The UPMG Print Summit and HeAdliners Awards 2025, organized by the United Print & Multimedia Group (UPMG), convened a cross-section of the country’s media, advertising, and communications leaders under a theme that felt both reflective and forward-looking: “The Legacy of Print and Its Evolution.” Last March 24, 2026 at Glass Pavilion, Dusit Thani Manila.

What unfolded across the day was less a defense of print’s relevance and more a recalibration of its role in a media landscape that has fundamentally changed.

A Gathering of Industry Powerhouses
From the outset, the summit signaled the breadth of its reachnot just in ideas, but in representation. The event was mounted with the support of key institutional partners, including the Ad Standards Council, and co-presented by JBL Philippines, with major backing from corporate sponsors such as SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), Land Bank of the Philippines, Mondelez Philippines, Inc., and Pag-IBIG Fund. Additional support came from brands like Maybank Philippines, McDonald’s Philippines, Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Toyota Motor Philippines, Wilcon Depot, Procter & Gamble Philippines, 155 Talent House, Nestlé Philippines and Yakult Philippines, Inc.

But beyond logos and sponsorships, it was the presence of key industry figures that defined the day. UPMG President and Journal Group AVP for Sales & Advertising Vivienne Motomal opened the summit, setting the tone for a day of reflection and forward thinking. She was joined by a roster of media executives and publishers who would later take part in the program, including T. Anthony Cabangon, Publisher of BusinessMirror & Philippines Graphic; Solomon Yuyitung, Publisher of Chinese Commercial News; Edwin Alcala, Publisher of Diyaryo Pinoy; Maribelle Alba, Publisher of Gadgets Magazine; Ayana Caldeo of Hataw D’yaryo ng Bayan; Jee Vecino, General Manager of HMOph.com; Ramoncito Cruz, Publisher of Mediawise Communcations; Benedict Antiporda, President and CEO of News Central & Remate; Daniel Fajardo Jr., Publisher of Panay News; Michelle Caiña, Publisher of People’s Bulletin; Anna Marie Thompson, CEO and Publisher of The Manila Times; Blanca Mercado, President and COO of The Manila Times; Lucien Dy Tioco, Executive Vice President of PhilStar Media Group and Albert Legaspi, CEO and Publisher of Village Connect.

The lineup underscored a simple truth: this was not a conversation happening at the margins. It was one led by the very institutions shaping Philippine media.

Trust outpaces Speed
The morning sessions quickly moved beyond formalities into substance, anchored by a keynote address from Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Ramon Ilagan, who emphasized the critical role of credible, verified information in an era increasingly shaped by misinformation.

His message resonated with the broader theme of the summit: that while digital platforms dominate the speed of information, print continues to hold ground in trust. This idea echoed through the program that print’s slower, more deliberate process is not a limitation, but a defining strength. In a media environment where being first often comes at the expense of being right, print offers a counterbalance.

And it is precisely this distinction that continues to attract both institutional support and commercial investment.

Investing in Credibility
Nowhere was this more evident than in the HeAdliners Awards 2025, which recognized both agencies and advertisers that continue to invest in print as a strategic medium.

Among the Top Advertising Agencies honored were PHD Media Network 2006, Inc., Gifted Minds PR and Marketing Consultancy, Medialine, Inc., Astra Media Advertising Corporation, and Starcom, firms represented at the event by executives such as Glaiza Lucia and Nadine Quisel, Jesusa Corazon Achacoso-Cruz and Angelico Miguel Achacoso-Cruz, Len and Dong Evangelista, Tintin and Marvin Martinez, and Editha Ibanez and Alexis Dela Cruz.

On the advertiser side, the diversity of awardees reflected the continued relevance of print across sectors. Companies and institutions such as BingoPlus, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Double Dragon Corporation, Robinsons Land Corporation, the City Government of Makati, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Manila Electric Company (Meralco), SM Supermalls, and Toyota Motor Philippines were recognized for their sustained engagement with print media, represented by executives such as Iyah Malabanan and Celeste Jovenir, Christine Mae Magno and Pinky Aragones, Jap Delmo, Arianne Luceña and Danariza Romero, Jesusa Corazon Achacoso-Cruz and Angelico Miguel Achacoso-Cruz, Roseann Villegas and Jesse Bandiola, Atty. Marrianne P. Lozada and Atty. Karl Stephen C. Landoy, Joe Zaldarriaga and Claire Feliciano, Arvin Ang and Anne Ilada, and Mixie Flavier and Luigi Bautista.

Their presence and participation sent a clear signal: print remains embedded within the broader communications ecosystem, not as a standalone channel, but as a trusted platform within integrated campaigns.

Where Ideas Converge
If the awards affirmed print’s commercial viability, the afternoon sessions tackled its strategic future. A second keynote from Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe added a governance and legal perspective to the conversation, while Sec. Dante “Klink” Ang II, Chairperson of the Commission on Filipino Overseas, brought insights shaped by both media and public service.

But it was the panel discussion that brought the day’s themes into sharper focus. Moderated by Ad Standards Council Executive Director Robbie Aligada, the panel gathered some of the most experienced voices in the industry: T. Anthony Cabangon (Publisher of BusinessMirror and Philippines Graphic), Ana Ruby Pista (President of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines and CEO of Ardent Communications), Blen Fernando (a veteran marketing leader and former Alaska Milk Corporation executive), and Wally Panganiban (Corporate Affairs Manager of NutriAsia and co-founder of Resilient.PH).

Together, they tackled the questions that have long defined the industry’s crossroads: Is print still influential? What sustains its credibility? Where does it make the strongest impact?

The consensus was clear print is no longer competing with digital on speed or scale. Instead, it is carving out a complementary role, one that emphasizes depth, context, and authority.

An Industry, Reassembled
Beyond the formal program, the summit also served as a rare point of convergence. Executives from publications such as BusinessMirror, BusinessWorld, Chinese Commercial News, Diyaryo Pinoy, Gadgets Magazine, Mediawise Communications, Panay News, People’s Bulletin, Remate, and The Manila Times were present not just as participants, but as contributors to the day’s proceedings.

Moments like the induction of new UPMG members Benedict Antiporda (President & CEO), Jun Brum (Vice President for Operations, Sales and Marketing), and Krischelle Fabriga (Director for Strategic and Business Development) of News Central, highlighted the organization’s continued growth, while lighter segments such as the recognition of birthday celebrants added a sense of familiarity and community.

These details, while small, underscored a larger reality: the print industry is not just a network of institutions, but of individuals navigating change together.

Redefining Relevance
Across sessions, speeches, and conversations, one theme consistently surfaced: relevance.

Print does not need to dominate the media landscape to matter. It needs to deliver value where it exists. For agencies and advertisers, that value lies in credibility and audience trust. For publishers, it lies in storytelling that goes beyond immediacy. For readers, it lies in content that offers clarity amid noise.

The summit made it clear that print’s future will not be defined by its past alone, but by its ability to adapt strategically, creatively, and collaboratively.

A Future Still Being Written
As UPMG Treasurer Sherly O. Baula (OIC-Advertising & C&C Manager of Chinese Commercial News) delivered the closing remarks, the tone of the day came into focus not triumphant, but assured. There was no denial of the challenges ahead. But there was also no sense of inevitability about decline.

Instead, what emerged from the UPMG Print Summit and HeAdliners Awards 2025 was a quieter, more grounded conclusion: print is evolving, and it is doing so with intention.

Supported by institutions, sustained by advertisers, and driven by industry leaders who continue to invest in its future, print remains a vital part of the media landscape—not in spite of change, but because it is learning to move with it.