Liwayway

Don Ramon Roces’ figure loomed large in the history of popular publishing in the Philippines. If Tony Velasquez is recognized as the “Father of Philippine Komiks”, then Don Ramon Roces should rightfully be called its “Godfather”. Of the Spanish ancestry, Don Ramon came from an illustrious family that became prominent in the publishing business. His father, Don Alejandro Roces, Sr. was the recognized father of modern journalism in the Philippines”.

In 1916, Don Alejandro purchased the fledging Spanish language daily La Vanguardia and the tagalog Taliba from their original owner Don Martin Ocampo. The La Vanguardia was the descendant of El Renacimiento, a newspaper edited by Teodoro M. Kalaw, but the latter had to close it in 1923, in relation to the infamous libel suit filed by the American Dean Worcester.

By founding later the English Tribune in 1925 (edited by the young Carlos Romulo), Don Alejandro had forged the links that established the newspaper empire in the Philippines. His newspaper triumvirate, Ang Taliba-La Vanguardia-Tribune, widely known as the T-V-T, had monopolized the newspaper industry of the prewar Philippines. The Taliba catered to Tagalog readers, the La Vanguardia to Spanish readers, and the Tribune to the English readers.

The T-V-T’s chief competitor was the DMHM (El Debate, Mabuhay, The Philippines Herald, and Monday Mail) newspaper chain of the Elizaldes, but these newspapers could not cope up with the circulation of the T-V-T, so that critics usually took the DMHM as to mean “Dito Muna Hanggang Meron”, to poke fun of the beatings these papers had to endure in comparison with the very popular T-V-T.

In 1922, Don Alejandro’s eldest son, Don Ramon, entered the reins of his father’s publishing empire. By building upon his father’s accomplishments, Don Ramon established a chain of vernacular magazines beginning with the publication of the Tagalog Liwayway. 

The Liwayway was actually a re-issue of Don Ramon’s first published magazine, the PHOTO NEWS, a news magazine jointly edited by Don Ramon Roces himself and the Filipino novelist Severino Reyes. As its title implied, the PHOTO NEWS was an illustrated magazine that contained news, essays, and prose and poetry. Published fortnightly at 15 centavos a copy, the Photo News was written in trilingual sections: English, Spanish and Tagalog, presumably to cater to the major three language readers of the Philippines at the time, which were essentially the clientele of the T-V-T. Thus, English readers had only need of the Photo News’ English Section; the Spanish readers its Spanish section; and the Tagalog readers its Tagalog section. The readers who cannot read in any of two of the sections thought that it was a waste of money paying for the other three-fourths of the magazine, which they could not understand. Thus the magazine did not sell very well and Don Ramon discontinued the magazine before the year was out. Frustrated, he went to Mindanao as a self-exile, and a for a while, contemplated on establishing a coconut plantation there.

Being a vibrant young man, Don Ramon immediately felt homesick, and missed the hustle and bustle of city life. Three months later, he was back in Manila. He learned his lesson, and now with the revived interest in publishing, called back Severino Reyes to resurrect the Photo News, this time in pure Tagalog language. They established its new office in Calero St., a few blocks away from the Don Alejandro’s T-V-T building.

Don Severino adopted LIWAYWAY as the magazine’s new title, which aptly means dawn, a new beginning.

On the front page of the first issue of Liwayway dated November 18, 1922, Don Binoy greeted his past “patron” readers of the ill-fated Photo News, as well as the new magazine’s prospective sponsors, and announced the new look and contents of their resurrected magazine:

“Katulad ng isang panauhing umalis muna sa bahay niyang tinutuluyan, bago nagbalik na muli, sa aming pagsipot na ito na bago ang bihis at bago na ang gayak, ay muli kaming nagpupugay sa lahat. Sa Pamahalaang nakatatag ay inihahandog namin ang aming pamimitaganan, sa mga kapamahayagan ay ang malugod na bati at pakikiramay at sa mga tumatangkilik sa amin — ang bayang mambabasa at ang mga bahay kalakal — ay ang lahat ng mabuting nais sa kanilang kabuhayan”.

Don Ramon and Don Severino made every effort to ensure that the Liwayway would not suffer the same fate of their ill-fated Photo News. Published weekly, the Liwayway’s cover price was tagged at 12 centavos, or 3 centavos cheaper than the fortnightly Photo News. It also had 40 pages, in contrast to the Photo News’ 28 pages, and it carried more pictures and illustrations.

In its early issues, the Liwayway carried the same typeface and overall design of the Photo News, but it was a considerably enlarged magazine. It also featured local and foreign news, as well as an expanded section on essay, short fiction and poetry.

It was in the pages of Liwayway where Don Severino’s Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang appeared. The “Lola Basyang” stories eventually became the most-widely read prose feature of Liwayway. For many years, readers mistook the real “Lola Basyang” as an old woman with loadful of ancient stories stuck in her ancient baul, only to find out later that she was actually a he, and a fat and balding one at that.

Don Severino recruited some of the literary giants of the time as regular contributors to the Liwayway. They included the poets Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florentino Collantes, Julian Cruz Balmaseda, Cecilio Apostol, and the writers Lope K. Santos, Inigo Ed Regalado, Romualdo Ramos, Francisco Laksamana, Fausto Galauran, and Don Binoy’s own talented son, Pedrito Reyes, who later succeeded his father to the magazine’s editorship. Thus, even though the Liwayway was basically intended as magazine for the man on the street, yet its prose and poetry was considered the best Tagalog literary output of the era. Some of the great Tagalog literary novels produced in those years were serialized in the Liwayway, many of which became classics in Tagalog literature.

To make the Liwayway more visually appealing, Don Severino recruited some of the best layout designers and artists of the time, which included among others Procopio Borromeo, Jorge Pineda, Jose V. Pereira, P.V. Coniconde and Antonio Gonzales Dumlao.

The Liwayway also became the vehicle for some of the Philippines early comic strips, like Tony Velasquez’ Ang Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy, J.M. Perez’ Huwapelo and Pamboy at Osang, Francisco Reyes’ Kulafu, and Deo Gonzales’ Isang Dakot na Kabulastugan. These became the starting point for the comics industry that later flourished in the Philippines.

The Liwayway gained the support of regular sponsors like Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Chesterfield cigarettes, Zamora’s Tiki-Tiki, Chrysler-Plymouth cars, Esco shoes, Ang Tibay shoes, and Botica Boie products. These advertisements ensured the magazine’s survival in the future.

The Liwayway’s commercial triumph prompted Don Ramon to launch a sister Tagalog magazine, Hiwaga, in 1926. A year later, an English weekly, The Graphic, was published. Soon, other vernacular magazines in the older dialect of the Philippines came out in succession: Bisaya (1930), Hiligaynon (1934), Bikolnon (1935) and Bannawag (1937).

So popular Liwayway had become that Don Ramon decided to publish a thicker monthly supplement called Extra Liwayway Extra beginning in 1936. At this time, Tony Velasquez was already promoted as Chief Artist of the Liwayway. The Liwayway Extra had more pages and more comic strips than the weekly Liwayway.

During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese Imperial Army confiscated the Liwayway. The Japanese continued Liwayway’s weekly publication, knowing how much they could use the magazine to propagandize their occupation agenda. Kenkoy, the most popular comic strip in the Philippines at the time, was allowed to continue, but now the famous funny man would only mouth President Laurel’s health and educational policies. In 1945, after the liberation of Manila, the Americans took over for a while the Liwayway, publishing it in pocket form due to the shortage of paper.

In 1946, the Liwayway was returned to Don Ramon Roces.

In 1965, the aging Don Ramon decided to retire from publishing and sold the Liwayway to Brig. Gen. Hans Menzi, founder of the Manila Bulletin and chairman of Liwayway Publishing, Inc. Since then, it had changed ownership at least two more times, but still the magazine, owing to its popularity with the masses, continued publications. In 2005, the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation repurchased the Liwayway. One can only wonder if in the future, the Roceses would also repurchase the Liwayway. Well, anything can happen indeed.

PilipinoKomiks
List of Serials

• 12 Kuba (1963) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Ruben N. Yandoc
• 3 Pilya (1961) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Emil Quizon Cruz
• Abilitat sa Akong (1935-1941) w: a: J.M. Perez
• Adonis Abril (1963) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Tony Caravana
• Agilang Itim (1953) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Ala-Suwerte (1959) w: Pedro Ricarte, a: Manuel Carrillo
• Ali Mudin (1947) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: F. Macabuhay
• Alyas Agimat (1964-1965) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Alyas Raquel Roma (1958) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Anak ng Tampalasan (1961) w: Amado C. Yasona, a: Tony Caravana
• Anak ni Dyesebel (1963-1964) w: Mars Ravelo, a: Elpidio E. Torres
• Ang Bukas ay Walang Hanggan (1966) w: Pablo S. Gomez, a: Hal Santiago
• Ang Maton (1958-1959) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Francisco V. Coching / F.C. Javinal
• Aso ni San Roque (1966) w: Buenvenido A. Ramos, a: Jesus F. Ramos
• Bahay na Kristal (1952) w: Adriano P. Laudico, a: Nestor P. Redondo
• Batang Asero (1971) w: Lily Morelos / Ricardo de Luna, a: Rolly C. Buenafe
• Batingaw (1959) w: Amado C. Yasona, a: Dionisio J. Roque
• Bella Bandida (1970-1971) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Bilanggong Pag-ibig (1952) w: Caravana/del Mundo/Laudico, a: Alfredo Alcala
• Birtud (1950-1951) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Bisaya Man (1959) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Emil Quizon Cruz
• Black Jack (1965) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Bruhilda (1969) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Bulaklak ng Lipunan (1960-1961) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Captain Barbell Versus Flash Fifita (1968) w: Mars Ravelo, a: Jim M. Fernandez
• Darna at ang Babaing Tuod (1964-1965) w: Mars Ravelo, a: Jim M. Fernandez
• David Martel (1965-1966) w: Adriano Laudico/Virgilio C. Blones, a: E. R. Cruz
• David Martel: Kaaway ng Kriminal (1969) w: Adriano P. Laudico, a: Nes C. Ureta
• Detektib Rolan (1958-1961) w: Patrocinia Manota, a: Jesus F. Ramos
• Dimasalang (1969) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: F. V. Coching / Federico Javinal
• Don Cobarde (1957) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Duke de Alba (1966) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• El Vibora (1972) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Excalibur (1969) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Nes C. Ureta
• Filibustero (1959) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Ging (1963-1964) w: Mars Ravelo, a: Elpidio E. Torres
• Hagibis (1946-1950) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Hari ng Mandurukot (1965) w: a: Fred Carrillo
• Hari ng mga Leon (1961) w: Jose Domingo Karasig, a: Dionisio J. Roque
• Haring Midas (1952) w: Gemiliano Pineda, a: Ruben N. Yandoc
• Hello, Mrs. Abril (1970-1971) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Hindi Natutulog ang Diyos (1960-1961) w: Pedro Ricarte, a: Manuel Carrillo
• Huwapelo (1933-1935) w: a: J.M. Perez
• Ikaw ay Ako (1958) w: Adriano P. Laudico, a: Tony Caravana
• Impakta Vengadora (1966) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Iniluha Ko’y Dugo (1965-1966) w: Mars Ravelo, a: Elpidio E. Torres
• Islaw Palitaw (1946-1948) w: a: Larry Alcala
• Kalawang sa Bakal (1959-1960) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Kapitan Bagwis (1950-1951) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Kapitan Berong (1952) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Ben Dizon Alcantara
• Kenkoy (1946-1947) w: a: Tony Velasquez
• Kerubin (1951) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Kidlat sa Talampas (1963) w: Amado C. Yasona, a: Alfredo P. Alcala
• Korona at Pag-ibig (1958) w: Nemesio E. Caravana / Jose D. Karasig, a: Dioniso J. Roque
• Krusaldo (1960-1961) w: Nemesio Caravana, a: Emil Quizon Cruz
• Ku-Ku-Ru-Ku-Ku (1966) w: Nemesio Caravana, a: Nes C. Ureta
• Kulafu (1933-1941) w: Pedrito Reyes, a: Francisco Reyes
• Laban sa Lahat (1958) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Lagablab sa Silangan (1961) w: Pedro Ricarte, a: Manuel Carrillo
• Lakas sa Lakas (1962) w: Virgilio C. Blones, a: Angel B. Luna
• Laki sa Lola (1958) w: Amado Yasona / Gemiliano Pineda, a: Manuel Carrillo
• Lawin Vengador (1974) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Magkabila’y Talim (1960-1961) w: Amado Yasona, a: Tony Caravana
• Magnong Mandurukot (1963) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Mansanas ni Eba (1958-1959) w: Dionisio Joven/Hilario Coronel, a: Tony Caravana
• Matias Matiisin (1986-1987) w: Pat V. Reyes, a: Joey D. Celerio
• Mga Batikan (1964) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Mga Bayani ng Lahi (1958-1959) w: Anacleto Dizon, a: Eufrenio R. Cruz
• Mga Kasaysayang Ginto sa Buhay ni Nora Aunor (1971) w: B.R. Luna, a: Alfredo P. Alcala
• Mga Tagpo sa Kasaysayan (1960-1961) w: Anacleto Dizon, a: Eufrenio C. Cruz
• Mucho Dinero (1958) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Multong Nakapangkasal (1961) w: Patrocinia Manota, a: Angel B. Luna
• Munting Koronel (1952) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Nagbalik si Bernardo Carpio (1963) w: Hilario Coronel, a: Angel Trinidad Jr.
• Naku, Ang Babae (1965) w: a: Ruben N. Yandoc
• Pagano (1963) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico C. Javinal
• Paglalakbay sa Silim (1968) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Paladin (1953) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Palasig (1952) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Pambihirang Tatlo (1968) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico C. Javinal 
• Panagupa (1969) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico C. Javinal
• Parola ng Buhay (1958) w: Hilario L. Coronel, a: Jesus F. Ramos
• Patsamba-tsamba (1963) w: a: Tony Caravana
• Pedestal ng Isang Pag-ibig (1971) w: Rio O. Oreta, a: Jun Lofamia
• Pedro Penduko (1954) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Phantomanok vs. Cosmic Man (1974) w: Rodie Marte Metin, a: Eufrenio C. Cruz
• Pilyong Kubrador (1958) w: Nemesio E. Caravana / Jose D. Karasig, a: Emil Quizon Cruz
• Pistolero (1966) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Pitimini (1978-1979) w: Pablo S. Gomez, a: Tony Caravana
• Planet Man (1966) w: Clodualdo del Mundo, a: Fred Carrillo
• Pusakal (1957) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Pusong Lagalag (1961) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Ramadal (1958) w: Nemesio Caravana / Jose Domingo Karasig, a; Emil Q. Cruz
• Rosa Negra (1962) w: Amado C. Yasona, a: Tony Caravana
• Sagrado (1955) w: a: Francisco V. Coching
• Sakristan Mayor (1960-1961) w: Nestor Caravana, a: Dioniso J. Roque
• Senyor Dilim (1962) w: Benjamin Pascual, a: Jesse F. Santos
• Si Moises, ang Superstar ng mga Israelitas (1972) w: a: Alfredo P. Alcala
• Si Pamboy at si Osang (1934-1941) w: a: J.M. Perez
• Si Sianong Sano (1946) w: a; Jose Zabala-Santos
• Si Tolong at si Busia (1935) w: a: J.M. Perez
• Sibad (1967) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal 
• Sumpang Sumambulat (1964-1965) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Tatak ng Alipin (1975-1975) w: Pablo S. Gomez, a: Federico Javinal
• Tatanga-Tanga (1961-1962) w: Nemesio E. Caravana, a: Dioniso J. Roque
• Thor (1961-1962) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Tiagong Lundag (1966) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal
• Tiyanak (1952) w: Martin Santiago, a: Funing Ocampo
• Umaga ng Isang Bukas (1960-1961) w: Jose D. Karasig, a: Dionisio J. Roque
• Vengativo (1961) w: Francisco V. Coching, a: Federico Javinal