A Brief History of Mass Communications in the Philippines

By

John Duesenberry

Introduction to Mass Communication Fall Semester, TCMN 151

Professor Dee Gross

December 5, 2011

 

John Duesenberry

Professor Dee Gross

Introduction to Mass Communication

5 December 2011

Any form of communication whether it be person to person, person to multiple people, or multiple people must begin simply at language. The language of a people is the key to being able to communicate to an audience both large and small. We will examine the history of the Filipino language from its early roots (Pre-Hispanic) to the modern day and how we are now using that language in a modern format via the Web and mobile communication.

Prior to the invasion of Philippines by Spain the Filipino people had already developed a language, an alphabet, and a form of mass communication. “The pre-Hispanic Filipinos wrote on many different materials; leaves, palm fronds, tree bark and fruit rinds, but the most common material was bamboo. The writing tools or panulat were the points of daggers or small pieces of iron.” (Morrow) The Filipinos were then able to make the carvings stand out by rubbing ash into the carvings making them stand out from the rest of the bamboo. Filipinos did not begin to use ink until after the arrival of the Spaniards in the late sixteenth century. The alphabet, or Babayin, that they developed had become an integral part of Filipino society. Unfortunately because there was little done to preserve Babayin there are only currently three forms of the alphabet that remain today. They are still written by some using bamboo and a knife, while some scholars, particularly Paul Versoza, have preserved them for record. Versoza, a 20^th century member of the Old National Language institute coined a modern term for Babiyan called alibata stating “in 1921 I returned from the United States to give public lectures on Tagalog philology, calligraphy, and linguistics. I introduced the word alibata, which found its way into newsprints and often mentioned by many authors in their writings. I coined this word in 1914 in the New York Public Library, Manuscript Research Division, basing it on the Maguindanao (Moro) arrangement of letters of the alphabet after the Arabic: alif, ba, ta (alibata), “f” having been eliminated for euphony’s sake.” It was this knowledge that was able to establish a firm grip on the history of Pre-Hispanic Filipino language.

Spanish Colonization of the Philippines began in 1565 and lasted until 1898, it was during this time that the Spanish forced the native Filipinos” (Cuadernos de Historia, Instituto)to speak a new language, where before they had (and still have) a Babel of tongues.” amongst other things. It was during this time of change foe the Filipino people that there forms of communication changed drastically. Prior to the Spanish invasion the writing had been slim and stories were told with a more oral tradition. The Spanish brought with them Catholicism which the Filipinos embraced unquestioningly. Whereas the system that they previously used was mainly about sustenance the Spanish now were forcing new religion, systems of government, and even naming of people. Filipinos learned new ways of farming as well. This system was the catalyst for more change culturally for the Filipinos and how they communicate.

The Spanish language was still popular in the Philippines during the Pacific War. At that time more than one million people still spoke Spanish and were heavily influenced by their more than 300 year presence. The country today is still largely Catholic (81 percent) according to the website www.state.gov and its influence can still be felt. The language itself was “basically among middle-upper and upper classes, as a language for understanding among themselves, and still maintained its position as the official language for law and administration as well as was the lingua franca in trading, together with English. (Cuadernos de Historia, Instituto) Much of this was due to anti-English sentiment towards the United States. The religious dogma of Catholicism had become entrenched in the Philippines and many of more affluent people were not willing to give it up.

“The birth of English-language media in the Philippines took place not long after the Americans set foot in the Philippines, when on October 11, 1898, an Englishman, Thomas Gowan, founded the country’s oldest newspaper The Manila Times.”(Dayag 34) This paper was followed soon by The Manila Daily Bulletin (February 1900), The Herald(1920) and The Tribune(1925), the latter three being the most popular English speaking papers through World War II. There were also several publications that were published on a weekly basis including the Philippines Free Press (1907) and the Graphic (1927). The Japanese occupation halted these newspapers, but it was not long after the liberation that many new publishers began to appear. “Among the American newspapers in circulation were the Yank, Daily Pacifican, Stars and Stripes, Free Philippines, and small airmail editions of Time and Newsweek.” (Dayag 34) Not to be outdone many of the underground newspapers that were being published during the occupation by Japan came to the forefront. They began to compete with many of the English papers of the times. Difficult times were ahead for the free press of the Philippines.

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation 1081 on September 21, 1972 which placed the entire Philippines under Martial Law. The law allowed him to seize control of the Mass Media in the country. Marcos shut of the free press and in so doing he created a void of intelligence. His “military might choked hard at the throats of writers, editors, and publishers and the media facilities. The Philippines went into a deathly journalistic silence.”(Dayag 34)

Marcos also took control of the television at the time. Seizing control from their respective owners and handing them over to family members that would make it easier for him to control his message. Marcos wife’s, Imelda, family members also took over “Ambassador Roberto S. Benedicto took over ABS-CBN, a multi-million dollar radio-TV complex which used to be owned by business tycoon Eugenio Lopez Sr” (Dayag 34), this seizure of control was integral in the control of Filipinos by the Marcos regime. He then had many of the country’s leading personalities arrested and jailed for simply being a personality.

Eventually Marcos would lift Martial Law in 1981 but after nine years of terror the people of the Philippines, particularly the media, had become afraid of what could happen to them because of Marcos. However on February 25, 1986 the military and the citizens of the Philippines rose up against Marcos and he was ousted, which lead to a huge revolution in mass media. Newspapers, television stations, and radio stations could now freely speak their minds and in so doing create a new level of discourse for their people. “The fledgling democracy and the accompanying freedoms the Filipino people regained resulted in the mushrooming of national broadsheets and tabloids.. In the late 1980’s and the 1990’s a few more broadsheets were founded, In 1986, Manila Standard was born, and in 1993, Today was founded by Teodoro Loesin Jr., son of the late Teodoro Sr., The founder of The Philippines Free Press.” (Dayag 36) This transition marked another step towards the future of media in the country, especially with the digital revolution right around the corner.

The beginning of the 1990’s was very important around the world. The internet was is in its infancy and media was about to change. The Philippines was an island nation that had a lot of travel between islands and with the successful overthrow of Marcos in 1986. The democratization of the Philippines was very impactful to its people. The first incident that really set into motion what was needed in the Philippines was People Power II. The sitting president of the Philippines was a man by the name of Joseph Estrada. He was an actor turned politician that had won the vote by a landslide by appealing to the lower class, however he was found to be corrupt, allegations that had gotten their weight from the Internet and via SMS(text messaging). “On January 16th, 2001, the senate impeachment committee voted 11-10 to reject the opening of an envelope that was believed to contain crucial evidenceagainst Estrada. Within hours, Manila residents poured into the streets to protest at the Shrine at Epifnio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the site of the 1986 People Power movement. Carrying a strong sense of history, massive demonstrations of People Power II lasted for four days from the 16th to the 20th, when the protesters received a deluge of sympathetic media coverage, which added tremendously to the polifical pressure on Estrada. On the 17th, all senator-judges resigned from the impeachment trial and the case was suspended indefinitely. The Defense Secretary and Finance Secretary resigned on the 19th. By then, most members of the Estrada cabinet had abandoned office, and the military had sided with demonstrators. On January 20,2001, Estrada was escorted out of the Malacanang Palace by the Armed Forces Chief of Staff and the Vice Chief of Staff. By the end of the day, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant; Arroyo was sworn in as the new president” (Qiu, 41) the internet and mobile communication like the newspapers fifteen years before had drastically changed the politics of the day. People Power II was a success in overthrowing the government once again in the Philippines. Not unusual here is the fact that Mobile Phone usage has grown exponentially in the Philippines. In 1999 there were less than 5 million units in the Philippines, but by the year 2002 the numbers had tripled. (Qiu 43) Today that number has grown. Interesting is that in the Philippines as opposed to the United States the majority of Cell Phone usage is done via SMS. Phone calls are rare and there are very few monthly contracts. The people of the Philippines prepay for their service. A sim card is what is used and now cell phone companies are building phones that have the ability to carry two sim cards so that customers can use more than one carrier to access their information. The Mobile revolution has certainly helped people of the Philippines to be able to share information more freely.

Language can’t be undervalued nor can the free sharing of information in a society. The earliest of Filipinos understood this when they were using knives to carve into bamboo. The stories of a people must be shared amongst the people. Whether it was the Spanish Invaders, The Americans after them, or their own people the language of the Philippines and the free distribution of information has been vital to its people. That is of course true with any society. Today in Africa we are beginning to see a great deal of change since its people have gone mobile. Prosperity has become even greater for them and the mobile device may just be the great equalizer in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Morrow, Paul “Baybayin – The Ancient Script of the Philippines” mts.net

Web 14 July, 2010

Verzosa, Paul Rodriguez.   “Pangbansang Titik nang Pilipinas (Philippine National

Writing). Manila, 1939. From Michael Y. Cueva (e-mail, November 5, 2002)

Cuadernos de Historia, Instituto Cervantes, Manila, N. 1 (1998): 177-190

 

FRom the website: http://www.aeep.es/socios/rodao/98a1eng.htm

 

Dayag, Danilo T. “The English-Language Media In The Philippines.” World English’s 23.1 (2004): 33-45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2011

Qiu, Jack Linchuan “Mobile Civil Society in Asia: A Comparative Study of People Power II and the Nosamo Movement. Javnost-The Public Vol: 15(2008) 

Pre-Islamic Arabian Society and the Prime Targets of the Qu’ran

John R. Duesenberry II

Civilization 161G, Fall Semester, W102

Professor Valerie McGowan-Doyle

November 29, 2011

The Pre-Islamic Arab world was primarily dominated by two distinct religious groups : The Byzantine Christians and the Zoroastrian Sasanid Persians. The two groups had been fighting for over four centuries until in a single exhausting conflict that impacted both groups. The conflict lasted from the years 608 CE to 627 CE. A new power began to emerge at this time from the south destroying one group, The Zoroastrians, and severely weakening the second group, The Byzantines.

“Pre-Islamic Arabia was not just a land of deserts, camels, and pastoralists.” (Craig et al 291) The area was actually multicultural and an agricultural power. While there was significant influence from the Christians and Zorastrians there were also Jewish Settlements, Persian, Abyssinians, and Arabian Pagan traditions. Many of these early groups were used as buffers between the two large religious groups and groups from the Arabian Steppes. Along one of these routes was the Arabic Highland territory of Hijaz which included the city of Mecca. “Mecca was a center of the caravan trade and a pilgrimage site because of its famous sanctuary, the Ka’Ba (Or Kaaba), where pagan Arabs enshrined gods.” (Craig et al 292). This was significant in the development of the Islamic faith. A major trade route would allow the message of Mohammed to be spread far and wide. Commerce, as it always had, would serve as an excellent way to spread a message. Oddly enough it was the attitudes of many of the wealthy that led to Mohammed’s disbelief in humanity and the need to further the teachings of God (Allah) that had been spread since the time of Noah. Language was also a key factor. The tribes and groups here could speak the same Semitic language, one that was often used by poets to insult their enemies and also to uplift their own soldiers prior to battle. Islam did not have the disadvantage of getting over a language barrier. These were two key factors of the spread of Islam in its early days.

Mohammed was raised an orphan but grew up to marry an older woman by the name of Khadija who was quite wealthy. There were both Meccan themselves. Mohammed “became troubled by the idiolatry, worldliness, and lack of social conscience around him.” (Craig et al 292). While Jewish and Christian faiths also condemened these attitudes they had not been able to supplant the local Arabic Pagan beliefs. Mohammed at the age of 40 began to feel the calling of God to spread a new message to the people of the Arabic world. His place at Mecca was the perfect spot to start. The Arabic people spoke the same language and the route was well traveled. Mohammed believed that the angel Gabriel visited him and gave him the message that he would need to spread to the world to help stop the issues that bothered him. Mohammed decided to use the language to his benefit. His followers he called Muslim (submissive) and the faith Islam (submission) an interesting departure from the previous warrior poets who exalted the praises of men above all. He even used the word Qu’ran which means reciting to name the holy book. Recitation is an action that requires day to day practice which is in and of itself a form of submission. In fact it was only man that did not naturally submit to God’s will. The rest of the creatures of creation did. It was this belief that lead to Mohammed being more inclusive of everyone.

“The Qu’ranic revelations affirm that Mohammed is only the last in a series of prophets chosen to bring God’s word: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and non-biblical Arabian figures like Salih had similar missions previously.” Mohammed’s interpretation of this was vital to winning the people of the area over to his beliefs. If he was like Moses, Abraham, Christ and non-biblical Arabian figures then his faith was all inclusive, because he was like all of them. Everyone in the area could maintain their current system of beliefs and add onto them what Mohammed was saying. He took what was available and turned it into an inclusive belief system. Islam was Monotheistic just like Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism. This was vital in spreading the beliefs. Three things had led to the spread of Islam in this world: Language, Commerce, and Monotheism. Interestingly enough it was the conversion of his own wife that allowed him initially gain followers. Khadija was a wealthy woman and her conversion was enough to have small groups begin to follow him but not without consequence. While some prominent Meccans joined him there were others who felt threatened by his teachings, particularly the people who were not Monotheistic. These people did not want to abandon their gods and goddesses, nor did they want to lose their holy shrine. The shrine was very lucrative for local businessmen, so they began to persecute Mohammed and his followers. They drove Mohammed and his followers away to the city of Yathrib which was renamed Medina (The City of the Prophet.) It was here that Mohammed was able to create the Umma, the Islamic calendar. Medina became the center of activity for Islam and it was here that Mohammed was able to write down many of the tenants of Islam. Daily prayers (salats), Payment of tithe (zakat), daily fasting during Ramadan (sawm) and finally Pilgrimage back to Mecca were all started here. All of them were parts of the strategy that came from language, commerce, and monotheistic beliefs that led to the spread of Islam today.

Pre-Islamic Arabia was a land of many beliefs that were constantly at war with one another. It was not until Mohammed under the direction of God was able to spread the words of the Qu’ran to the rest of the world. Language, commerce, and monotheism all led to its eventual spread.

 

 

Works Cited

Craig, Albert M, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Heritage of World Civilizations: Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle Ridge, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

 

Craig et al

 

B.C.E.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Differences in Hellenistic and Classical Greek Literature, Art and Philosophy

John R. Duesenberry II

Civilization 161G, Fall Semester, W102

Professor Valerie McGowan-Doyle

September 25^th ,2011

The differences between Hellenistic and Classical Greek literature, art, and philosophy are varied. The Classical approach was dedicated to the idea that we create to the benefit of society, while the Hellenistic approach was humanistic. The two not necessarily being at odds with one another.

The Classical approach to philosophy, art, and literature started in the fifth century B.C.E. in Athens. The Athenians were a powerful polis(city-state) that was at war with the Spartans. The Great Peloponnesian War lasted for over 30 years from 435 B.C.E to 404 B.C.E. (Craig et al 100) It was during this time that Philosophers flourished in Greece. Socrates(469-399 B.C.E.), Plato (427-347 B.C.E.), and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) Were all incredibly influential at this time. Socrates believed in the harmony of the state so much so that when condemned to death he accepted it.( Craig et al 66) Plato also revered the idea of being true to the state. “Plato firmly believed in the polis and its values.”(Craig et al 66) The ideas of order, harmony and justice could be found in his teachings and was written in his seminal work The Republic. Plato’s ideas were so strong that his Academy lasted a Millenia. Following closely in his work was Aristotle. He founded another school called the Lyceaum in Athens. Aristotle’s biggest influence was that of Philips son Alexander, a Macedonian. Alexander brought about a great change during his reign. It was during this time that the Hellenistic age began and there was a fundamental change in thinking. Plato’s Academy way of thinking began to change and adopted the skeptical approach first established by Pyrrho of Elis. Unlike Plato’s ideas of harmony, order, and justice the Skeptics believed in nothing. A skeptic questioned everything and everyone to the point that they believed only in “conventional morality and the world as it was.”( Craig et al 109) They abandoned the idea that better citizens made a better world, a stark contrast to the Socratics before them. The Cynics took this idea even further by suggesting that the natural world was better way to live. Epicurus of Athens took the idea even further and suggested that it was not knowledge but happiness that people should pursue. Epicurus believed that ataraxia, withdrawal from the physical world, was the highest form. Interesting considering that the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha had only been born a century before this time in 566 B.C.E(Craig et al 54) The teachings were not all that dissimilar and with Alexander conquering much of Asia the idea of withdrawing from form was now taking hold in Greek as well as the East. The Stoics were the last of the groups that differed from the Socratics. They believed in logos, fire, and that god and the natural world were one and the same. Happiness was obtained through living a life of virtue. Virtue to them was being accordance with nature and therefore god.

Classical Greek art and literature had several different iterations. One of the first and foremost examples were the Attic Tragedies. They first emerged as way to honor Dionysus at the Acropolis in Athens. Several key Authors from this era participated in these religious events. Aeschylus and Sophocles in particular were particularly concerned with politics, morality, religion, and ethics as their philosophical contemporaries were. They used mythology to explain what was happening particularly plays that included satyrs. The Acropolis could hold up to 30,000 people and they would hold contests were held to name the best Actor, author, and choregos. An important step in selling the idea of democracy to the masses. The theater began to include the Old Comedies in the fifth Century B.C.E. Aristophanes was perhaps the most famous of these playwrights. He is in fact the only person that we have complete plays from in this era. Aristophanes stood in contrast to the ideas of his day. Many of his plays were satire of Socrates and Euripides. New Comedy and Menander first appeared in the 4^th century B.C.E. Menander focused on the day to day. He was gentle to the everyman and took comedy out of the divine. Menander showed that it was the mundane that could be funny. The every day life of the average person was worth talking about rather then the fantastical. Take Zeus out of the equation and people could start to relate to the characters. This style of play was exactly where thinking was in the Hellenistic age.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of the Hellenistic age in terms of literature was not the writing itself rather it was the development of hosting Chronologies. The Ptolemies were a group of Egyptian Hellenistic rulers. They found a great museum where they began they funded the research of scientists and scholars. It was also here that they created a great library that hosted more then half a million books. It was the Ptolemies that preserved much of the writing of that time. The Ptolemies helped to preserve the rich history that was Greek Literature, Art and Philosophy.

The importance of both the Classical and Hellenistic eras of the Greek empire are undeniable when it comes to the arts. The artists of the time were able to explain through their art what their society was going through. Much like what we are experiencing in the modern era in America, The Greeks artists conveyed ideas that were paramount to the history of their people. They also showed how their philosophers contributed to the ideas and needs of their people. The Classical Age was an age of servitude to the state, while the Hellenistic Age was more about the self.

Works Cited

Craig, Albert M, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Heritage of World Civilizations: Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle Ridge, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

Craig et al

B.C.E.