Prelude

We are now a year and 1 day removed from the rebrand of Daily Guardian. On his 52nd Birthday, Papa trusted us with his life’s work. It has been an incredible 12 months of learning for Kuya Lawrence Clark Fernandez and me. Journalism was something we have been around since we were born, but we were never full-fledged journalists.

I’m happy to report, however, that the journalism landscape has changed in the past year. It’s not just the constant regurgitation of events anymore. There’re options for storytelling, new platforms, new frontiers, and new challenges. We created new ways for the news to be presented and raised the bar for what it means to be a part of modern media. I have mentioned this several times before, but please allow me to again enumerate the innovations we introduced:

– DG Documentaries

– DG In-Depth

– The Daily Guardian Initiative

– Coffeenated

– Pautwas: Open Mic Nights

– Artist Spotlight

– Double Team

This we do with great care and great pride, remembering the rich tradition and history of DG as the torchbearer of responsible journalism. We may look different. We may have new team members. We may have introduced innovations. We still anchor ourselves on the foundation that our founder built all those years ago.

I’d like to personally thank our tireless teams in the admin, marketing, production, circulation, and editorial. It has not been an easy year. It has, however, been a year worth remembering. Changing the landscape of the media industry comes with its share of sacrifice, and we will continue to make that sacrifice in the name of public service.

I always say that DG is the most innovative media outlet and, in the many talks I’ve given on the subject, I always say innovation demands constant evolution. You can never say that this is good enough, that we have done enough. We will push the needle even further. As I type this, we are already building tomorrow. With Papa Lemuel Fernandez and Mama Cheer Fernandez’s support, and Francis Allan L Angelo’s mentorship, I can confidently say that Kuya and I are full-fledged journalists. We are already paving the path to take the media industry into the future.

As we wade through this crisis, with a future that is frankly uncertain, one thing remains constant:

 

Daily Guardian will continue to fearlessly tell the Ilonggo story.

We Write, You Decide.

Your stories are us.

 

Year 19 was the Prelude.

This is Page 1 of Year 20.

Welcome to the future.