There were consultations with potential members as well as with Melinda Quintos-de Jesus of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, which wanted to help set up press councils in Cebu, Palawan and Baguio.

A year later, Seares presented to the prospective members the proposed Code of Practice and Rules of Procedure of CCPC, adopted from foreign models and from consultations with other convenors and based on the local experience.

As a forum for news subjects to air their grievances, the CCPC hopes to provide an added means of redress to reduce the incidence of lawsuits and violence against journalists.

The CCPC entertains two types of complaints, those relating to 1) the right to reply and 2) the accuracy of the material printed or broadcast.

As a forum for media issues, CCPC has added its voice to the national discussion on bills in Congress that affect the media, including bills that seek to decriminalize libel, legislate the right of reply, limit the venue of libel to the principal place of operation of the community journalist, and expand the coverage of the exemption of journalists from revealing the sources of their news to include broadcast, wire and Internet media.