Chairman/Columnist

He is former President, Negros Press Club who also headed a number of media organizations in Metro Manila, including the National Press Club of the Philippines where he was former director and vice president.

Early in his career as news reporter of the Manila Chro-nicle, he covered some of the leading beats and news sources in the national capital region, from the police to high profile assignments, including both Houses of Congress and even Malacañang.

Among the top metropolitan dailies he served at one time or another were, aside from a long stint at the Chro-nicle, the Daily Mirror, Eve-ning News, the Journal Group of Publications, Philippines Herald, Times Journal, Eve-ning Star, the Chronicle Magazine where he was Associate Editor, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star, where he authored the comprehensive "SOUTHERN BEAT" section.

He served for sometime as Vice President of the Metropolitan Police Reporters’ Guild and later, President of the Manila Suburban Press Club, among the press groups he had become an active member and organizer.

Sometime in the 70s, he was requested by the Lopezes and the Chronicle to help his fellow Negrense, Governor Alfredo Montelibano, Jr. by serving as his executive assistant, the key position he held with honor and distinction, where he was given ample responsibilities that enabled him to act like a "little governor" for quite sometime.

In 1976, he resigned from that government position to devote full-time to jounalism once again.

Among his notable stints as veteran journalist was with the state-owned Philippines News Agency (PNA) where he was named bureau chief for Negros Occidental, later as correspondent of Asia Week, covering southern Philippines, notably the conflict in Mindanao.

Later, he was invited by then President Marcos to head the Islamic desk of the SNPI, principally to monitor developments in the Mindanao area, notably the MNLF. He was later rehired as PNA foreign editor and then served for sometime as news stringer of Agence France Presse (AFP), among others.

Rolly was the longest-serving Negros Press Club president, spanning the critical years of the press during Martial Law, where he served effectively as a necessary "bridge" between the nilitary establishment, the government as a whole, and the media practitioners in the exercise of their duties, press freedom and media responsibility.

Today, Rolly Espina heads the NPC Council of Past Pre-sidents, writes a regular column in the Negros Daily Bulletin titled "The Monitor" and where he also acts as board chairman, among others.*