FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK – Noong nalaman ko that I was accepted as a university scholar of Club Marinduqueno, Inc., way back in 2005, sadness and happiness run through my mind.
Masaya dahil makakapag-aral ako ng kolehiyo sa Manila ng libre at walang aalalahaning matrikula at allowances.
Super sad, dahil malalayo ako sa Marinduque, sa aking pamilya. Limited ang mga balita na aking malalaman. Hindi ako magiging updated sa mga latest happenings sa Marinduque. May pagka politically inclined pa naman ako.
Back then, hindi pa uso ang cellphone. Hindi ko afford bumili, kasi mahal. Wala nganing pangtuition (maigi na laang at scholar) uunahin pa ang cellphone?
Wala ring Facebook. Friendster at My Space pa laang na hindi rin naman popular sa probinsya. Natatandaan ko ngani, sometime 2005, noong tinanong ako ng bestfriend ko na si Ish Ann na nagmigrate na sa US kung may Friendster ako, ang sagot ko, “Oo, marami na akong nameet na friends sa college”. Ang understanding ko kasi sa Friendster ay new friend-list.
Very eager ako na makabasa ng mga balita na may kaugnayan sa Marinduque. Pag may nakikita o nababasa akong stories about Marinduque sa dyaryo o magazine, inagupit at inacompile ko, how much more kapag nakakapakinig sa radyo o nakakapanood sa TV? Sobrang tuwang tuwa ko para bagang inakilig ako.
Sa internet, lagi akong nagasearch ng article about Marinduque. Very limited ang entries na nalabas sa search engine, halos wala. Same old pictures, same old stories.
Luckily, may biglang sumulpot, www.marinduquegov.blogspot.com with blogsite title, “Marinduque Rising”. Thank you so much, Tito Eli for introducing Marinduque into the internet and blog community. Lagi akong nakasubaybay sa blog mo back then and even until now. I consider Tito Eli as the father of blogging in Marinduque.
Sabi ko, i-maximize ko rin ang online platform kaya I started my own in 2008 under www.marinduquenews.blogspot.com.
Inalipat ko sa blog ‘yong mga nababasa ko sa dyaryo at magazine. Inatype kong isa-isa para mabasa rin ng iba. Inaconsolidate ko ‘yong picture about Marinduque, inapagsama-sama ko sa microsite. Ang objective ko laang noon ay tulungan ang blog ni Tito Eli na mailagay sa world wide web ang probinsya. Walang direksyon ang blogsite ko before.
Fast forward 2016, pagkatapos ng national and local election, 8 years after I created my blogsite, together with Tito Gilbert Jacolbia of Boac who is now residing in Greater Toronto, Canada, we launched the official website of Marinduque News Network with domain name, www.marinduquenews.com.
Currently, this news site evolved tremendously.
Read also: The History of Marinduque News Network
Marinduque News is the most followed and highly engaged online news platform in the province.
We utilize and maximize the power and function of social media, and technology.
I can’t imagine in 2008, that eventually, this microsite will be read and supported by many of our kababayan.
Read also: Marinduque News receives video camera from Marinduquenos in USA
I can’t imagine that it will gonna have a tie up with different local and national media outfit.
I can’t imagine though, that from a single writer, it has now a more than ten contributors.
I can’t imagine that in the long run, it will give us financial freedom.
I never thought of those, as my only dream and objective, is to help Marinduque in my own little way.
