The DAILY TRIBUNE headquarters in Makati City — the hotbed of the country’s business district — has become a place for sharing food, thoughts and visions among “family members,” with everybody committing to stay connected while having fun and welcoming the coming year’s challenges.

The last get-together of the DAILY TRIBUNE for 2023 on 29 December, albeit the simplest, was the most unforgettable because it reflected the company’s culture: We are family!

Over pandesal, ham, cheese, wine and beer, we talked about the newspaper’s course in 2024 while providing an opportunity for all the staff to come together and celebrate while reflecting on the challenges and accomplishments of the passing year and making new memories.

The conversations, drinks and food helped build stronger camaraderie, fostered relationships and promoted a sense of family and community.

As a news organization with deadlines to meet and “putting the paper to bed,” the most challenging task was to get together the editors, writers, layout, advertising, finance and online staff around the newsroom’s busy world.

Each department has diverse responsibilities, and it is near-impossible for all staff members to gather around at one specific point.

Ultimately, we all agreed that the more we spend time together, the stronger our family bonding gets — with everybody sharing their experiences and creating more memories together.

After all, the purpose of the DAILY TRIBUNE’s annual year-end get-together is to bring family members’ together at one table to celebrate the passing of the year and to reflect on the experiences and events of the past 12 months.

We are looking forward to another year with the DAILY TRIBUNE family!