For the first time in its 43rd year of existence, the Catanduanes Tribune failed to congratulate itself on reaching the milestone.
Instead, nearly half of the March 20, 2024 issue was devoted to complimentary greetings from prominent politicians, agencies and individuals.
Perhaps, the pressure of making sure this community paper came out on time prevented management from setting aside a portion of its editorial page to reminisce on how the Tribune was established by founding publisher Fredeswindo T. Gianan Sr.
To recall, the first issue of the Tribune actually came out sometime in 1967 and it survived for five more years before being shut down by Malacanang upon the declaration of Martial Law in September 1972.
When then dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. lifted martial rule nine years later, publisher Gianan was ready.
With some help from the political kingpin of the island at the time, Congressman Jose Alberto, the Tribune began its lonely crusade to inform the Catandunganon public of issues and concerns vital to the island’s progress and development.
Even when the publisher-editor ventured into politics in the 90’s, it never lost a step in its role as a provider of information and crystallizer of public opinion.
Sometime before the turn of the century, the Tribune experienced a transition as a lingering illness forced its founder to hand off the weekly task of putting out the paper to his son.
There was some apprehension when then PBM Gianan succumbed to pancreatic cancer on May 4, 2000, as the one left in charge had no experience in handling the financial side of the paper.
But survive the paper did, gradually reducing its debt to its Naga City printer until in 2008, two years after the current publisher-editor resigned from his job at the Virac engineering office, it set up its own printing press in the garage of his home.
The first few months were difficult, as management had to find a skilled operator from the mainland and convince him to move his family to the island.
When the Tri-Star Press began moving smoothly, the loss of the Tribune’s almost P1-million annual printing cost forced the Naga City printer to close.
Today, 16 years after making that bold investment, the twin companies have survived the challenges not only of time and political machinations but also the pandemic.
During the rampage of COVID-19, the paper cut its circulation to the minimum 1,000 copies but managed to keep it circulating in the face of government restrictions, with drivers of government vehicles from other towns often asked to deliver the copies themselves.
In recent months, the Tribune has been caught up in the developing rivalry between entrenched politicians and an academic who has not been shy about his ambitions.
Trolls on social media, some of them reportedly fake accounts set up by the man himself, have routinely disparaged the paper and its publisher-editor with unprintable comments on Facebook.
But loyal Tribune readers have not been swayed.
This paper’s reputation built up over four decades of community service does not depend on Facebook.
And nor will it buckle under the weight of unbridled criticism that it the hallmark of faceless commenters, safe as they are in their fictitious accounts from legal reprisals.
Sure, the Tribune has lost many of its writers and columnists – Fred Gianan Sr., Bennie Bagadiong, Joel Son. Panti, Rodolfo Azanza, Romulo Atencia and recently Efren Sorra – but its current crop of opinion writers remains active, with a new one to see first print next week.
We remain committed to serving the Catandunganon, wherever they are, with news and opinions that are relevant to their daily lives.