Abante
Abante, a Filipino-language daily tabloid, is known for its sensational reports on politics and crime, balanced by coverage of sports and juicy entertainment stories, written in the colloquial language. It continues to maintain its popularity in the Philippines as the third leading tabloid in the country as of the second quarter of 2023, slipping just a notch since the 2016 iteration of the Media Ownership Monitor project.
Overall, it is the sixth leading print outlet in the Philippines based on Nielsen’s Consumer and Media View survey, with an audience share of 1.08% between April to June 2023.
Other than news, Abante is also known for its opinion section, with several politicians in its roster as regular columnists, including senators Risa Hontiveros, Sherwin Gatchalian and Christopher Go, and congressional representatives Zaldy Co, Brian Yamsuan, and Paolo Duterte.
Abante is owned and managed by Prage Management Corporation, whose chairman and president Renato M. Marfil owns 50% of the company. Gil C. Cabacungan, Jr., who partnered with Marfil to establish the company, has an equal 50% stake in Prage.
Abante was founded in 1987 by Banahaw Publishing Corporation, but was sold a year after to Monica Publishing Corporation of the Macasaet family, led by its publisher Amado P. Macasaet and his son Allen, which operated the tabloid until October 2017, when Prage Management Corporation took over the control of the publication, and its sister tabloid Abante Tonite.
Since 2017, Prage Management Corporation has grown its media portfolio which now includes the tabloid NewsKO and news websites Abante: TNT, Bilyonaryo, Politiko, Fastbreak and Abogado. It also ventured into the operation of an online radio station Radyo Tabloidista, entertainment publication Celebrity Radar, and the video production Teletabloidista.
However, in September 2019, Prage’s printing plant for Abante and Abante Tonite was burned by four armed men in Parañaque City. Although there were no casualties, damage caused by the incident was estimated to reach P50,000. There has been no update on the arrest of the four perpetrators identified by the Parañaque City police.
Audience Share
1.08%
Ownership Type
Private
Geographic Coverage
National
Content Type
Paid Content
Media Companies / Groups
Prage Management Corporation
Ownership Structure
Abante is managed and owned by Prage Management Corporation.
Voting Rights
Missing Data
Individual Owner
General Information
Founding Year
1987
Affiliated Interests Founder
established Abante in May 1987 through his Banahaw Publishing Corporation. A multi-awarded poet and book author, he was named as a national artist for literature in 2003. He has served in government as chairperson of Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino from 2013 until he was replaced in 2020, and as executive director from 1998 to 2001 and chairperson from 2017 to 2019 of the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts
Affiliated Interests Ceo
is the chairman and president of Prage Management Corporation. He was Abante’s reporter and columnist when the tabloid was owned and managed by Allen A. Macasaet. He joined the government of Benigno Aquino III as assistant secretary and then undersecretary for the Presidential Communications Operations Office from 2010 to 2016.
Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
Missing Data
Affiliated Interests other important people
is a former senior reporter and editor at Philippine Daily Inquirer. He and Marfil led the establishment of Prage Management Corporation, with the two each owning 50% of the company.
is the managing editor for Prage Management Corporation. She is a member of the board of directors of the National Press Club. In 2022, she was awarded as best tabloid managing editor of the year by a certain award-giving body called Gawad Dangal Filipino Awards.
Contact
Makati City office (2/F Unit 201 La Fuerza 2 2241 Don Chino Roces Ave, Brgy. San Lorenzo)
Telephone No.: (02) 8553-5596
Quezon City office (No. 25, Naranghita St. Project 2)
Telephone No.: (02) 8656-4031
abante.com.ph
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
Missing Data
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
Missing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)
Missing Data
Market Share
Missing Data
Further Information
Meta Data
The annual financial statement of Prage Management Corporation is not available on the eSearch and SEC Express platforms of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Audience share is based on Consumer & Media View survey for newspapers under Nielsen’s Philippine Media Landscape Report for Quarter 2 of 2023.
Sources
Media Landscape Report for Quarter 2, 2023, available upon purchase from Nielsen Company (US), LLC
