During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, only three newspapers were allowed to publish under strict military censorship. The three newspapers were Manila Sinbunsya, a Japanese newspaper; Leyte Newsette, also a Japanese propaganda newspaper; and the T-V-T Company, which published the Tagalog newspaper Taliba, the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, and the English newspaper Tribune. All three newspapers had to obtain permits from the military to publish and submit to censorship, and any violations would be severely punished.

1. THE THREE NEWSPAPERS
ALLOWED TO PUBLISH DURING
THE JAPANESE INTERREGNUM

2. THREE CONDITIONS TO THOSE WHO WISHED TO GO INTO
PUBLISHING
1. Secure permit from the military
2. Submit to military censorship
3. Violators of the above will be SEVERELY punished
•In January 1944, President Jose P. Laurel created his own Board
of Information. “To control, direct, supervise and coordinate
all information publicity of the Japanese sponsored
government” was the function of the created regulatory body.

3. The Japanese seized and padlocked the offices of the
Manila Bulletin and the Philippine Free Press
Late December in 1941, DMHM (Debate, Mabuhay,
Herald, Monday Mail) was hit by a bomb and
completely destroyed when Manila was damaged by
bombing.
Denial of free expression during the occupation was resolved and
oftentimes, very brutal. Thus, only three newspapers were
allowed to be published under the Japanese censorship.

4. Manila Sinbunsya
All publications taken over the Japanese
administration were placed under the OSAKA
MAINICHI PUBLISHING COMPANY, a group
that established MANILA SIBUNSYA.
Manila Sinbunsya is a Japanese newspaper
published in the Philippines.
Hidezo Kaneka was its executive editor

5. Leyte Newsette
Japan’s own propaganda newspaper in
the Philippines
printed in Manila
it’s reason for the title “Leyte
Newsette” is unknown
it was generally about Japanese and
German military victories
December 8, 1944 headlined –
“Philippines Joins other East Asia Nations
to Celebrate 3rd Anniversary of GEA
(Greater East Asia) War”

6. T-V-T Company
• In June 1916, brothers Rafael and Marcos Roces purchased La
Vanguardia and Taliba from their original owner, Don Martin Ocampo -
the owner of El Renacimiento who had been ruined financially by the
lawsuit filed by Dean Conant Worchester over the Aves de Rapiña case.
•In 1928, TVT bought the Manila Times and at that time Don Alejandro
Roces had taken over the management of TVT (Rafael was no longer a
shareholder and brother Marcos eventually died before the war)
•Tribune was originally created under Don Alejandro Roces on April 1,
1925.

7. Don Alejandro Roces Sr.
“Father of Modern Filipino Journalism”

8. January 2, 1942
Six Japanese forces took over TVT
Company in Florentino Torres Street
January 3, 1942
Taliba, La Vanguardia and The Tribune
headlined
“Japanese Troops Enter City”

9. Taliba
a daily, periodical tabloid
newspaper of Manila
published in the Tagalog
dialect
had a libel case due to José
Corazón de Jesús’s, also
known as Huseng Batute,
column “Manila Life” having
a heading “Amerikanang
Aswang” in March 3, 1921

10. TALIBA
Continued publishing even after the war under Don
Joaquin “Chino” Roces.
In it’s continued publishing after the war, Taliba
started using the “Conversational Filipino” a mixture
of Filipino, English and Spanish as its language; thus,
making the purists distressed during that time.

11. La Vanguardia
established in 1910 by Don Martin
Ocampo
a perodical catering Spanish-language
readers
was the descendant of El
Renacimiento, a newspaper edited by
Teodoro M. Kalaw

12. tribune

13. TRIBUNE
edited by the young Carlos P. Romulo (1930 – 1934)
Joe Bautista was its editor during the Japanese Interregnum
Caters English readers
carried under its masthead the proud slogan “Independent
Filipino Daily”
January 3 – P.10 to P.05, 4-page, tabloid-like Tribune was
released
their editorials focused only on the important events
(surrender of Singapore, etc.)

14. TRIBUNE
Six days after the invasion, the associate editor of Tribune was arrested for
internment as an enemy national
David T. Boguslav
attempted to present an image of normalcy by printing regular articles
dependent on the Domei News Agency
February 3, 1945 - the day when it put out its last issue

15. T-V-T’s End
THE T-V-T newspaper chain had its tragic
close to the war’s conclusion when the
Japanese set fire to the T-V-T Building, burning
the offices, records and the presses.
After the war, the Roces family decided not the
resurrect Tribune as it was so badly tainted,
rather they launched the MANILA TIMES

16. Periodicals That Were Only Allowed by
the Japanese to Circulate
• T-V-T newspaper
• Liwayway
• Bicol Herald
• Davao Nichi – Nichi
• Shin Seiki