Roy, and Customs Collector David “Boy” Odilao, toyed with the idea of organizing the Zamboanga Press Club - Mr. Rolly San Juan was elected as the First President of the Zamboanga Press Club followed by Max Enriquez, Bob Jaldon, Pal Marquez, Erbie Fabian, Mila Velasquez, Mike Apostol, Roseller Enriquez, Noel Erasga, Rudy Saavedra, Danny Macasantos, Bernie Concepcion, Shiela Covarrubias.

In 1996, the idea of organizing the columnist and opinion writers into the Zamboanga Columnists Club stemmed from the late Mon Escudero and Mi Yacub, but when Escudero passed away, Yacub carried that idea with him and passed it on to Mr. Mike Apostol, who was at the time the President of Zamboanga Press Club in 1996 — declined, but instead suggested that a president be elected from among the organizers and the first president elected was Mr. Bong Bue, and in the second election Mike Apostol was elected president followed by Noel Erasga and Manuel Mangubat. Zamboanga ranks the highest number of columnists in Mindanao - and is enjoying the full flowering of the seed of journalism press freedom and expression - planted by the early American settlers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Mindanao Herald 1903, Zamboanga Hermosa, Orendain 1974, Zamboanga Directory 1960, American Historical Collection by Lewis Gleeck, Governor’s Annual Report of Mindanao, The Moro Province, RC Climaco Collection, and Pioneers in the Tropics by Lewis Gleeck

Personal Interview - Felino Santos, Rolly San Juan, Mike Apostol, Max Enriquez, Jr. and Andy Navarro.