The year was 1985, two years after the assassination of opposition leader Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.
Founder Eugenia D. Apostol wanted a ‘broadsheet like no other’ to bravely report on the Sandiganbayan trial of the Aquino-Galman double murder case to chronicle the court proceedings meant to determine whether Rolando Galman, who was shot dead by Aviation Security men, was indeed Aquino’s assassin as had been claimed by the Marcos administration. Apostol had already been publishing a weekly Mr. & Ms. Special Edition to chronicle the unfolding events.
“The newspaper would be fearless in the face of repression…unflinching in its commitment to the truth …,” Apostol recalled her vision for the paper in the Inquirer’s commemorative book, ‘From Ninoy to Noynoy.’
With her handful of Mr. & Ms. staff, the Philippine Weekly Inquirer was born. The name derived from Philadelphia Inquirer, as proposed by editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, who had lived for some time in Philadelphia.
Apostol planned to close the weekly after the trial. But Marcos called for a snap election, and she saw the opportunity for a daily.
“Which is why, with fire in the veins, heart pounding, fist clenched, eyes closed and armed only with the courage of our doubt, we said ‘Let’s do it!’,” Apostol said, recalling the moment they made the decision.
On Dec. 9, 1985, the first issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer rolled off the press with its banner story— “It’s Cory-Doy”. It didn’t even have a slogan, and so atop its masthead was a kicker: ‘A slogan? Help us write one and win a prize.’ The maiden issue, all 30,000 copies, sold out at P2 each.
“The job of a newspaper is to report the news. That in a word, is what the Philippine Daily Inquirer is all about,” said the paper in its first editorial ‘A statement of Purpose, Separating news from views,’ written by its first publisher, the late Max Soliven.
Noting that they lived in very interesting times, the editorial said the PDI will “chronicle these times with candor, and we trust, with courage.”
It was one of three alternative dailies that bannered the flight of the Marcoses at the height of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.
The first Inquirer issues looked like an unmade bed, recalled managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco. ‘We didn’t have money, we didn’t have a printing press. We had stories on page one. [Those issues] will never win any design competition,” he said.
“When we established the Inquirer, we didn’t think that one day it would be No. 1. Never did it cross our minds,” Nolasco said in a recent strategic planning session.
Chronicling the mounting public opposition to the Marcos regime, PDI’s circulation grew from just 30,000 to more than 250,000 by the time the snap election was held in February, 1986.
In just five years, in 1990, the Inquirer overtook another daily to become the biggest circulated broadsheet in the country as validated by a circulation audit done by Sycip, Gorres and Velayo. Since then, the Inquirer has kept its lead as the paper with the biggest circulation and readership.
As of latest reports, the 2015 First Quarter Consumer and Media View survey of The Nielsen Co., the Inquirer remains the top choice of 52.7 percent of ABC1 newspaper readers in major urban areas in the country.
The Manila Bulletin was a far second with a 34.3-percent readership, and the Philippine Star, placed third, with a 16.6-percent readership.
The Inquirer has also consistently ranked among the Top 1,000 companies in the Philippines.
The country’s paper of record, the Inquirer has chronicled the country’s history over the last quarter century. From the 1986 Edsa Revolution, the Inquirer was at the forefront of covering major upheavals, momentous events and powerful stories that changed the course of the nation’s history.
From the installation of Aquino’s widow Corazon Aquino in 1986, to her death in 2009 that led to the election of her only son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as President in 2010; from the unforgettable visits of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and Pope Francis in 2015, to the devastating earthquake in 1990, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 and the horrific Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013; from the Senate vote to end the US military bases agreement in 1991, to the Centennial of Philippine Independence in 1998, when the Inquirer first published in full color.
Unequalled in its courageous reporting, the Inquirer played its watchdog role in the ouster of the corruption-plagued administrations of Joseph Estrada and the ascendancy of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
To get back at the Inquirer for its exposes on his involvement in corruption, Estrada instigated an ad boycott against the paper on July 3, 1999 that lasted five months. The Inquirer survived on support from its loyal advertisers and readers who sent encouraging letters and even donations to keep the Inquirer going.
Estrada was removed from the presidency on January 20, 2001 through a popular revolt now known as “EDSA Dos” and was replaced by Macapagal-Arroyo, who was vice president at the time.
Thousands of people gathered at the historic EDSA shrine to call for his resignation after he was accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth and fund diversion.
Estrada was convicted for plunder on September 12, 2007 and was sentenced to life in prison but was granted pardon by Arroyo on October 26, 2007.
Fittingly enough, on its 30th year, the Inquirer broke the biggest expose in decades—the P10-billion pork barrel scam perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Napoles. The groundbreaking series by Inquirer senior reporter Nancy Carvajal, under the meticulous guidance of editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, brought about wide-ranging reforms in the government’s handling of taxpayer money and sent at least three influential senators behind bars.
The pork barrel scam also earned Carvajal and the Inquirer all the major journalism awards here and abroad for two years running.
From 30,000 copies on its maiden issue, the Inquirer is now read by 1.4 million people, with readership still growing.
Founder Eugenia D. Apostol wanted a ‘broadsheet like no other’ to bravely report on the Sandiganbayan trial of the Aquino-Galman double murder case to chronicle the court proceedings meant to determine whether Rolando Galman, who was shot dead by Aviation Security men, was indeed Aquino’s assassin as had been claimed by the Marcos administration. Apostol had already been publishing a weekly Mr. & Ms. Special Edition to chronicle the unfolding events.
“The newspaper would be fearless in the face of repression…unflinching in its commitment to the truth …,” Apostol recalled her vision for the paper in the Inquirer’s commemorative book, ‘From Ninoy to Noynoy.’
With her handful of Mr. & Ms. staff, the Philippine Weekly Inquirer was born. The name derived from Philadelphia Inquirer, as proposed by editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, who had lived for some time in Philadelphia.
Apostol planned to close the weekly after the trial. But Marcos called for a snap election, and she saw the opportunity for a daily.
“Which is why, with fire in the veins, heart pounding, fist clenched, eyes closed and armed only with the courage of our doubt, we said ‘Let’s do it!’,” Apostol said, recalling the moment they made the decision.
On Dec. 9, 1985, the first issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer rolled off the press with its banner story— “It’s Cory-Doy”. It didn’t even have a slogan, and so atop its masthead was a kicker: ‘A slogan? Help us write one and win a prize.’ The maiden issue, all 30,000 copies, sold out at P2 each.
“The job of a newspaper is to report the news. That in a word, is what the Philippine Daily Inquirer is all about,” said the paper in its first editorial ‘A statement of Purpose, Separating news from views,’ written by its first publisher, the late Max Soliven.
Noting that they lived in very interesting times, the editorial said the PDI will “chronicle these times with candor, and we trust, with courage.”
It was one of three alternative dailies that bannered the flight of the Marcoses at the height of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.
The first Inquirer issues looked like an unmade bed, recalled managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco. ‘We didn’t have money, we didn’t have a printing press. We had stories on page one. [Those issues] will never win any design competition,” he said.
“When we established the Inquirer, we didn’t think that one day it would be No. 1. Never did it cross our minds,” Nolasco said in a recent strategic planning session.
Chronicling the mounting public opposition to the Marcos regime, PDI’s circulation grew from just 30,000 to more than 250,000 by the time the snap election was held in February, 1986.
In just five years, in 1990, the Inquirer overtook another daily to become the biggest circulated broadsheet in the country as validated by a circulation audit done by Sycip, Gorres and Velayo. Since then, the Inquirer has kept its lead as the paper with the biggest circulation and readership.
As of latest reports, the 2015 First Quarter Consumer and Media View survey of The Nielsen Co., the Inquirer remains the top choice of 52.7 percent of ABC1 newspaper readers in major urban areas in the country.
The Manila Bulletin was a far second with a 34.3-percent readership, and the Philippine Star, placed third, with a 16.6-percent readership.
The Inquirer has also consistently ranked among the Top 1,000 companies in the Philippines.
The country’s paper of record, the Inquirer has chronicled the country’s history over the last quarter century. From the 1986 Edsa Revolution, the Inquirer was at the forefront of covering major upheavals, momentous events and powerful stories that changed the course of the nation’s history.
From the installation of Aquino’s widow Corazon Aquino in 1986, to her death in 2009 that led to the election of her only son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as President in 2010; from the unforgettable visits of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and Pope Francis in 2015, to the devastating earthquake in 1990, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 and the horrific Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013; from the Senate vote to end the US military bases agreement in 1991, to the Centennial of Philippine Independence in 1998, when the Inquirer first published in full color.
Unequalled in its courageous reporting, the Inquirer played its watchdog role in the ouster of the corruption-plagued administrations of Joseph Estrada and the ascendancy of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
To get back at the Inquirer for its exposes on his involvement in corruption, Estrada instigated an ad boycott against the paper on July 3, 1999 that lasted five months. The Inquirer survived on support from its loyal advertisers and readers who sent encouraging letters and even donations to keep the Inquirer going.
Estrada was removed from the presidency on January 20, 2001 through a popular revolt now known as “EDSA Dos” and was replaced by Macapagal-Arroyo, who was vice president at the time.
Thousands of people gathered at the historic EDSA shrine to call for his resignation after he was accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth and fund diversion.
Estrada was convicted for plunder on September 12, 2007 and was sentenced to life in prison but was granted pardon by Arroyo on October 26, 2007.
Fittingly enough, on its 30th year, the Inquirer broke the biggest expose in decades—the P10-billion pork barrel scam perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Napoles. The groundbreaking series by Inquirer senior reporter Nancy Carvajal, under the meticulous guidance of editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, brought about wide-ranging reforms in the government’s handling of taxpayer money and sent at least three influential senators behind bars.
The pork barrel scam also earned Carvajal and the Inquirer all the major journalism awards here and abroad for two years running.
From 30,000 copies on its maiden issue, the Inquirer is now read by 1.4 million people, with readership still growing.
