Dean of Boholano Journalists
As founder of Bohol’s first newspaper, Zoilo Dejaresco, Jr. is considered an icon in the mass media industry and regarded as “Dean of Boholano Journalists.” His foresight, perseverance and strong determination enabled The Bohol Chronicle to withstand the hardships along the way, making it the most enduring community newspaper to this day.
He has become one of the pillars of Philippine journalism as well. He served as chairman of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), succeeding Manila Time’s Don Chino Roces and Carlos P. Romulo, the first PPI chair. During his years as the paper’s editor, he was also a ranking official of the prestigious Federation of Provincial Press Clubs and member of the National Press Club (NPC). He was also the provincial correspondent for Bohol of the now-defunct Manila Chronicle, Philippine News Service and the Philippine News Agency. In June 1972, he was guest of the Voice of America in Washington, D.C. which featured him on one of its programs which was broadcast worldwide.
Jun Dejaresco would go down in history as a fearless defender of press freedom in the country.
The Bohol Chronicle Radio Corporation
Many had predicted that The Bohol Chronicle, the first community newspaper in Bohol, would die a natural death as it would not only be lacking readership but it also faced a monumental financial disaster due to uninterested advertisers, the backbone for a newspaper to survive. However, it defied the acid test of time.
Dejaresco’s passion as a journalist stood tall amidst all the trials and adversities along the way. When the chips were down, his faith in God was unwavering, and the full support given by his ever-loving wife, the late Rosario Pernia Dejaresco, who was always at his side prodding him to carry on the publishing business, which at that time no one ventured to undertake. She acted as business manager, expertly handling the finances to keep the paper going at the most crucial time of its survival.
In 1956, the Bohol Chronicle pioneered the operation of the first wire broadcasting station in the province and in 1961 its printed pages branched out to the airwaves with station dyRD AM, which become truly province-wide with the establishment of dyZD in Ubay in 2001. In 1980, DyRD FM, the pioneering multiplex stereo station in Bohol went on air and is now the popular KISS 102.3.