Makinaugalingon archives inscribed in UNESCO register

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By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Archival documents of the historic Makinaugalingon newspaper in Iloilo City have been inscribed in the Philippines’ Memory of the World national register, recognizing the country’s longest-running vernacular newspaper before World War II for its enduring cultural and historical value.

The recognition was conferred by the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines Memory of the World Committee during a ceremony on Feb. 23.

The inscription marks the first historical documentary heritage from Iloilo to enter the national Memory of the World register, following the epic Hinilawod, whose analog audio recordings were inscribed in the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register in 2024.

The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme is a global initiative that identifies, preserves, and promotes access to humanity’s most valuable documentary heritage, including rare manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, films, and digital archives.

“We look at Makinaugalingon not as a static document that has no life, but I see in it a source of life, and that means as a source of knowledge that makes our being Ilonggo and Filipino, and being human beings, really alive,” said Nick Deocampo, chairperson of the National Memory of the World Committee.

The newspaper ran from 1913 to 1941 and resumed briefly in 1946, producing 30 volumes, 2,972 regular issues, and 52 special issues.

Pilar Martinez, current owner of the press, said the inscription honors a legacy of fearless journalism and enduring heritage.

“It is a real resource for tracing, understanding Iloilo and other subjects in context during the American period. It also serves as a platform for Ilonggos to share their views and opinions on changes taking place around them,” she said.

UNESCO National Commission Secretary-General Dr. Ivan Henares said the recognition underscores the living nature of documentary heritage.

“It keeps alive the minds that dare to think. The voices that chose to speak, and the deep-rooted, longest spirit of care for one another, and for the common good,” Henares said.

Through its Hiligaynon pages, Henares added, “the newspaper carried the hopes, debates, humor and convictions of Iloilo society, bearing witness to a defining period in Philippine history while upholding the dignity of the Hiligaynon language and a strong nationalist spirit.”

Makinaugalingon, which means “self-reliant,” was founded in 1913 by nationalist writer-educator Don Rosendo Mejica, a native of Molo, who launched the paper and its press on Iznart Street in Iloilo City to champion Hiligaynon literature, local news, and self-reliance during American colonial rule.

The newspaper operated continuously until 1941, when it was halted following the Japanese invasion, which imposed strict media controls and shuttered many publications. It resumed after World War II but ceased publication in 1946 due to economic challenges.

The press survived as Western Visayas’ oldest printing operation and is now located on Lopez Jaena Street in the Molo district, where it focuses on printing and bookbinding services.