BAUTISTA. When was the first time you wrote for a newspaper?
BAYSA. I worked for the newspaper when I was 23 years old officially, but then still, I contributed for a newspaper when I was '6 years old.

Q. So could you describe the circumstances leading to your employment with the newspaper you worked for?
A. All right. Well, my being industrious actually and my being known practically to the people on the desk. Since I said earlier, I was contributing to the paper. So one way or the other, at least my name has inculcated into their minds already and I believe that's it, my being a contributor for the paper.

Q. So that started when you were in high school.
A. No. That was in my early college days. Although I also wrote for my high school paper.

Q. So it became your starting ground.
A. Yes. Yes, indeed!

Q. What were your early years like? the physical location, the buildings, the facilities, etc. ?
A. All right, I started as a cub reporter for Manila Times. It is located on Florentino Street. That's in crowded Sta. Cruz, Manila. Well, if you're asking about the machinery before, well, actually we're far, far behind then. The machinery were actually printing presses. Unlike today where we converted from this printing machine, we resolved to use this computer machines run by computer. So it's quite modern and high-tech nowadays compared to the journalism years, years before.

Q. How about the people you were working with? How were they like?
A. Well, actually, nothing changed with people because basically, these people who I'm dealing with are those people who I worked with as a reporter were the same people now manning this industry. Some of them were elevated from being reporters to desk editors. Some were lucky enough to land as columnists.

Q. about the working conditions?
A. The conditions-- nothing changed. No big deal actually. It's the same working set-up except for the machinery, the facilities, except for these computers that were introduced lately.

Q. about the hours, holidays and salaries?
A. Well, we don't have any hours. We don't have any holidays. When you're working in the media industry, forget vacation. Forget sick leave. If possible, don't even entertain being sick because it's not a part and parcel of a dictionary of a man in the industry. We get no holidays here. We work in the paper as well as in the radio on, believe it or not, on Christmas day, on New Year's Day and even on Good Friday.

Q. Sir, how about the deadlines?
A. Deadlines that's a good question. Actually, in the paper, we have a uniformed deadline. We, in the Manila Bulletin, in my case, the deadline is four o'clock in the afternoon. If your story comes after the deadline, it's either it will land not in the page of a newspaper but in the trash can.

Q. So you said before you were a cub reporter. How were your superiors before like?
A. You mean the treatment you received from them? Actually we have seniority in news papering like, of course, the late Teodoro Valencia. He's far, far senior than me. So we have to address them sir. We should consider their being senior.

Q. What was your first beat?
A. Well, my first beat was the police beat. Actually, the police beat is the breaking ground of all new reporters and this is very effective to be actually broken up with police beat because you're dealing with people here. Actually, all kinds of people when you start with the police beat.

Q. What were the important lessons you learned?
A. Well, the important lesson I learned is, of course, you have to be prompt. You have to be punctual in news papering like, you have to beat the deadline. Like in my case, four o'clock and being a newsman, you have to be there actually on time during appointments because chances are, it happened to me twice or thrice that I was left by somebody whom I stood up.

Q. Who were the other people in that police beat?
A. Well, I have my good friend Ramon Tulfo. We started as beat reporters and as cub reporters. I also had the late Lito Catapusan of Manila Bulletin. These are my contemporaries I'm naming to you now. I have Reyland Magallanes whose writing for an American paper. Anthony Exaltado whose making waves also in Singapore as a newsman.

Q. Do you have any memorable editors?
A. Memorable editors? Well, of course, I cannot forget Mr. the late Teodoro Valencia. Because actually he taught me to become a responsible newspaperman and I really can't forget the incident where he threw my first story through the waste can. It gave me and it made me more responsible. It gave me, you know, it treated me as a challenge.

Q. Why do you think he threw your first story?
A. Well, actually, you know what I mean. Maybe it wasn't written well. Maybe blame it to self-confidence, my thinking that I was a good writer although I'm not. But how I started. So I took it as a challenge to myself.

Q. How were they when it came to accuracy, ethics, the grammar aspects of news writing?
A. Well, actually there's no born writer. Everybody should start from letter A until you reach Z. It's true to everybody and most likely to news writers. In news writing, you have to devote your time in reading newspapers, come up with your style and study because it's a science. Writing is a science.

Q. What were their attitudes toward deadlines?
A. Oh, they're so specific about deadlines. There are no friends among editors and news reporters. You have to abide by the policy of the newspaper. When they say you have, you must, you should therefore report/file your report before four o'clock or by four o'clock.

Q. How did they communicate this attitude towards deadlines to you?
A. Well, they don't have to tell you actually what you're supposed to do. You have to see and find it for yourself.

Q. Any memorable colleagues?
A. Well, of course a lot of them. As I said earlier, Ramon Tulfo, now a big man in the industry, the late Lito Catapusan and Sen. Orly Mercado.

Q. What made them unforgettable?
A. They gave me pointers.

Q. Like what?
A. Like, well, pointers in good sound writing technique and behavior as a newsman should be.

Q. Sir, what were your best memories as a young reporter?
A. My best memories? Well, that's when I covered street rallies and I mean those violent street rallies when I was almost hit by a bullet while covering such event.

Q. What significant events did you cover?
A. Well these rallies as I said, the pre-martial law rallies, street rallies. Well, political rallies also. What else? This Lucila Lalu. You're still young, I doubt whether you know it. This jigsaw case where a woman's body was mutilated. I was the one who wrote it for the paper.

Q. Sir, could you describe the case?
A. This Lucila Lalu happens to be a waitress-- somebody who works for a club. Now, she's friendly according to her friends and associates. She's lovely, very pretty. Until one day, her mutilated legs were found in a trash can. Her body was found inside her room. Her head was found near her flat. So that's it, it's a very gruesome event and if my memory serves me right, her alleged boyfriend, a dentist was the one behind the gruesome killing.

Q. Sir, you said that you were a reporter during the pre-martial law days, what happened during that time?
A. Well, actually I had a lot. But one memorable event is about that Lucila Lalu case. Well, there's actually nothing more significant than that. It's the same actually pre-martial law days and today are completely the same.

Q. Sir, about the rallies, the protests?
A. The protest rallies are comparatively and relatively tamed now compared to before. Before it was so aggressive. Those rallies were so aggressive. I mean now is so tame. Now, it's well, civil. That's how I describe rallies now.

Q. Sir, how about during the Marcos regime, how did you report news?
A. Well, there was a different mode of news presentation during the pre-martial law days. I mean during the Martial Law days because as you should very well know, it's being run thru dictatorship and you have to abide by the certain media requirements and policies set up by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. So whether you like it or not, you have to file stories that would make the powers that be happy.

Q. Didn't it affect you...?
A. My principles? Of course! Not only my principles but also the rest of my colleagues. But what can we do? We have to survive.

Q. So you still stuck it out there.
A. Well, whether you like it or not, as I said earlier, you have to abide by the rules.

Q. So for you, it's more important to abide by the rules than your principles?
A. Well, actually that's a good question between principles and rules. You know in this world, I remember I was a family man already when Martial Law was declared. Maybe if I'm single, I'll fight with my principles or stay and abide by my principles. But as I said, it's quite different if you're a family man than when you're not.