Two years into the pandemic and several lockdowns after, experts have predicted that the end to this pandemic is within sight. Yes, there is hope.
It is with the same spirit of hope that I would like to open the celebration for Manila Bulletin’s 122nd anniversary. A change in perspective — from desperation and fear at the onset of the pandemic — to hope and courage — aptly describes what our multimedia company is aiming for today.
Manila Bulletin’s 122nd year of service of providing unbiased content that seeks to inform, inspire, and empower our readers, remains solid and cast in stone. Alongside this is the change that the company has undertaken for a couple of years now — which is transforming for the future.
Manila Bulletin’s 122nd anniversary comes at a time when the country is facing another era of change which will be ushered in by the upcoming change in leadership in government, which will undoubtedly be crucial to our post-COVID recovery.
As with any change, it is the current situation — the status quo — that often fuels it. This, alongside the influx of ideas to do things better, which in the case of a brand like the Manila Bulletin, entails having a foot firmly grounded on its legacy and training our eyes on the possibilities, is what ensures that such transformation is not only necessary but inevitable.
The developments brought about by the current situation make this change, this transformation, even more exciting. There is the growing popularity of NFTs (non-fungible token) that is making the public aware of and fascinated with the technology behind it called blockchain. There’s also the emergence of the metaverse — although it is not even in its infancy but merely remains in the realm of possibility, the technologies that would one day make it a reality are already here. These are just some of the things we can all look forward to as we move from these interesting times to far more exciting times.
A lot of the stories you will find in the pages of our anniversary issue are about these changes.
Manila Bulletin will be part of these exciting times as we take the necessary steps to ensure our transformation for the future. But one thing that will remain steadfast throughout these changing times is our commitment to deliver content that informs, inspires, and empowers — on print, online, or whatever version print and online would take in the metaverse.