CLARK FREEPORT—The Pampanga Press Club (PPC) has elected a new set of officers who planned to establish a health program and journalism training center in celebration of its 70 years as a press organization.
Tonette Orejas of the Philippine Daily Inquirer was elected president, the first woman to hold the post since PPC’s founding in 1949.
Noel Tulabut of Sunstar was elected executive vice president; Jojo Due of The Voice, vice president for print; Eric Jimenez of Angeles Observer, vice-president for broadcast; Ria De Fiesta of Sunstar, secretary; Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario of Philippine News Agency, treasurer; and Minerva Zamora Arceo of Sunstar, auditor. They shall serve their term from 2020 to 2021.
The Board of PPC Directors include Diosdado “Deng” Pangilinan (iOrbit, chairman), Rendy Isip (iOrbit, member), Jess Malabanan (Manila Standard, member), Rey Navales (Sunstar, member) and Astrud Aguinaldo (iOrbit, member).
“The health program aims to help our members whose status as correspondents, stringers and contractors do not entitle them to medical or hospitalization benefits. The journalism training center shall mentor young people to become professional writers,” Orejas explained. “Truthful and fair news media help in countryside development.”
The PPC was founded in 1949 by Silvestre Songco of Manila Times-Mirror-Taliba, Emerito de Jesus of the Evening News, Alejandrino Songco of Philippine News Service, Lino Sanchez Sr. of Manila Times, Tomas San Pedro of Luzon Courier and dzAP, Greg Sangil of The Voice and Manila Chronicle, Armando Baluyut of The Voice, and Romeo Arceo, according to Caesar ”Bong” Lacson, editor of Punto Central Luzon and author of the book “Of The Press,” which was published in 1999.
The PPC went into lull for a host of reasons including possibly busy reportage on the country’s rebuilding from World War II and lack of time to for induction of its officers and members, veteran newsman Max Sangil said.
“Martial law saw their papers closed and they had to take non-writing jobs,” he recalled.
Sangil said the PPC was revived at the Army-Navy Club beside the United States Embassy in Manila. The late Blas Ople who was then running for a seat in the Batasang Pambansa was guest of honor in the induction. The PPC consisted then of Ram Mercado, Freds Roxas, Ben Gamos, Beting Songco and Hector Soto and Lino Sanchez who were mostly reporting and stringing news from Camp Olivas in San Fernando.
The PPC took in its third generation of writers and photographers in the early 1980s. They include Caesar Lacson, the brothers Fyodor and Dante Fabian, Sonny Lopez, Boy Sagad.
PPC began accepting female members in 2010.
The reports and photographs of PPC members thrusted Pampanga into the national devcelopment scene, helped put its political and civic leaders into national prominence and influenced policies in local and national governments.
