Inquirer.net
Inquirer.net was launched in 1997 with the objective of replicating the content of the nationally-circulated Philippine Daily Inquirer. It was an experiment, with a staff of four, to explore the platform that most readers were turning to for their source of news and information.
Today, it is set up independent of the print edition of the flagship broadsheet and is run by a staff of hundreds, with a broad range of content from national, city, provincial, and international news, plus lifestyle, business, sports, entertainment, technology and opinion sections. It carries select articles and opinion pieces published in the print edition.
It partnered with GMA Network in 2001 and the site became inq7.net, with the site carrying content from all four media platforms (print, online, television, and radio), provided by both companies for a more extensive coverage of the news.
This partnership boosted audience share, capturing loyal followers of both media companies. However, the venture ended in 2007, and the site reverted to inquirer.net. The company eventually put up their own radio and television station, although they are small players in the broadcast industry.
Inquirer.net is among the most accessed online news platforms according to Nielsen’s Consumer and Media View, with a readership of 16.23%.
It is owned by Inquirer Interactive, Inc. a subsidiary of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The site is also a portal to the digital versions of other company-owned newspapers Bandera and Libre, including the Cebu Daily News.
The online news site is part of the Inquirer Group of Companies headed by Ma. Alexandra “Sandy” Prieto-Romualdez as President and CEO.
Audience Share
13.04%
Ownership Type
Private
Geographic Coverage
National
Content Type
Free content
Media Companies / Groups
Inquirer Holdings, Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc.
MediaQuest Holdings, Inc.
Ownership Structure
Inquirer Interactive, Inc., owned by the Rufino-Prieto family, operates Inquirer.net.
Inquirer Interactive, with Paolo R. Prieto as chairman and president, is 69.99% owned by Inquirer Holdings, Inc., the umbrella company of the Rufino-Prieto family’s media conglomerate.
Inquirer Holdings is 68.89%-owned by the Rufino family’s investment and holding company Pinnacle Printers Corporation. The family also owns the second biggest stockholder in Inquirer Holdings - the investment company Excel Pacific Holding Corporation with 25%, while Marixi’s sister-in-law Mercedes has a 6.11% stake.
Excel Pacific appears to be connected with MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. led by businessman Manuel “Manny” V. Pangilinan. Treasurekeeper Holdings, Inc., the immediate parent company and 100% owner of Excel Pacific, is listed among the “subsidiary/affiliate” of Hastings Holdings, Inc., which is wholly owned by MediaQuest.
While Hastings disclosed owning stocks in Treasurekeeper, it does not appear among the latter’s shareholders.
Hastings disclosed in its general information sheet as of Nov. 25, 2022, that it owns stocks worth PhP300,096,584 (around US$5,284,320) in Treasurekeeper. However, the nature of the affiliation is not clearly communicated as Hastings does not appear among the shareholders of Treasurekeeper and its authorized capital stock is only PhP200,100,000 (around US$3,669,539) as of July 28, 2023.
Treasurekeeper is ultimately owned by Marixi’s children Paolo, Ma. Alexandra P. Romualdez, and Tessa P. Valdes through another investment company called Matrix Resources Portfolio Holdings, Inc.
Meanwhile, the second biggest stockholder of Inquirer Interactive is the Philippine Daily Inquirer, another media entity owned by the Rufino-Prieto family, with 30% shares. The remaining 0.01% shares in Inquirer Interactive are owned by members of the Rufino-Prieto clan who each have a 0.002% stake, led by Marixi Rufino-Prieto and her children Paolo and Ma. Alexandra “Sandy” P. Romualdez, as well as Marixi’s grandson Bryan Christopher Morris Prieto and her nephew Javier Vicente D. Rufino.
Voting Rights
Missing Data
Individual Owner
General Information
Founding Year
1997
Affiliated Interests Founder
was the president of the Inquirer group when inquirer.net went online.
Affiliated Interests Ceo
is the President and Chairman of the Board of Inquirer Interactive.
Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
is the publisher and editor-in-chief of inquirer.net. Born in 1953, Ulanday graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communications, and began his career in journalism with the United Daily News. UDN was an English-Chinese newspaper that catered to the Chinese business community. While limited in reportorial experience mostly covering the business beat, he would hone his skills as an editor, starting with being a deskman in Times Journal. He joined the Philippine Daily Inquirer shortly after it was launched in 1986, after a few years with state-media Philippine News Agency. Ulanday worked his way from deskman to top editor posts, until he transitioned to the digital platform of the Inquirer.
Affiliated Interests other important people
is a Member of the Board of Inquirer Interactive. She is the Chairman of the Inquirer Holdings. Marixi and her family were included in the 2007 and 2008 Forbes’ list of richest Filipinos, ranking 39th and 40th, respectively. The family’s wealth did not only come from their media empire, as they are also involved in other businesses, particularly with the following real estate companies: Marilex Realty Development Corporation, Corinthian Commercial Corporation, Lexmedia Realty Corporation and Sunvar Realty Development Corporation.
is a Member of the Board of Inquirer Interactive. She is also the President and CEO of Inquirer Group of Companies. She is married to mining executive Philip Romualdez, who is a brother of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. The Romualdezes are also media owners involved in newspaper and radio operations. Philip and Martin are cousins of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
is a Member of the Board of Inquirer Interactive and PDI.
is a Member of the Board of Inquirer Interactive and PDI.
is the Corporate Secretary of Inquirer Interactive. He is also the Chairman of the Board and Corporate Secretary of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Contact
3rd Floor Media Resource Plaza Building
2530 Mola corner Pasong Tirad Streets
La Paz, Makati City 1204 Tel. No. +632-5192800
Fax No. +632-5166513
Inquirer.net
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
2,833,551.23 US$ / 157, 117, 585 PhP (2020)
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
Missing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)
Missing Data
Market Share
Missing Data
Further Information
Meta Data
Audience share is based on Consumer & Media View survey for news websites under Nielsen’s Philippine Media Landscape Report for Quarter 2 of 2023.
Revenue is from 2020 Audited Financial Statement of Inquirer Interactive, Inc.
Currency conversion based on the PhP- US$ exchange rate for Nov. 30, 2023 is US$1 per PhP55.3280. Meanwhile, the conversion rate for Nov. 25, 2022 is PhP56.7900 per US$1, while PhP54.5300 per US$1 for July 28, 2023.
