ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA CELEBRATES
WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

           
The Archdiocese of Manila celebrated World Communications Day with a MEDIA Conference and Forum the theme on May 9, 2008 at the Villa San Miguel, Mandaluyong City.

World Communications Day is traditionally marked the Sunday before Pentecost or on Ascension Sunday, which this year was on May 4, 2008. The theme for this year’s celebration is: The Media: At the crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service.  Searching for Truth in Order to Share It with Others.

The activity was organized by the Archdiocesan Office of Communications (AOC) of the Archdiocese of Manila, together with Radyo Veritas 846 and the Catholic Mass Media Awards.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales opened the conference after the invocation by Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J., director of the National Office of Mass Media, and an introduction of the celebration by Peachy Yamsuan, AOC director. In his talk entitled “Proclaim the Truth, Truthfully,” the Cardinal called on media practitioners to follow the way of Jesus in his proclamation of the truth and the Good News. (Please see complete text).

Representatives from the various media also gave their reaction to the theme. They were Lito Zulueta, editorial writer and sub-editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Publications Director and professor at the University of Santo Tomas, Rina Jimenez David, columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jones Campos, Public Relations head of Globe Telecom and president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, Rissa Singson Kawpeng, editor-in-chief of Kerygma Magazine and Fr. Francis Lucas, president of the Catholic Media Network.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez, chairman of the Commission on Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, delivered a video message. Bishop Cortez was on an out-of-town engagement and couldn’t attend the conference.

Fr. Rufino “Jun” Sescon, newly named Executive Director of the Catholic Mass Media Awards, talk briefly about the CMMA which was on its 30th year. A video presentation on the CMMA then followed.

Fr. Anton Pascual, general manager of Radyo Veritas, led the closing prayers.

Those who attended the conference included Communication Coordinators of the parishes and shrines of the Archdiocese of Manila who make up the archdiocese’s Communications Ministry; Communications Directors of the Diocese of Malolos, Antipolo and the Military Ordinariate, members of the Catholic Media (Radyo Veritas, TV Maria, Catholic Media Network, National Office of Mass Media, Radio Veritas Asia, Union of Catholic Asia News and Family Rosary Crusade, CBCPNews, and the Communications Foundation for Asia; the Religious in the Media Apostolate and the Secular Media or the reporters in print, TV and radio who regularly cover the Church beat, the columnists and opinion writers who keep a close eye on Church events and developments.