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Roots and fruits

INQUIRER.net was set up with only a four-man team. That team has grown into more than 150 staff now covering news, video, graphics, research, sales and marketing, administration and finance, and human resources.

Stories gathered that mattered

Over the years, INQUIRER.net’s editorial team has practically covered big and important news events in the country. The stories and reports produced on these events ran across politics, governance, natural calamities and disasters, massacres, the communist insurgency, peace and order situation in Mindanao, COVID-19, the elections, sports, business, lifestyle, technology and entertainment. We featured a lot of feel-good stories as well as success stories that inspired readers and drew positive response from the public.

Five editors—Maila Ager, Tetch Tupas and Celest Flores-Colina of INQUIRER.net, and Rick Gabuya and Doris Bongcac of Cebu Daily News Digital—talk about the experience of covering, gathering and telling these stories.

Widening horizon

Three major acquisitions and the setting up of additional units helped boost INQUIRER.net's reach and sphere of influence over the years. Read them all here.

Hinge, a niche company that is home to lifestyle brands, was acquired by INQUIRER.net in 2021. It was considered a bold move, but one aligned with INQUIRER.net's goal of expanding its presence in various audience segments. Listen to Hinge staff give a glimpse of how it feels shifting work from print to digital.

WE ARE INQUIRER.net!
Like most organizations, INQUIRER.net keeps a core of skilled, talented and dedicated people who help ensure smooth editorial, technical and administrative operations. These people-managers, employees, consultants--all define what teamwork is all about. This Tiktok video tells readers what INQUIRER.net means to each of them.
@inquirerdotnet We asked our team what INQUIRER.net means to them. Here's what they said. #RelentlessAt25 #inquirerdotnet ♬ original sound - INQUIRER.net
Messages
MARIXI R. PRIETO
Director

In this digital age, continue to be passionate in telling the Filipino story

News gathering, reporting and consumption have definitely gone a long way. Everything was so much simpler then and almost nothing was in excess. In a lot of ways, news carried this same philosophy. The beauty of credible news reporting is its authority and authenticity. Everyone, from school kids to professionals, took all of its contents as absolute word, gospel truth if you will.

As more forms of media platforms emerged, our landscape for gathering information became noisier. The world became more connected and a lot smaller. Today, we often find ourselves overloaded with information.

As INQUIRER.net celebrates its silver anniversary, I am proud of how it has evolved. It continues to lead as the number 1 Filipino news website based on Similarweb rankings. Bandera is the number 1 source of Tagalog entertainment stories for all ages. CDN Digital is the number 1 source of hyper-local news for Cebuanos here and abroad. Integrated Hinge niche titles pivoted its custom business to digital custom. We have a dedicated and passionate team of multimedia reporters who report the news 24/7. We offer social-first content and expanded in social media such as Tiktok and Reddit. We have more than one million YouTube followers and growing. We have successful initiatives such as live daily newscast Video Journalism through INQ Today, long-form documentary in Look Through, INQside Look which features interviews and profiles of news sources, and INQ Stories or readables. We formed the Inquirer Volunteer Corps composed of students which was activated during the election coverage. Be an Inquirer (BAI) is our primary platform for crowdsourcing and user-generated content (UGC) which highlights heartwarming human interest stories.

INQUIRER.net has become a preferred choice for online advertising by major advertisers in key industries. We continue to diversify our content offerings, from trending topics, evergreen content, features, shorts and long-form videos to attract more readers and viewers to our site.

All of these achievements within a time frame of 25 years is no mean feat. I congratulate the men and women of INQUIRER.net who made and continue to make this happen. I challenge you to maintain the authoritative and credible nature of news reporting which we carry from our core roots. In this digital age of disinformation, misinformation, alternative facts and Metaverse, we should remind ourselves about the noble role of media.

As we move forward to more milestones, let us continue to be committed and passionate to our mission of telling the Filipino story.

Paolo R. Prieto
Chairman and CEO
INQUIRER.net

PHENOMENAL AND RELENTELESS@25

If there is one word to describe INQUIRER.net’s achievements and growth for the past 25 years, it is phenomenal. From our early beginnings in the Philippine Daily Inquirer publishing the paper’s stories in the internet, we have come a long way. We now have the distinction of being the number one Filipino news website accessed by millions of readers and viewers here and abroad, a leadership that we have maintained based on Similarweb rankings. Hence, it is but fitting that we chose as our anniversary theme, Relentless@25.

Building on Inquirer’s credibility and upholding its mission of empowering Filipinos with news and information that affect their lives, we have vigorously expanded our content to attract more audience and appeal to their various interests, regardless of gender, political leanings or standing in society. We are a website by Filipinos for Filipinos wherever they are.

We have pivoted our regional paper Cebu Daily News into the number one online site for Cebuanos, and Bandera, our Tagalog tabloid, into the number one online entertainment site. A year ago, we integrated Hinge, our magazine niche titles to accelerate their digitization as we give voice to the creative, socially aware Gen Z and millennials.

With multimedia and video, we can now do live reports and tell our stories in visual ways, whether in short form or long form. We have a strong presence in social media with over a million followers in YouTube and a steadily growing number of followers on Tiktok and Reddit, in addition to Facebook and Twitter. With AI, Metaverse and the ever-evolving technology, we will continue to develop ways to be relevant to our audience.

The commitment of my team to our vision is one of the secrets of INQUIRER.net’s many successes. To my Management team, the Editorial and Business Groups and each and every member of the organization, thank you for making INQUIRER.net what it is today. Let us continue to be relentless in pursuing our goal to be the top-of-mind source of news and info in the digital space.

I also like to thank our audience here and abroad for making us part of your daily habit and trusting us to be your number one news and entertainment source. We will never stop until we reach our mission of empowering Filipinos for a better Philippines.

Ma. Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez
CEO
INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES

PIVOTAL IN IGC’S DIGITAL EXPANSION

The celebration of INQUIRER.net’s 25th anniversary is a proud and shining moment for all of us in the Inquirer Group of Companies. Personally, the feeling is comparable to that of a mother beaming with pride seeing that her child who was born during the dial up days of the internet is now a digital savvy adult at the top of her game. We have witnessed Inquirer’net’s incredible growth from a three-person operation with only hundreds of viewers to being the number one Filipino news website, reaching millions of audience and viewers all over the globe, bearing the mark of Inquirer’s credible journalism.

INQUIRER.net plays a pivotal role in the Inquirer Group’s digital expansion for its reach, agility, speed and dynamism in adopting to constantly evolving consumer trends and rapid technological advancements. It is also an inclusive space which gives voice to different members of society whatever gender, interests, beliefs or affiliations they have. It has withstood the test of time and hurdled many challenges which helped the team develop resilience, strength, flexibility and speed to aggressively expand in multimedia channels with a keen eye on the future.

Our congratulations to the leadership and profound appreciation to the dedicated and talented men and women of INQUIRER.net for being at the forefront of our digital evolution.

We thank our audience and viewers for making us a part of your daily habit and for making us better each day. We are here because of you. To our advertisers and partners, thank you for your trust and valuable support. As technology evolves, we will also evolve to provide you with better ways to reach and engage with your target audience.

Here’s to more exciting years of growth, inclusivity and empowering the Filipino. Stay fierce and relentless!

Imelda C. Alcantara
Chief Operating Officer
INQUIRER.net

THE TORCH BEARER OF IGC IN THE DIGITAL SPACE

As we celebrate INQUIRER.net’s 25 th year anniversary, I am reminded of the African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” INQUIRER.net has achieved its stature as the most visited website for Filipinos here and abroad not by doing it alone but by building on the credible journalism of the Philippine Daily Inquirer enhanced with breaking news, explanatory articles, features and entertainment stories produced by a multimedia team working 24/7. INQUIRER.net is the convergence of relevant content, analytics, multimedia packaging and multiplatform distribution in the service of its audience.

We remember the past 22 years as our formative years and a period of experimentation but it was in the last three years when we made the biggest successive strides amidst the pandemic proving the relentlessness and resilience of INQUIRER.net. We saw our traffic climb to unprecedented levels with our coverage of COVID-19 news, pivoted two of our print titles, Cebu Daily News and Bandera, to digital and steered them to become leaders in their own segments, integrated the niche magazine titles as part of our lifestyle proposition, grew our YouTube channel, expanded our social media presence by joining Tiktok and Reddit, covered the national elections and SEA Games, launched our digital management platform to sell custom audience to advertisers and accelerated our video journalism initiatives. We invested in our talent pool, made the organization more focused, transparent and agile through deliberate processes which brought us to a position of strength, ready to experiment anew, collaborate and break new ground in the constantly evolving digital environment.

This is my third year of leading a team of talented, passionate and relentless individuals who share the vision of making INQUIRER.net a top source of news and information that people can trust, rely on and be entertained by. Though the work is never ending, I am very proud of what we have achieved in such a short span of time. We could not have done all these without the support of our readers, advertisers, our stakeholders and shareholders. Thank you for your trust and support through the years. We will remain relentless in being the torch bearer for the Inquirer Group of Companies in the digital space as we pursue our mission to empower Filipinos where they are, serve the general public and inspire hope in our country.

Atty. RAUL J. PALABRICA
Chairman
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Principal go-to site of netizens

Congratulations to INQUIRER.net for 25 years of timely and accurate reporting of news that matter to Filipinos here and abroad. It is no mean feat that Dotnet has, during all these years, been the principal go-to website of netizens who rely on the internet for their daily dose of meaningful news, commentaries and photos. What makes this more amazing is the fact that consistency and quality of Dotnet’s content have remained constant despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To the management and staff of Dotnet: WELL DONE!

ATTY. RUDYARD S. ARBOLADO
CEO and President
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Keeping pace with rapid tech changes

Happy 25th anniversary, INQUIRER.net! We at the Philippine Daily Inquirer congratulate you for your continued leadership in the news online space and your dedication and focus in constantly keeping pace with the rapid technological changes. This would not have been possible without the time, talent and resources given by all the members of the INQUIRER.net team! Kudos to you! We look forward to working with you more closely in serving the Inquirer readers and the public.

We wish you all the best as you grow, prosper and fulfill your mission. Again, happy 25th anniversary!

VOLTAIRE CONTRERAS
Executive Editor
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Multimedia vanguard of IGC

INQUIRER.net’s leadership as a trusted source of news and information, its command of a platform that prizes immediacy and engagement, and the widening scope of its offered content are but fruits of day-to-day consistency, timely innovation and firm adherence to a vision set 25 years ago.

We at the Philippine Daily Inquirer and other members of the Inquirer Group of Companies are witness to how INQUIRER.net has grown with steadiness and ease of adaptation expected of a local pioneer in online mainstream journalism. With its expanding global reach, top-of-mind branding and frontline role in the industry, its first 25 years are surely just a prelude.

On behalf of PDI, let me shake the hand of your reporters, editors, social media handlers, IT personnel and the rest of the organization. Most especially, congratulations to the INQUIRER.net management led by Mr. Paolo Prieto and the newsroom headed by Mr. Abel Ulanday for ably steering the multimedia vanguard of the IGC through the challenges we all face, for staying on course, and for earning yourselves this proud moment to celebrate your many firsts and successes — and to chart the next.

Raymund C.S. Soberano
SVP/Group Head - Human Resources
Inquirer Group of Companies

Withstanding the test of time

Truly, we are now witnessing how INQUIRER.net withstood the test of time and the excitement and challenges of yesterday’s and today’s news and events. We thank and congratulate all the men and women who are part in growing and building the Philippines’ most trusted online news and information site and for courageously carrying the torch of the Inquirer’s brand of balanced news and fearless views.

Mabuhay INQUIRER.net!

JAY DE LUZURRIAGA
Special Adviser
Inquirer Group of Companies

Apt symbol for Inquirer.neT milestone

The special symbol for a twenty-fifth anniversary is Silver, which is an apt symbol in celebrating the precious milestone of Inquirer Interactive, Incorporated. As INQUIRER.net commemorates a quarter century of successfully adapting to rapid global technological changes, the symbolic metal’s radiance augurs well in sustaining the organization’s momentum in the years to come, a future where change and disruption become the norm, and the likes of artificial intelligence, cyber security, metaverses, cybernetics, among other fast unfolding technologies, intersect with the overarching wants, needs, and likes of humankind.

Katrina Garcia Dalusong
VP (Group Sales)
Inquirer Group of Companies

Celebrating a milestone year

Congratulations to Inquirer Interactive, Inc for celebrating a milestone year. This, among our other achievements, have always been centered on our collective goal in attaining journalistic excellence. This is clearly evidenced by the renewed purpose, innovation, and talent brought to a higher standard. I am proud to be a part of the Inquirer organization.

What's next?

The future offers a lot of uncertainty and challenges, but opportunities abound too.

INQUIRER.net is clearly set to work on these opportunities.

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