GURU Press Cordillera celebrates 20th Anniversary

GURU Press Cordillera, the only publication in Kalinga Province (the Peacock of the North), is celebrating its 20 years in the service of providing timely, relevant, and reliable information to the communities within its scope.

The celebration manifests the dedication and resilience of its editorial team, led by Ms. Ghumie Pinkihan, who has successfully battled challenges the paper faced in the two decades of its existence.

While some publications in the Cordillera Region closed down due to unfortunate events like the pandemic and rapid technological shifts, the publication has done its best to make both ends meet and has endured the difficulties of running a paper. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it forced itself to embrace digital journalism with the help of young professionals led by Brent Martinez. The members of the new team that came together in 2020 are still with the organization to date.

Martinez likewise took the lead in crafting and implementing innovative marketing strategies, diversifying services, and adjusting the paper’s house style, while maintaining the paper's main aims. Pinkihan and Martinez renewed the motivation behind the publication's birth and decided to expand the vision into serving other communities in the region and adjacent provinces.

One of Guru Press Cordillera’s bold moves was to publish stories that showed the malpractices of officials in the use of public funds in which two of its editors were charged with libel cases in 2020. During then, several people in Tabuk City pulled their donations and helped the editors post bail. The cases are still being heard.

During the celebration held on July 1, Pinkihan reflected on these challenges and difficulties faced by the organization, expressing gratitude to people who have been with them during said battles.

She also shared her sentiments and sadness over publications in the region that decided to shut down operations and underscored she would try her best to keep Guru Press Cordillera alive and promised it won’t die on her watch.

 “It’s depressing to learn of a fellow publisher folding up their print publication. I can feel with them but praying this won't happen in our lifetime. Many times in the past it came across our thoughts of folding Guru Press but the necessity of the paper to serve the community was more so considered so we didn’t allow it.”

“I always thought if it happens, it should not be on my watch. Whatever happens, I will keep it to survive which I pray GPC won’t die during the days of those who will take over,” Pinkihan declared.

As relayed by its founding president, Estefania Kollin, the publication was established 20 years ago by five women – one is a businesswoman, another is a banker, a provincial executive for an international organization, a public school teacher and a state university professor with the goal in mind that they wanted the organization to play its role as a “GURU”.

To be a GURU, she underscored, is educating and informing the public about impactful developments in all life’s aspects and what is happening at the locality, region and even up to the national level.

As the organization celebrates its two decades in the service, Kollin is hopeful the publication would not forget its vision and mission conceptualized during its inception while adhering to journalism norms and propriety as well as its plans to expand and innovate.