Coloma addresses central, north Luzon media summit

By Mar T. Supnad

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Group for Operations addressed some 250 media practitioners from Central Luzon and other parts of Luzon yesterday capping the three-day 1st Central-North Luzon Media Summit from Nov. 26-28.

The media summit under the auspices of the newly revived Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines was here at the Narciso Ramos Cultural and Sports Complex.

Coloma explained the Aquino government’s reach out communications program through the so-called “feedback mechanism” system designed to bring the national government closer to the people.

H’Rayfel “Bobot” Caracas, FPPCP deputy secretary-general and convention chairman, said the summit theme was, “Link-Up to the Millennium Development Goals.”

He said this was envisioned to rally the country’s various community press organizations in support of the transformational governance of President Benigno Aguino III.

Orly Navarro of Aksyon Radyo Dagupan and FPPCP chairman for the Ilocos region, said, also invited to the summit as speakers were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Pangasinan Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr., Ilocos Norte Gov.Imee Marcos, Juan P. Dayang, FPPCP chairman-emeritus and Publishers Association of the Philippines (PAPI) president, Antonio A. Villar Jr., Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman, Pangasinan 6th district Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, Roberto Amores, president of Philippine Exporters, Inc. and currently vice president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Inc.), Board Member Alfonso C. Bince Jr. of Pangasinan.

FPPCP president Allan Sison said the organization paid tribute to the late Ermin Garcia, Sr., FPPCP founding president and founder of the Sunday Punch, one of the country’s oldest and prestigious weekly newspaper, during whose leadership the community press gained prestige and respect among political, business, education, religious and other sectoral leaders.

For his daring exposes on murder syndicates and other criminal gangs, Garcia was gunned down inside his editorial office after closing the pages of the newspaper for the week’s issue.