The Pampanga Press Club (PPC) launched its solely owned and operated iOrbit News Online, the first online news portal in Central Luzon, at the Midori Hotel and Casino in the Clark Freeport Zone, today, August 26.
iOrbit News Online was conceptualized and founded by PPC President Deng Pangilinan in a bid to provide an independent outlet for news and current events happening within the central plains of Luzon in real time.
Although iOrbit News Online was formally launched today, the news portal went online on June 6, 2016 and has been providing news and features articles since.
Pangilinan said the advent of modern technology such as the internet has allowed media practitioners to test the waters on the world wide web. And iOrbit News Online allows media practitioners to post their stories in real time as events unfold.
“We have to cope with the latest trends in the media industry and the shift to digital media is the tall order of the day. People are mobile, they keep moving, so the news should also keep moving with them and should be accessible anytime, anywhere. And that is where iOrbit News Online comes into the picture,” Pangilinan said.
He said that unlike watching the news on television or listening to it on the radio, online news services allow the public to choose which articles to watch or read. They do not have to waste their time on issues that do not interest them.
News videos are also embedded in some stories to make these more interactive.
Pampanga Gov, Lilia Pineda, one of the special guests, said the launching of iOrbit News Online is a welcome development, considering media entities are partners in pushing progress beneficial to the province.
“Our programs, including health and education, will be most effective with the support of iOrbit News Online and other media outlets in Pampanga,” said Pineda in a statement released by the Pampanga Provincial Information Office.
Meanwhile, ex-officio Board Member Fritzie David-Dizon of Porac town also noted how she was immediately updated of her victory as president of the Philippine Councilors’ League-Pampanga (PCL) chapter recently, through the news portal.
“I am grateful to iOrbit News Online because I immediately read my story just four hours after I was declared PCL president last August 2,” David said.
“I used to wait for the newspapers for news the following day, or two days later. I was surprised to read it accurately at 9 p.m. I was proclaimed winner at 5 p.m. The photos published with the story are also worth seeing in one’s lifetime,” she added.
The iOrbit News Online staff includes seasoned writers, photographers and videographers all pitching in news stories, feature articles, pictures, videos, and columns that deal with current events happening within Central Luzon as well as national issues that impact the lives of people in the region.
iOrbit News Online can be accessed anytime, anywhere, through mobile phone users or through office PCs and offers Filipinos around the world the latest in events without even buying a newspaper, watching on television, or listening to the radio.
“This is a first in Central Luzon and we have already gained readers in the United States, Canada, the Middle East, and Europe,” Pangilinan stressed.