The MOPC President’s Night

The most popular gathering in the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) is the President’s Night. This started during President Ramon Magsaysay’s time. In Magsaysay’s time, the mix of the MOPC membership was predominantly American and history recorded the fact that Magsaysay was quite supportive of the Americans. It was surmised that Sternberg and other U.S. Embassy officials made up one of Magsaysay’s circles which wielded a great deal of influence on his decisions and policy pronouncements. The President’s Night was perceived to be the second State-of-the-Nation-Address. It was during this event where the head of state rendered his own appraisal of the country’s economic, political, and social situation. Here, past presidents like Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced their decisions and strategies, their policy pronouncements and their own assessment of the consequences of these decisions.

Although the government would often receive criticism and attacks from the various members of the press, The President’s Night was still seen as a welcome opportunity for the top echelons of the different government offices to “test the waters,” to get a dose of how the rest of the nation would react to their pronouncements.