Day 1 – August 7
Vice Chairman Kim visited the offices of Manila Bulletin, the Philippines’ biggest
and oldest publishing company, and paid a courtesy call with Manila Bulletin
Publisher former Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO)
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, Jr. and some key editors, including former
PCOO Undersecretary Isabel De Leon.
Both Mr. Kim and Mr. Coloma discussed about the Code of Ethics for Journalists
which has to be strengthened so that the integrity of the members of the media,
which is the so-called “Fourth Estate” will not be compromised.
They also delved into the digital age such that the bloggers who are not the “true
journalists” are feeding a lot of information through the social media platforms
such as the Youtube and the Facebook, which are neither fully verified nor fact-
checked.
Both of them as well as the other Manila Bulletin editors agreed to have a
“roundtable discussion” in December 2023 with a few publishers, editors and
journalists in order to come up with a “Universal Code of Ethics for Journalists”.
Mr. Kim was informed that December 13, 2023, which is the “National Newspaper
Day” in the Philippines, will recognize the best story for the year which was
published.
Day 2 – August 8
Vice Chairman Kim held a meeting with the key officers of the National Press Club
of the Philippines and Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS)
Executive Director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez.
Mr. Gutierrez informed Mr. Kim that it is the mandate of the Task Force to look
after the security, general welfare and well-being of the journalists in the
Philippines.
They both agreed that with the coming of the digital age, the bloggers are feeding
fake news to the public which can be easily accessed through the Youtube and the
Facebook without being validated and fact-checked.
Mr. Kim was invited to participate in one of the undertakings of the Task Force in
Mindanao, through a zoom meeting, so as to educate the future young journalists
about the essence of true journalists and how it would impact on the Philippine
society in general.
He replied that if his schedule would allow it then he would readily accept such an
invitation.
On the other hand, the National Press Club of the Philippines with its President
Lydia Bueno, who is the Editor of Remate News Central; NPC Secretary Leonel
Abasola, Reporter of Philippine News Agency (PNA); NPC Treasurer Mina Navarro,
Reporter of Abante; and NPC Director Benedict Abaygar, Jr., Reporter of Pilipino
Mirror and Manila Times; acceded to the proposal of Mr. Kim to formulate a
“Universal Code of Ethics for Journalists.”
President Bueno informed Mr. Kim about the Confederation of ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Journalists) Journalists, whose presidency is
“rotational” among the member countries of ASEAN.
The National Press Club will be giving Mr. Kim a copy of the “Code of Ethics for
Journalists” in the Philippines.
Vice Chairman Kim was invited to visit the NPC Offices in Intramuros, Manila if his
schedule would allow it.
Day 3 — August 9 at 10 A.M.- 12 P.M.
UPI Vice Chairman Young Jun Kim met the Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC) OIC
President Dr. Janet Valdez, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Monet Sison
and Vice President for Finance and Administration Engr. Armand Giron and other
key officials of the BPC.
The BPC is a local college of Bulacan province which is operated and funded by
the provincial government of Bulacan whose Board of Trustees is headed by
Governon Daniel R. Fernando.
The vision and mission of the BPC is to be globally competitive.
The BPC is trying to outsource in order to provide quality technical, academic and
entrepreneurial education.
The “Kislap” dance troupe provided an intermission to the delegation of Vice
Chairman Kim.
The newest member of the BPC family, Dr. Janet Valdez welcomed the guest of
honor and speaker UPI Vice Chairman Young Jun Kim.
According to Dr. Valdez, smile is a universal language which is also practiced in
Thailand which they visited last week.
Dr. Michael Zablan, President of Family for Peace Association (FPA) and Regional
Chairman of Asia-Pacific Region of FPA introduced Vice Chairman Kim to the BPC
Family.
Dr. Zablan noted that Mr. Kim worked for 20 years with the world youth
association in the family peace association, who became the Vice President of
different associations until he became the UPI Vice Chairman.
“You the students are the important people and not me. You represent the future
of this nation and I would like you to be the good models for the society,” Mr. Kim
said in his speech.
“You have the opportunity to study here and take that opportunity to be the best
person you can be. You can decide for your future and not me. It doesn’t matter
how beautiful, tall, or poor you are because you are created by God,” he added.
“I don’t know what the major study you are not taking now. And when you
already have your job, what matters is whether we are on God side,” Mr. Kim
stressed.
“How can we be on that side. Can you bribe God. The only way is to be like God.
Take our own effort and be like God,” he pointed out.
“Misinformation and disinformation are the biggest challenges of the media
today. Ask yourself what kind of person you are? The true person is that if noone
is seeing you but only God,” Mr. Kim emphasized.
“What happens in the future we cannot predict. You have bright future ahead of
you. You cannot control anything around you but you can deal with them,” he
added.
Mr. Kim answered the questions fielded by students themselves.
He told them that he cannot predict the future job that the students in the future
but with the universal value of character and integrity, they will be in the right
direction.
“Especially if you do business, you may not maintain your character but in a
business, you can sell products to people don’t use that money but not at the
expense of your conscience,” he said.
“Trade value will give you wisdom. Whatever you have accomplished in many
many years, you have to maintain them because destroying them or the tradition
is very easy. Our responsibility is to keep them for the future and learn the
wisdom from others,” he added.
When asked “Can we be person of good character and integrity if we are
surrounded by bad elements?, Mr. Kim cited the case of a person whose family
was in the bad situation, but then he became the best surgeon in America.
“If you are in the difficult situation, you can still move others, more influential
people and contribute to the society,” he said.
When asked “Can I have the integrity and decency despite the bad people around
us? “You can maintain your character and decency despite such a situation. The
strength and character to overcome those situations can be overcome by many
trainings. Try to strengthen your mind over your body. You can decide and
nobody can to have the discipline and success will come to you,” Mr. Kim said.
“If we are created by God, how can we go astray. Because love is emotional. The
husband should respect his wife as well. Love requires responsibility and respects
the law. You have to be a person of love but with responsibility,” Mr. Kim added.
The BPC said that “God sent someone from Korea to spread the good message of
love from God.”
A special number from the Student Supreme Government of BPC performed a
song before Mr. Kim and his team as well as the students and faculty members of
BPC.
VP for Finance and Administration Engr. Armand Giron acknowledged the fact
that Mr. Kim thought the students to do their best and not to waste time.
“Not to attend class just for being present and pass the test paper just for the
sake of submission,” Engr. Giron said.
Aug. 9 at 12:30 P. M.-2:30 P.M.
In his meeting with the Bulacan Press Club Inc. officers with outgoing President
Omar Padilla and incoming President Thony Arcenal and other officers, Vice
Chairman Kim thanked them for protecting the freedom of the press as well as
keeping the integrity of journalism in Bulacan province.
Mr. Kim told them the importance of establishing a network of true journalists
who are neither unbiased nor impartial in the performance of their profession.
According to him, the local journalism is the true model of “true journalism” as
they feed the people in the province with news that are verified and fact-checked.
When asked about the no. 9 rank of the Philippines as the most dangerous place
for journalists in the world, Vice Chairman Kim said that’s the reason why there is
a need for a network of true journalists that would protect each other and voice
out their safety concerns and whatever threats they are receiving in doing their
job.
Likewise, Mr. Kim assured the BPC officers that he will help them if they will visit
him in South Korea provided that they have a justified reason and clear purpose
for it and not only for a tour.
The UPI Vice Chairman encouraged the BPC officers to be all the more vigilant in
upholding the freedom of the press as well as protecting the integrity of
journalists based on the Code of Ethics for Journalists.
He was informed by the BPC that Gat. Marcelo H. Del Pilar is the “Father of
Philippine Press Freedom” and the great propagandist of the Philippine
Revolution against Spanish colonizers.
The BPC showed the UPI Vice Chairman the local newspapers circulating in the
province which have been in circulation ranging from 10 years to 44 years,
specifically Mabuhay News.
Mr. Kim was also shown the gallery of pictures of the past and current president
of the 70-year-old BPC.
The BPC is the biggest and oldest group of about 40 journalists based in Bulacan
province whose office is located in the Malolos Capitol grounds in Malolos City,
Bulacan.
The BPC officers told Mr. Kim that their newspapers were also affected by the
Covid-19 pandemic as some of them have temporarily closed down.
They agreed with Mr. Kim to negate “fake news” spread by bloggers who are
“pseudo journalists” disseminating false information in the social media
platforms.
Aug. 10 at 1PM
UPI Vice Chairman Youngjun Kim met with Philippine Press Institute Executive
Director Ariel C. Sebellino and Marketing Director Rizza Silvestre.
Disinformation is spread by pseudo journalist who are not following the Code of
Ethhics, Mr. Kim said.
The PPI is conducting trainings and seminars also to teachers and students of
journalism schools, said Sebellino
Digitalization of media and the PPI Commons will help the struggling newspapers
and small ones like Mabuhay, he added.
The PPI has been known for balanced news.
Back then, we don’t have internet but now we have internet.
Trusted media are spreading verified stories.
At initial stage, Mr. Kim said, I would like to have a Universal Code of Ethics for
journalists lists and if they violate it, they should be punished.
We have to build a business model that should benefit both partners, Mr. Kim
said.
I want to build a model network of journalists who will have a standard kind of
news.
Generally speaking, Mr. Kim said, the public cannot process the information and
data and the media has the responsibility to do it.
The critical role provided by the media is have the ability to understand the right
information and stories.
If one journalist has the right integrity, it would redound to the good of the
society.
Mr. Kim told the PPI officers about the previous meetings he had with Bulacan
Press Club and Manila Bulletin officers which for him are good experiences.
PPI is exactly doing the idea brought about by Mr. Kim in the Philippines.
If we have a partnership then we can utilize the journalists for the good of
everyone.
In December, a roundtable discussion with some journalist the Philippines.
PPI is now in the process of putting up a Media Council involving the local citizens.
It’s a model for the media and the other members of the community.
PPI is looking after the welfare of the journalists.
Other countries are not doing the things that PPI has been doing.
Code of Ethics and the Standard of Journalists.
PPI has pioneered in the establishment of a website and the common avenue for
true journalists since 1964.
The PPI is now looking into the normalization after the pandemic.
We are in the same page said Kim.
Core foundation would make families out of poverty.
Grade schoolers will be included in the program of PPI as part of its recalibration.
Child friendly work with unicef along time ago.
At the heart of it all the critical role is played by the media.
Some reporters are making reports which violate the rights of the children.
PPI would not have stand alone if not with partner organizations
Journalism is a self-less act.
Like the PPI it’s a non stock nonprofit organization.
In America, it’s agenda-based media.
The Philippines fails in comparison with others being highly polarized.
Polarization at the height of the pandemic and it has been polarized even before
the pandemic.
The media itself is not swayed by anything.
The media should be the progenitor of right information.
It’s different that they the media do it all as in mukt
Bloggers are a threat to true media as they have been using the social media
platforms.
PPI is not collecting fees from its members but has been supported by
international organization such as a German foundation.
Because of the cut in EU fund, there’s also a cut in the support to the media.
A member country of the EU is providing funding support to PPI.
Sponsorship funding and donation are different from each other.
The other active funding partners are actually dictating on the work of the media.
But others are supportive in freedom of the press.
64 million viewership of the PPI spell the difference
Continuity of programs in government even with new administration.
Hope springs eternal.
Good business model would make journalists survive the pandemic.
PPI used to work with Korea Press Foundation.
Nobody opposed the advocacy of Vice Chair Kim.
The Commission on Human Rights will be a part of the program of PPI.
Numeracy strength in numbers seminarwas recently conducted by PPI.
Journalists are bright people because of the many issues they are encountering
and addressing.
PPI has small staff and a support staff depending on the kind of event.
Teaching good journalists is a good program said Vice Chair Kim.
Fond of children because they are the future. They are for the good or destroy the
good things done in the past.
If these children would even remember one good thing thought by Mr. Kim would
be fine.
Worst people are hard to remove.
Filipinos are a friendly people and I would like to make them as role model in Asia
and in the world, said Vice Chair Kim. – By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
