National Press Club celebrates its 70th anniversary

THE National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC), one of the country’s oldest but still the biggest organization of active members of the press, is to celebrate its 70^th anniversary this week, Friday, October 28, 2022, under the theme, ‘Women’s Empowerment at 70,’ in recognition of the rise of women in its top leadership and to promote gender equality.

Lydia Bueno, editor at Remate and the Club’s first woman president in its history, noted the NPC was actually registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on October 29, 1952 but as the date falls on a Saturday, they decided to hold the celebration a day earlier.

Bueno and the entire ‘Press Freedom Party’ (PFP) that has dominated the Club’s leadership for nearly two decades now were elected into office during the Club’s General Assembly last May 1, 2022. Ma. Kristina Maralit of the Manila Times, was also elected as vice president. The Club has 5 executive officers and 10 directors.

Fittingly, invited as special guest and speaker is Atty. Cheloy Garafil, officer in charge at the OPS (Office of the Press Secretary) in Malacañan, who also frequented the Club during her days as a beat reporter of ‘Malaya.’

Also addressing the gathering is Benny Antiporda, a 2-time NPC president and founder of the PFP. Antiporda is now the current administrator at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Brief review of Club history

Largely thru the efforts of its founding members, particularly the late Teodoro ‘Ka Doroy’ Valencia, Congress, during the administration of Pres. Elpidio Quirino, passed a law giving a portion of land (5,184.7 sqm.) at the corner of Jones Bridge, along Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila, for use by the NPC for its offices and headquarter.

Construction of the now historic NPC building, designed by prominent Filipino architect, Angel Ernesto Sancho Nakpil and under the supervision of Engr. Alberto T. Abaya, begun in 1954, with the money provided thru a loan with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and donations from other prominent benefactors at the time.

The 4-storey NPC building, among the first ‘earthquake proof’ building in the country, was formally inaugurated by Pres. Ramon Magsaysay on December 30, 1955.

The NPC was founded with the objective of “uphold the freedom of the press and the dignity of the newspaperman’s profession.”

Living up to this simple but all-encompassing goal, the NPC, under the leadership of the PFP, has provided housing, health, insurance and educational assistance benefits to its members and their families thru partnership with concerned government agencies and private organizations.

More importantly, it has repeatedly stress that all media practitioners should strictly adhere to the 11-Point Journalist Code of Ethics in order to maintain their professionalism and credibility.

Gross violators of the code among its members and officers have been punished with expulsion with no possibility of reinstatement.

During the worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the NPC not only managed to give material assistance to all its members to help ease their suffering but also launched a series of ‘feeding program’ that benefited more than 7,000 indigent families and individuals in the vicinity of Intramuros.

Currently, the NPC remains an active member of the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) that the NPC helped organized in 1975 while also remaining active as a media partner of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), the main government body tasked to ensure the physical safety of all members of the press.

Looking forward, the NPC remains as among the few credible national media organizations in the country as it continues its path to reforms that helped restore its credibility as a responsible and patriotic organization of Filipino journalists.