[3] When President Marcos declared martial law on September 23, 1972, the PNS was forced to cease 24-hour daily operations since its major clients (newspapers, radio, and television stations) were padlocked and guarded by government troops.

A group of former newspaper editors asked then the Department of Public Information (DPI) Secretary and later on Senator Francisco S. Tatad to explore the possibility of opening a government news agency by acquiring the World War II-vintage teletype machines and other equipment of the shuttered PNS.

[3] José L. Pavia, the late former executive editor of the defunct Philippines Herald, was appointed as the first general manager of PNA.

He led its initial eleven-member staff, with the late Renato B. Tiangco as managing editorm and Severino C. Samonte as national and provincial news editor.

[3] The agency initially used the vacated PNS editorial offices on the second floor of the National Press Club (NPC) of the Philippines Building along Magallanes Drive in the Intramuros district of Manila.

[4] Until early 1986, the PNA, through the former Office of Media Affairs (OMA) headed by then Information Minister Gregorio S. Cendana, had overseas bureaus in San Francisco, California; Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto (Canada), Sydney (Australia) and Jeddah.