By Mortz
C. Ortigoza
Danny, who
owned one of two main newsstands in Dagupan City, told me that newspaper
business declines.
My city
has a population of 171, 271 according to the 2015 Census. Besides its population this Bangus City has been a watering hole of people in the towns of Central Pangasinan
who probably buy their newspapers here.
“Dati rati nakakabenta ako ng 30 (Philippine
Daily Inquirer) pero daily average ko ngayon 15 lang ( I used to sell 30
Philippine Daily Inquirer’s newspapers in the good old days but now I can sell
only 15 dailies for an average)," Danny cited
When I
asked him how Inquirer’s rivals Philippine Star and Manila Bulletin fair, he
told me Philippine Star , majority owned by MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., a media
conglomerate controlled by PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and Manila
Bulletin averagely sell eight and four copies a day, respectively.
“Pero ang
Bulletin pag Sunday marami bumibili dahil sa job advertisement,” he said.
He told me
that the number one community news in the city sells only 20 copies in a week
in his stand.
“Iyong mga
Manila Times, Manila Standard Today, and The Daily Tribune tag isa lang benta
ko niyan kada araw. Provincial government ang suki ko diyan,” he said.
I told him
this declining number of newspaper buyers is a phenomenon not
only in the Philippines but in the U.S, Europe, and Australia.
“It’s
because of the internet on their mobile phones and laptops where people can
read news for free on those dailies and community newspapers that caused their
poor circulation,” I cited.
Besides,
Inquirer, Philippines Star, and Manila Bulletin are being given for free when
one patronized fast foods Jollibee,
McDonald, and Chowking.
A strategy
their publishers resorted to justify the number of their circulation to
attract advertisers who sell cars, appliances, others to those crowds A-B-Cs
who go to these fast foods and eat.
He told me
the hoi-polloi’s newspaper the screaming headlined tabloid, that used to eclipse
those major dailies in sale, have suffered too to lethargic circulation.
“Iyong
Abante, Bulgar depende sa headlines nila. Iyong dami ng sale nila parehas lang
sa Inquirer,” Danny, who had been selling newspapers for decades, said.
***
The nephew
of former five-time House Speaker Joe “JDV” de Venecia told us recently media
men and former public officials at a coffee house in Robinsons- Calasiao that
Dagupan City Vice Mayor Brian Lim should take his time.
“He should
not run as mayor in 2019, he bids his time till 2022 when Mayor Belen
(Fernandez) ends her last term,” Solo de Venecia opined.
He said
that Fernandez has no heir apparent that could threaten Brian’s moist eyes on
the mayoralty.
“He would be mayor in 2022,” Solo, who speaks like JDV, quipped.
“He would be mayor in 2022,” Solo, who speaks like JDV, quipped.
But a
political analyst, who asked anonymity, disagreed on the prognosis of the
former Speaker’s nephew.
“The De
Venecias (Speaker, former congresswoman Manay Gina, and incumbent Representative
Toff) would not allow Brian to be whisked to the mayoralty”.
He said
that Mayor Belen and Congressman Toff would swap posts in 2022 to frustrate Lim,
an absentee vice mayor, becoming the top executive of the Bangus City.
“Brian as
mayor would undermine the chance of the de Venecia’s to prolong their hold in
the 4th Congressional District. Dagupan City’s mammoth numbers of
voters are indispensable to the de Venecias. Without them, the de Venecias
could just kiss goodbye their future in the congressional office,” he said.
(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and
articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too
at totomortz@yahoo.com)
