BAGUIO, Philippines – Sunday Punch, the country’s longest-running community newsweekly, will cease publication after nearly seven decades, ending a storied chapter in Philippine provincial journalism.

The English-language newspaper, founded in July 1956 by journalist Ermin Erfe Garcia, is set to publish its final issue this week, according to reports from local journalists.

His son, Ermin Garcia Jr., took over and made it one of the most profitable community papers in the country. The younger Garcia, who became a longtime president of the Philippine Press Institute and publisher of Manila Times, died in 2025 at the age of 77.

Based in Dagupan City, Sunday Punch became the leading community newspaper in Pangasinan, covering local government, business, environmental issues, elections, disasters, and civic affairs across the province’s four cities and 44 municipalities.

Its investigative reporting and editorials earned it a reputation as a fearless watchdog that held public officials accountable while championing community concerns.

The newspaper’s legacy was forged under its founder, who was killed in 1966 after the publication received recognition from the National Press Club as the country’s best-edited provincial newspaper. 

His death became one of the defining moments in Philippine provincial journalism and reinforced the paper’s commitment to independent reporting.

For generations of Pangasinenses, Sunday Punch served as a trusted source of local news often overlooked by national media. Researchers have also cited the weekly as an important channel of information on community development and local governance.

Like many community newspapers worldwide, however, Sunday Punch struggled against declining print advertising revenue and changing reader habits as audiences and advertisers shifted to digital platforms and social media. 

Rising costs for newsprint, printing, and distribution further strained the paper’s operations.

Its survival for nearly 70 years outlasted many other weeklies that had already ceased publication. Industry observers said the newspaper’s closure underscores the growing financial challenges facing independent provincial newspapers, many of which now rely heavily on publishing legal notices and government announcements to remain viable. – Rappler.com