A History of Broadcasting in the Philippines From World War II to the Birth of Philippine Television

In 1953, Judge Quirino introduced the first television station in the Philippines when he opened DZAQ-TV Channel 3. AQ stood for the initials of Judge Antonio Quirino. The television station had its first broadcast on October 23 of the same year. But before that, television sets must be imported and television crews and personnel must be trained. With the help of the Radio Corporation of America, four engineers were sent to the United States for technical training: Jose “Joe” Navarro, who learned filming techniques in television; Romualdo “Romy” Carballo, who oversaw the transmission aspect; Harry “Slim” Chaney, who acted as a spark plug for the whole operation; and Arcadio “Cady” Carandang, who was in charge of setting up a television service company.

The month before the first television broadcast was a very busy one for the young station. Efforts were initiated to overcome what Lindenberg called an “egg or chicken” dilemma. There was no time to wait for a television industry to develop if DZAQ-TV Channel 3 was to operate on a commercial basis right away. Thus, setting up the station and importing television sets were done almost at the same time.

Judge Quirino initiated the importation of television sets, but he did not have the money to buy the desired 120 sets. To solve this problem, he approached the owner of Joe’s Electric and proposed that in return for the PhP60 000 loan, he will be the first to have the right to sell television sets. With the telecast date approaching, Judge Quirino distributed the 120 television sets to advertising agencies, prominent men, public plazas, restaurants, hospitals, and hotels to reach as many viewers as possible. He practically gave them away so that people could watch his political broadcasts.

Finally, on October 23, 1953, everything was ready, and the first television broadcast went on the air. The occasion was a garden party at the Quirino residence. “A cable was extended from the transmitter site just across Sitio Alto, and the switches and camera controls were set up on a table,” Carandang recalled.

Not to be missed by the camera was the President of the Republic of the Philippines, whose presence on television that night convinced many that the establishment of television was purely for political purposes.

Politics did eventually emerge as television’s own godfather, as DZAQ-TV Channel 3 was inevitably used as an information medium for the reelection bid of President Quirino. Despite the efforts of Judge Quirino in helping his brother, President Quirino lost the election.

The television station built by BEC and later used by ABS was equipped with nothing except the necessities for operation. The studio was just a makeshift barn along Florentino Torres Street in Manila. With the transmitter acquired from RCA, television broadcast were received clearly not only in Manila but also in the nearby provinces because there was no other television station but DZAQ-TV Channel 3. Aside from the transmitter, there were three cameras, but one of these arrived “out of order.”