“There can only be one Imeldific. Liza A. Marcos as a First Lady has her own lifestyle legacy to make”
WHEN Martial Law through Proclamation 1081 was declared by then president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., I was appointed to be a member of the Media Accountability Council to oversee media with Primitivo Mijares, who was very close to the President and in charge of print media, with me as chairman of television and the foreign press with Rey Pedroche for radio.
I was then the President of the Manila Overseas Press Club and Vice President of Channel 9.
The Manila Overseas Press Club was then the oldest Press organization, having been organized by foreign correspondents who covered World War II in the Philippines.
Having press control in mind, I thought of an idea to revive the press and get out of the ambit of Martial Law.
I called for a meeting among all television practitioners and broached to them my idea of self-regulation.
I consulted then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile who was the administrator of Martial Law and broached my idea, and no surprise, he agreed with me. We consulted the President and he agreed with my idea.
Thus, I called on TV practitioners, then jobless because under Proclamation 1081 all local media outlets were closed.
(Editor’s Note: The so-called Big Four at the time – Reuters, AP, UPI and Agence France-Presse – and foreign-based newspapers and broadcast media were allowed to operate with their own bureaus in Manila.)
At a meeting in one of the closed radio stations we agreed with my idea of self regulation.
Having been the one who came out with the idea of self-regulation, I was elected president, the first president, of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas which is very much alive and kicking today.
Our first job, if I recall, was to adopt a Code of Standards for advertising — how advertising could be placed in 30 seconds, in one minute and in an hour of television time.
I must give credit to the committee assigned for this purpose and, in no time, the group came out with the Code of Standards which is still upheld today.
For a bit of history, it is now the Ad Standards Council of the Philippines, which on May 7 will mark its Golden Anniversary or 50 years of existence.
The Ads Standards Council or ASC is a self-regulatory organization and, through its screening committee, reviews and approves advertising materials in the Philippines prior to its placement or broadcast.
This includes television, radio, print, internet, out of home and cinema ads. The materials are reviewed if they are compliant with the prevailing advertising code of ethics.
The ASC was established by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Philippine Association of National Advertisers, and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies-Philippines.
It started operations on March 31, 2008 when the three organizations signed an agreement with the Advertising Board of the Philippines.
Under the deal, the ASC took over the screening function of the AdBoard through its Advertising Content and Review Committee.
The AdBoard became defunct in July 2016.
I must extend to this council my heartfelt congratulations for upholding the ethics of advertising. I am proud to be part of its beginning. More power.
‘Fierce’ Lady
With the First Lady Liza A. Marcos calling herself the “Fierce” Lady, I wonder with malice towards none if she had intended to be like Imelda Marcos who was the First Lady of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
I believe that no one can come close to Imelda Marcos as a First Lady with all her achievements and accomplishments during the Martial Law regime.
There can only be one Imeldific. Liza A. Marcos as a First Lady has her own lifestyle legacy to make.
The ‘Self-Appointed Son of God’
To all intents and purposes, Apollo Quiboloy, the founder of the church known as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and “self-appointed son of God ‘’ may still be a fugitive.
But I believe sooner or later the long arm of the law will catch up with him as he plays hide and seek in the highlands of Davao City.
With all the warrants of arrest issued against him by Congress and the Courts of Law, anybody in effect can just arrest him and make him face all the consequences of all the cases brought against him.