By Cyrus A. Natividad
Neonita “Nitz” Gobuyan, former Bureau Chief PNA Region 6.
As Philippine News Agency turns 50, one of its former Bureau Chiefs in Region 6 and one incumbent Bureau Chief in Antique- known to be “true blue” Centralians speak about how they were trained to become good writers and regional heads of the official news agency of the Philippine government. PNA is under supervision and control of the government’s News and Information Bureau, an attached agency of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
They are Neonita ‘Nitz’ Gobuyan – PNA Bureau Chief from 1986 to 2003 and Annabel Petinglay, who took over the position after Gobuyan in 2003. She is now assigned as Bureau Chief of Antique, and President of the Antique Capitol Press Corps (ACPC). Both Gobuyan and Petinglay were trained well in writing by PNA. The agency is a carrier of news and information all over the world.
Here are extracts of recognition of PNA’s contribution to their professional development in writing. To some extent Gobuyan and Petinglay also acknowledged PNA’s help for the Masscom Students of Central Philippine University.
Neonita Gobuyan
“As a Centralian, my skill was honed by Philippine News Agency – my former place of work for 24 years. As a graduate of CPU College of Arts and Sciences, the institution made me a good feature writer in the 60’’s. This field gave me lots of opportunities to meet and interview people in different fields.
I majored in history; that strengthened my being a good feature writer. According to Henry Luce III, himself the donor of the huge CPU Library named after him, “A writer with good background in history will succeed in this field.”
As a retired PNAer, I will continue to help CPU as adviser of the Centralians in Mass Media with our President Pinoy Gonzales, officers and members of the Centralians in the mass media. This legacy is being passed on to the young media practitioners. As we celebrate our 50th year I promise to help CPU a lot in this area of public information.
Mabuhay CPU and PNA today and always through the years.”
Annabel Petinglay (Bureau Chief, Antique/ President Antique Capitol Press Corps ).
Annabel Petinglay
“PNA has been handling OJTs who are MassCom students from CPU. It has a Memorandum of Agreement for the OJT program inked during my term as Bureau Chief for Iloilo. Even during the time of Regional Bureau Chief Mam Nitz Gobuyan, PNA has been providing trainings to students of CPU. Many CPU graduates are now being employed in different government agencies and even in private institutions because of the training they got from PNA. Although students are still OJTs they got the chance to have their stories published not only in the regional papers but in the national and international publications because of PNA being the official news agency of the government and has news exchanges with other agencies in foreign countries.
PNA Bureau Chief Nitz Gobuyan was the one who hired me to join the Bureau in 1995. Unknowingly, I was being observed by her because she was then preparing for her retirement and would like to ensure PNA Bureau will remain strong, credible and being a primary source of news and information for the region.
Maam Nitz gave me ample training in leadership especially in forging strong network with other government agencies and the community that are sources of information.
PNA in the years to come will remain as the primordial source of news and information for the community. It does not only churn stories for print media, but its stories are also being used daily by radio, television and online even here in Antique province where I had been reelected as the Antique Capitol Press Corps (ACPC) president. The ACPC is an organization of practically all media practitioners in Antique province.”
Gobuyan and Petinglay are active members of the Centralians in Mass Media. The CMM is an exclusive media organization based in Central Philippine University.