Behind every company, there are those who work tirelessly and passionately to bring consistent value to our lives. I am blessed to be a part of a newspaper that I respect and love. This month’s article is dedicated to the two individuals that I have the honor of working with and joining in the ONE PHILIPPINES vision. Here is an in depth glimpse into the minds behind the newspaper that brings us together!
Bhong Zausa, President and CEO of Philippines Texas News
Ryan Tejero, VP for Editorial and Development of One Philippines Texas News
Attorney Jim Banque Narvios, Official Legal Contributor for One Philippines Texas News
Tell me about that time when that purpose guided an actual decision you made or action you took
BHONG: One Philippines is the only Filipino newspaper in Texas. I made this decision to operate a community newspaper because I wanted our community to have one – something we call our own and we can be proud of. One Philippines has a mission to unite Filipinos. I know people had questioned my background in founding One Philippines, but I knew if no one will initiate it, then we will never have One Philippines.
RYAN: One Philippines as a media company has a purpose to keep the community informed about what’s going on in the state, in the country and back home. When I joined One Philippines in 2019, I injected a lot of ideas to create articles about community engagement and social impact. I then realized that the FilAm community in Texas is so diverse and yet so vibrant. It inspired me to use the pages of One Philippines to write and tell success and positive stories about our community leaders and their organizations.
ATTORNEY JIM: All my life I felt a purpose to use words to empower others. I spent over 20 years as an artist exploring and applying the many lessons that I have learned throughout life. The purpose of using words to advocate for others has guided me to serve as an attorney and fight for those that have been wronged by the negligent actions of others.
What was the last big decision you made that was guided by ONE PHILIPPINES and its values?
BHONG: I believe in the values of commitment, integrity, unity, transparency, and honesty by which One Philippines stands for. The last big decision I made using the company’s values was to increase the number of copies of One Philippines due to the high demand from pick up points. When Seafood City opened, I saw a fast shortage of copies weekly. I added 3000 copies even though I know that I don’t have a lot of resources and advertisers. It was a tough decision to make but because of my commitment to sustain and keep our community informed and also to reach so many of our kababayans, I knew it was worth it. I want the community to know that I invested 16 years in One Philippines, and I promise to continue this commitment with the hope of seeing more unity, positivity and vibrancy in the Filipino American community.
RYAN: One Philippines for me is my way of giving back to the community. I believe in its values of dedication, commitment and volunteerism. When I go out of my way to interview people or call them and get information so I can write my articles, it takes a lot of my volunteer time, energy and resources. Joining and keeping my job as the editor-in-chief of One Philippines is one of the biggest decisions I made.
ATTORNEY JIM: Bhong and Ryan have always shown incredible support in my life and career. Whether it was in music, business, or law: their loyal support and love they have shown to me throughout the years has fueled me with perseverance and thus, the values of the company is something I am proud to be a part of. The last big decision that I have made through these values was to start becoming more involved in outwardly supporting our kababayan’s endeavors and sponsoring more events as a law firm.
How would you describe the relationship between those who read your newspaper?
BHONG: People appreciate the importance of having One Philippines. From the older ones, they like to read something on their hand. They learned how to find the pages about celebrities, local personalities and FilAm events in Texas. The business owners love One Philippines as they get to promote their services and products. I receive positive feedback. I made a lot of friends, lots of phone calls. One Philippines has gained so much popularity that it has become a point of conversation in community gatherings. Some people would call just to ask if the publication is already out in the stores. People pick up their copies and bring them home. People get connected and learn about their relatives through One Philippines.
RYAN: People get connected either to other people or to groups in the community by reading the newspaper. Many times, people would reach out to us to make a comment on what they read in One Philippines. Other times, they would reach out to ask for information about events or advertisers. The one thing that we are sure of at One Philippines, the news magazine, has created a lot of impact to our Filipino American community in Texas.
ATTORNEY JIM: AUTHENTIC AND ORGANIC. From the positive feedback of our readers, they appreciate the representation and support that the newspaper brings to our community. Leading by example to unite.
Tell me about the last crisis the organization encountered, and how did it go
BHONG: During the pandemic, it was very slow for One Philippines, there were no advertisers, I ran out of financial resources, I stopped printing for one issue because the printing press would not do it, the stores were closed and did not allow any drop off of copies. But I saw the need to continue to print and circulate copies, so I worked it out with the printer. At some point I became hopeless thinking about how I can afford to pay my editorial staff and the operating expenses. But because of a commitment that I just cannot ignore, I used up my personal money from my salaries and savings. For that one month that we did not circulate in print, One Philippines used its social media platforms and website to pursue its goals of getting the community informed about the pandemic and news around the community.
Tell me something you want to share with the community that you never shared.
BHONG: I want the community to know that I never gave up. I am proud that I built One Philippines and I want to share that pride with all the Filipino Americans here in Texas. One Philippines shares its struggles – when it started in its first year, I invested so much time by getting advertisers; I turned family time into work time, and I spent my own money when there was no money coming in from advertisers. I wanted to prove to myself that I can do it. There was a time when One Philippines was one of the three media companies that served the community - along with Manila Headlines and FilAm Press. While it is hard to sustain a media company, One Philippines will continue to thrive. We will stand by our values of commitment, integrity, transparency, honesty and unity.
RYAN: The community needs to know that One Philippines is here to stay. It will be a platform to promote unity in diversity. As we create opportunities for Filipino Americans to promote community building efforts, our hope is compassion and being mindful that we do not financially profit from anything that we do at this time. We operate because we want to do this. We chose to keep a Filipino American newsmagazine that speaks about us and advocates for every positive thing about being a Filipino or Filipino American.
ATTORNEY JIM: I want the community to know that I am very proud to know Bhong Zausa and Ryan Tejero and their selfless love they have for the Filipino Community. This is demonstrated in their passion evident in their time, energy and generous contributions to our lives. Something that I have never shared with the community is that I am truly proud to be a Filipino and I make it a priority to share it in everything that I do. From the stage to the courtroom, to my everyday life, better believe I will let the world know that I am a Cebuano Pinoy! Also, I am fluent in Bisaya! #bisdak
Today, I would like to encourage everyone to take the time out to get to know the people behind the establishments we enjoy. The people who work hard everyday in the background should be acknowledged and given their flowers for their contributions in our lives. This article was to give my own personal appreciation to these two outstanding members of our community. Thank you for your sacrifices and the dreams you choose to share in value with us! SALAMAT ONE PHILIPPINES. It is truly an honor to be by your side and given an opportunity to work with such honorable brothers like you. Sincerely, Attorney Jim
Comments