HING & TAN. Could you please state your full name?
MARTINEZ. Crispin G. Martinez

Q. Could you please describe the circumstances which led to your employment in this newspaper? I was invited by the news editor to join them.

Q. Where did you finish your high school? Jose Abad Santos High School.

Q. San po 'yun sir? Jose Abad Santos, that's a public school, on Reina Regente, in Binondo,...

Q. What was your first job sir? Proofreader, at the old Philippines Free Press, the one on Rizal Avenue corner Soler St. Sta. Cruz Manila. The original Free Press.

Q. So sir, what was your job as a proofreader? To watch for typographical, grammatical errors, but I was already writing feature articles while I was a proofreader.

Q. You were already writing feature articles? Ah, sir what was it like working as a proofreader? Was it hard or was the salary low or.... Well if you want to become a journalist, you might as well start from proofreading, that's the best training ground.

Q. Was it hard sir? No, all you have to do is follow the copies, the hard copies.

Q. Um sir, how was the salary then? Oh! At that time I was receiving one hundred fifty a month.

Q. Was it enough? (nods) Yes value of Peso then ...was quite high. Ya. minimum wage then was a hundred twenty.

Q. So you were getting more than minimum wage? Thirty pesos higher.

Q. So sir after the Philippine Free Press where did you go? The old Manila Times (Pre-Martial Law)

Q. The old Manila Times? which was then owned by... Chino..the Roceses.

Q. Oh the Roces clan. So sir what was your job then? Reporter.

Q. Field reporter? A field reporter. I was covering immigration, foreign affairs, education beats.

Q. So sir could you please describe your job as a field reporter at the Manila Times? It's quite hectic, you've to divide your time so you could cover all your beats in one day, to get stories, scoops preferably. so your beat then was the department of foreign affairs. One of them, foreign affairs was a premier beat then, also of course, immigration, education.

Q. Sir how about the salary as a field reporter? I was receiving then at Manila Times, 300 plus, 300 plus…

Q. so that was more than enough? Ya.

Q. the old Manila Times was located where? Florentino Torres.

Q. Could you please describe the facilities of the old Manila Times building? was it as modern, I mean, was it as up to date as the rest? was it...? that was the... no. 1 paper at that time, followed by the Chronicle, press machinery was okay.

Q. So the office was big? and... oh yes, it's big. It was a big building.

Q. the facilities were really good? yes. Enough.

Q. so sir could you describe Chino Roces was it? the publisher? Yes.

Q. could you describe him as a boss? he was a very amiable man.

Q. so you worked under him sir? oh yes. And he was easy to deal with, and he loved, he took good care of his reporters. whatever you need he would give you as long as they were job-related.

Q. After the Manila Times, where did you go? I was taken in by the defunct Evening News, an afternoon newspaper the Evening News? (nods)

Q. How come you resigned from the Manila Times? Well I had a quarrel with a union officer.

Q. Union Officers from the Manila Times? Because when I was taken in as an outsider, a union officer resented it because he wanted to take somebody from downstairs meaning in the proofreading department, to be promoted to reporter. I was taken in by the editor-in-chief .

Q. you resigned from the Manila Times? I quit.

Q. So you joined Manila Times, then you resigned from the Manila Times too, so after the Manila Times? Then I was taken in, I was invited to join the defunct Evening News.

Q. As what sir? Deskman reporter.

Q. oh, a reporter and deskman in the morning, I go to my desk, in the afternoon, yung beats.

Q. was the Evening News? Port area, you know Philippine Star now? across that, what used to be a market.

Q. So the building's not there anymore? No. The Building's there but renovated.

Q. how about the facilities? like most newspapers, they have similar facilities and machines.

Q. the Evening News? The Manila Times and the Evening News but they're different in size. Some newpapers have bigger printing presses, some are smaller.

Q. what was your beat then? Health and science.

Q. health and Science, so what was your work then? well in the morning I mean...in the morning I was here in the office... I was also a section editor then.

Q. section editor? different sections. education page, agriculture page, I was also a supplement reader for news.

Q. supplement reader for? the Evening News

Q. so you work at your beat and part-time health and Science because I was a deskman, parang kwan ko, extra.

Q. so tapos sir naging section ed kayo. you were promoted to section editor and then sir after the evening news..? after the evening news...

Q. how long did you stay with the evening news? oh '66, I think yah. '66 to '71.

Q. how about in the Manila Times? 1 year lang.

Q. 1 year lang since you had an argument? eh sir how about nung Philippines Free press? Sa Philippines Free Press, 14 years.

Q. 14 years and then..? then Manila Times 1 year then evening news 5 years

Q. so sa Philippine Free Press po kayo nag-start? and then after nung Evening News? Chronicle, I was called by the Manila...pre-martial law yung Chronicle. As a deskman also.

Q. So as a deskman for the Manila Chronicle, that was before the Martial Law? Pre-Martial law. That's where...I was there when Martial law was declared. Seventy uh, mga 1 year lang.

Q. 1 year lang po kayo sa old Manila Chronicle? No. Less than 1 year, because Martial law was declared September. I was hired March ... 6 months.

Q. So for 6 months you were with Manila Chronicle as deskman and what happened then? Shere were you when Martial Law was declared? My father had a small printing press and I helped him manage the printing press. so you.…and while managing that, the Evening Post, another afternoon paper-- I don't know if you remember you're still young.

Q. ah I think I've heard about it. we started that in 19... we opened that in 1975

Q. um the Evening post? composed of? that's an afternoon paper, its a broadsheet its not a tabloid.

Q. Who owned it? Kerima Polotan, Johnny Tuvera. You know Kerima Polotan? a great writer.

Q. um kasama po kayo doon sa mga nag-open? Ya.

Q. so sir bago ng Evening Post, diba sa Manila Chronicle po kayo so how come.. nag resign po ba kayo sir? hindi. inabot ng Martial Law

Q. so sinarado? sarado yon.

Q. So the minute Martial Law was declared, the Manila Chronicle was… closed

Q. the Manila Chronicle then, who was the publisher? ABS. the Lopezes.

Q. oh the Lopezes so sir can you describe them as publisher? Oh they're nice people also, but they don't mix with editorial people. they don't mix with editorial people

Q. For the Manila Chronicle you worked there, then nagsarado siya so you and a few others opened the Evening Post. ya.

Q. So sir can you describe the evening post? An afternoon paper, they were competitor of the Evening Express. ours was broadsheet, it was a tabloid size.

Q. The Evening Express was a tabloid? Ya, ours was a broadsheet.

Q. Yours was a broadsheet? It was an afternoon newspaper. the Evening Post was an afternoon paper.

Q. Was it daily? Daily.

Q. The evening post…oh and then sir you worked as..? First as a deskman and section ed and then promoted as managing editor.

Q. And then the managing editor, so what was your work like? was is very hectic or...? oh yes of course when you're the managing editor you have to manage all the pages, you have to look at all the pages…give assignments to photographers, reporters.

Q. What gave you the idea to open the Evening Post? ah well it's not my idea, it was our boss.

Q. boss? Kerima Polotan.

Q. so you just joined her? I was working with them.

Q. so basically the funding came from them? It was also subsidized by the government. it was already Martial Law. there are only a few papers from the Martial law and they were all subsidized by the government, Philippines Daily Express, Evening Post, Evening Express, Bulletin, ano pa ba yon?... I think there were only 4 papers during the Martial Law.

Q. wasn't the Evening Post then labeled as one of the crony presses? oh yeah. from that time on.

Q. During that time... Martial Law. During Martial Law all papers are crony presses.

Q. crony presses? Yes.

Q. How come you got that label? was it from the articles you wrote? no because at that time under Martial Law, you just can't write anything you wanted to. Especially against the government. You can hit the government, the people, the corporation, but not the First Family.

Q. so you're not allowed to say anything against them? what if one reporter..., did it ever occur yung one reporter said something bad and then was legally charged? of course.

Q. one of your colleagues sir? oh yes, being at the desk, you're the one in-charge of looking at the stories, you have to delete those statements that might incur the ire of government officials.

Q. so that was your job mainly...see to it that... mainly edit and then layout, put out the paper. put out the paper.

Q. so just you deleted the ones which you think would get in trouble? Ya.

Q. so sir you just let... could be an irritant to the government...

Q. so sir during that time you were never bothered by the government by anything you wrote?

Q. um later on, we'll get to that... after the Evening News? Eh, Evening Post?

Q. so sir what happened to the Evening Post? Evening Post? it was a...I resigned '81, '81. and then the WE forum I don't know if you remember that.

Q. WE Forum? so sir... the alternative press at that time.

Q. what was it? a broadsheet? tabloid size not exactly tabloid... bigger than tabloid.

Q. sir was it a weekly... Daily also. Malakas yon.

Q. you joined them as what sir? managing editor.

Q. and what was your job basically? put out the paper.

Q. edit stories..? take the stories, put them to paper.

Q. um sir who was the publisher of the paper? Jose Burgos.

Q. Jose Burgos. so can you please describe him as a publisher? Well we started the same level as reporters when I was with the Manila Times, he was the chief of the police reporters. I was covering different other beats, he was with the police beat. He was the chief of the police reporters...

Q. So even then you already knew each other and then he became the publisher... Of the WE Forum.

Q. and you joined the WE Forum? he called me to join him, then. And that was still the Martial Law days.

Q. What was still during the Martial Law days? the We forum? were you... Actually it was in existence before Martial Law. It was the hard-hitting paper. I mean...As far as Marcos was concerned. Nagalit si Marcos.

Q. sa WE forum sir? Yes.

Q. at one point? oh yes. we were incarcerated for ...

Q. for what sir? for our stories.

Q. for WE Forum? for the stories we published in the WE forum.

Q. in the WE Forum? Particularly the fake medals, we kept hitting the fake medals of Marcos.

Q. what about the medals? Marcos had all these medals, saying he earned so many, he had 28 medals...

Q. But you didn't believe they were real medals, so you kept targeting that and finally... Finallly he got mad, got us arrested.

Q. how many were you then sir? Burgos, the congressman Gonzales in Iloilo, but...no, not yet....Soc Rodrigo, representative Soc Rodrigo, Dean Malay of UP, then former Congressman Roces, then former National Library Director Ernesto Rodriguez, then the other personnel of the WE forum even the circulation and advertising people, who shouldn't have been included in the arrest, they had not... all those people were arrested.

Q. So almost everyone from the WE forum was arrested? Sir how long were you incarcerated? Sandali lang, mga seven and a half days, in "the spirit of Christmas".

Q. So you were released in the spirit of Christmas? not...because of international reaction.

Q. What kind of international reaction? There were demonstrations at that time.

Q. Internationally? yes, but the pressure, the international pressure also.

Q. so that's why you were released? yes. they claimed it was because in the spirit of Christmas...but it was because of the international reaction.

Q. sir what was the feeling of being incarcerated? of course, of course I must admit we were afraid, I was afraid that time, the military men were so abusive.

Q. they threatened you? no, that did not happen, they were not...

Q. but still..... (nods) because we were editors and columnists.

Q. sir did you ever regret writing any of those, ah, any of those articles? No.

Q. so even if you were incarcerated.... yes, it's an honor in fact. That's an honor. Imagine we were in the headlines in the papers for weeks, front page.

Q. aside from being incarcerated, have you ever been sued for libel? Oh yes. nga pala...Manila times also, that's where I got so many libel suits, I had a column there. I was also managing editor during Roces' time, after...before it was bought by the Gokongweis, I was managing editor for the Manila Times.

Q. sir what were you writing that was... which caused you to be sued for libel? oh about crooked officials. so they sued you for libel?

Q. yes, naghanap sila ng basis to harass me, of course... like that but all those libel suits I hurdled.

Q. what happened to those suits? (gestures) gone.

Q. they were gone? Quashed. dismissed.

Q. how come sir, they weren't able to prove that you did defame them? yes I was very careful in my writing.

Q. sir how can you say you were very careful, what do you mean by careful? in libel, the important element there is malice, if there is malice in what you were writing, it's one ground for libel so you have to be very careful. you hit somebody, you have to be on the right track. on the right track. but there wasn't any malice in what you wrote?

Q. no, I was saying things, they're true, because I had evidence. so sir where do you get your... from my sources, of course.

Q. so you have your own sources... yes.

Q. and so before writing you have to verify your... you have to verify your facts first, mahirap yun e, if you rely on hearsay, mahirap.

Q. so sir after po ng Evening Post what happened? yun nga, WE Forum.

Q. oh, after ng WE Forum? dami e...'yun Metro Manila Times, then after Manila Times........(thinks) after Manila Times...after Manila Times, Philippine Star.

Q. ah sir after po ng WE Forum bumalik po kayo ng Manila Times? diba, diba...Roces din pero iba iba na 'tong Manila Times na 'to. 'Yung Manila Times ngayon diba meron diyan pinagbili-bili, kung sinu-sinong naging owners niyan. primero, Roces pa rin yan e. tapos binili ng Gokongweis, binili naman ngayon ng mga Jimenez diba?

Q. so sir after po ng WE Forum pumunta po kayo ng Metro Manila Times? (thinks) ah, I remember, after WE Forum, direct to Fort Bonifacio, there was somebody who approached me to put out a paper , a tabloid paper.

Q. to put up a paper ? yes, and I did that, the Morning Free Press. tabloid-size, pero newsmagazine ang ginawa ko.

Q. so sir yung Morning Free Press you were the one who put it out? (nods) but it didn't last long.

Q. how come sir? well, mahaba...maiksi ang pisi, as they say, ng journalism, finance.

Q. financially? that was the problem, maybe the owners...

Q. so sir you were the publisher of the... editor-in-chief of that paper. I was the editor-in-chief.

Q. so sir when you had financial constraints, how come you didn't ask for help from the government or...?

Q. kasi privately-owned. it was a privately-owned newspaper.

Q. so the Morning Free Press was a daily? daily, yes daily. it was a newsmagazine, it's not a tabloid form.

Q. Magazine-like? yes. I printed the stories.

Q. what does it mostly ...news? news, and features.

Q. so sir yung Morning Free Press was it still during the Martial Law? no...1983 oh yes, Martial Law. 1983.

Q. still in Martial Law? Yes.

Q. so what happened then? wala, we were not hitting the government.

Q. you weren't hitting the government anymore? no...it was objective.

Q. how come sir? it was a newsmagazine.

Q. so you didn't focus on these things? we just write what is the issue, stories of everyday, and then feature stories.

Q. where was the office of the Morning Free Press located? In front of Philippine Women's University, the SM Lazaro clinic then. Now...it was our office.

Q. so they demolished it na? the building? no, it's still there. it's a clinic now, sm lazaro clinic

Q. sir how long did the Morning Free Press last? mga 6 months only.

Q. 6 months only? wala pa yata e.

Q. so around 6 months or less? (nods) 5 lang 'ata...

Q. and then you had to close it down? yes.

Q. so sir after the Morning Free Press... I forgot...oh yeah…kay Ms. Polotan…kasi may Evening Post din, merong Manila Times. Yung Metro Manila Times naman, sister paper of Evening Post.

Q. So 'yung Evening Post sister paper ng Manila… Metro Manila Times… (nods) Metro Manila Times.

Q. 'Yung Metro Manila Times dati pa po siya nag-ooperate or was it new during that time? Kwan yun, siguro 80s din yun eh, 80s yun.

Q. So it was still Kerima Polotan who owned… Owned by Kerima…the Tuveras.

Q. So sir after the Morning Free Press, when you had to close it down, you went to…'Yun, Metro Manila Times.

Q. Sir what was your work in the Metro Manila Times? Well I was one of the copy editors there.

Q. Copy editors? (nods)

Q. …and what was your job then? Edit.

Q. So you edit everything? (nods)

Q. So basically parang managing editor din? Hindi naman, iba ang managing editor. Kasi in the newspaper you have the so-called copy editors. Some newspapers they have so many copy editors. Usually in the newspaper the deskmen are the ones in charge of editing the reporter's…uh…report.

Q. So sir yung Metro Manila Times… (nods)

Q. What was…ano…after yung mag-close ng Manila Times? 1986 yun, ayun pala nung '86. Dapat magseseparate, ayun pala, dun pala ako nag-join, '86 sa Manila Times.

Q. Manila Times? Not Metro Manila Times? Hinde, iba ito. '83 ito eh. Nag-join ako '83 to '86.

Q. The Metro Manila Times? Sa Metro Manila Times. After that, tinawag na ako sa Manila Times.

Q. So sir yung Metro Manila Times diba it was owned by the Tuveras.. Owned by the Tuveras…

Q. Was it still the crony press? Oh yes, (nods) at that time.

Q. So when you joined the Metro Manila Times you were still…you know…restricted to writing…you were not supposed to write anything against the government still? Oh yes (nods), sa diyaryo.

Q. And you didn't get in trouble during that time? No.

Q. So from '83 to '86, that was the… (nods)

Q. Where was the office of the Metro Manila Times located? It's uh…dito sa port area, malapit sa Times Journal. You know Times Journal, 'yung diyaryo?

Q. Is it still there? The building is still there.

Q. But not as the Metro Manila Times? No. It's being occupied by a bank.

Q. So after the Metro Manila Times, you joined the Manila Times, which was owned by the Roces clan? Uh-hum, the Roces. Chino, the relatives of Chino. Of course later on Chino Roces joined us also…where he died. He died when he was with us also. He died during, during… During 1987, '88…

Q. And at that time you were still working under him? Yes. '89…I think it was in '89 because…I did not quit, but it was bought by the Gokongweis, so all of us had to go. May bago nang tao kasama yan.

Q. Sir wait lang, backtrack lang, why did you…was it you…did you resign from Metro Manila Times or… The Manila Times wanted me to join them.

Q. So you accepted their offer? (nods) How come sir?

Q. Greener pastures, they say. Malaki sweldo. So you resigned from Metro Manila Times and joined the Manila Times? (nods)

Q. So sir what was your work in the Manila Times? I was managing editor. Well first, news editor, and then the managing editor quit, I took over as managing editor.

Q. Where was its office located? We were in Scout Santiago, Quezon City. Um-hum (nods).

Q. Is it still there sir? The building is still there. It's not an imposing building...

Q. Sir so how about yung facilities? …you remember Atlas Publications Capitol…dun

Q. So it's near there? (nods).

Q. So sir after po nung…ay sir how about the salary for the Manila Times? Hindi pa masyado malaki…(magkano nga ba tinatanggap ko 'nun)…I was only receiving 6,000 a month, 7 thousand…mga '86 to '89, and then siguro after '86, kalimutan ko na…mababa pa rin, I was carried away ...become a journalist, maliit ang sweldo.

Q. So sir after the Manila Times… When it was bought by the Gokongweis, Philippine Star naman.

Q. When it was bought by the Gokongweis they brought in their own staff? Oo.

Q. So all of you had to go? (nods) we had to go.

Q. Everyone? Oh yes. New management, new people.

Q. So where did you go sir? Philippine Star.

Q. Which is located in… The port area.

Q. It's still there…? It's still there, the Philippine Star.

Q. So what was your work then sir? I became managing editor din. (nods) Primero, when they took me in, sabi ko editorial consultant lang, after one month ginawa na akong managing editor.

Q. Uhm sir so who was the publisher then? ..owned by Betty Go-Belmonte, who was the wife of Congressman Belmonte, she's dead now.

Q. Can you describe her as a publisher? Oh I think one of the nicest women I've ever met. Betty Go-Belmonte. She loves people, especially the great ones. She did not want to see anybody go. She did not want to fire anybody.

Q. So, for how long did you stay in the Philippine Star? Philippine Star? mmm…five and a half years.

Q. and then what happened? Then…nag-kwan ako, I was taken by Mayor Atienza, he was vice-mayor then…bilang PR…

Q. Of City Hall? Oo, Mayor Atienza. Kasi nga nag-resign ako, wala munang… sideline muna ako, tinawag ako ni Mayor Atienza, PR-PR lang, I stayed there for a year. And then the Chronicle, the new Chronicle, bago na ito eh, told me na I join Chronicle also.

Q. Before or after you joined..the Philippine Star? After the Philippine Star, I joined muna si ano…Mayor Atienza as PR-PR… and then yung Chronicle pinatawag naman ako. dalawa 'yun…ang job ko 'nun dalawa, after nung pasok ko, tutal kay Mayor naman pumupunta ako 3 times a day lang, I stay there one to two hours…

Q. What was your job sir as a public relations…basically you didn't have to write? Oh yes, definitely. I had to write din…for publication. Image-building, of course. PR nga…

Q. So you were building up the image of Mayor Atienza? Yes, because he was vice mayor 'nun. Hinde, kay mayor, ay vice mayor? One year lang, one year.

Q. One year lang, and then you joined the Manila Chronicle? (nods)

Q. How come you joined the Manila Chronicle and not stayed on as PR man? Oh yes, it's possible.

Q. How come, sir, you joined? Oh, you always make the allowance, you can go there in the morning, you start working ... most of the newspapers you start working in the afternoon.

Q. sir so you joined the Manila Chronicle. who was the publisher then? kwan yan eh...dalawa daw ang owners niyan eh. Tony Boy Cojuangco of the PLDT, and then another Chinese, Coyiuto, he was a businessman.

Q. but you never met them sir? oh, I met them. 'yun, si Coyiuto, pero yung si Cojuangco hindi, they come to the office but.....Tonyboy Cojuangco.

Q. so who was the publisher then? publisher...first was ano...marami dyan sa Chronicle, marami kasi eh, iba-iba…

Q. so papalit-palit sir, kung baga? (nods) mga editors.

Q. and then...what was your work in the Manila Chronicle? Ayan, editing din, metro... metro page editor.

Q. metro page, so basically news? (nods) news din.

Q. So where was the office located? Dyan din sa Bonifacio, Bonifacio Drive, dito malapit sa...port area din, on the same circle, yung Philbanking, yung area...

Q. so sir after ng Manila Chronicle... nag-strike kami 'nun eh, strike. nagsara.

Q. nag-strike po yung Manila Chronicle? (nods) mm-hmm.

Q. buong staff? (nods) may union kasi eh.

Q. so bakit po nag-strike sir? I think it was the fault of the union officers and members, they were so aggressive eh, it was ano, the issue there was a 13th month bonus, let's say it was in December, but delayed in giving the 13th month bonus. The management said, it was going to give a 13th month bonus, but it will be delayed for 1 or 2 weeks. Eh kasama ako doon.....

Q. so it was basically a salary feud? (nods) so wala na ako roon.

Q. so how long were you in the Manila Times(sic) Chronicle? let's see, mga 2 years ako.

Q. 2 years lang, and then it closed down? that's right.

Q. and then...? and then after that somebody called me again to put up a paper, Ang Bagong Diyaryo Express, one-year also, tabloid-size...

Q. Ang Bagong Diyaryo Express? (nods) and that is ano, smut-free, 100% smut-free.

Q. so you were the one who put out the Ang Bagong Diyaryo Express? (nods) I was the editor-in-chief then.

Q. ikaw lang po sir or may kasama kayo? may kasama ako syempre.

Q. sino-sino po yung mga kasama niyo sir? ah, newsmen din yung iba, puro newsmen din.

Q. like who sir? ah...I hired them, Joe Garcia, he's now with the Sun Star, Manny Sanchez...and then...sino pa ba...hindi niyo kilala yung iba eh.

Q. ok sir so... ay teka...Chronicle, after that...Chronicle and then the Ang Bagong Diyaryo Express, after that close down for one year, after one year, hindi pa nga kami nabayaran...after that we joined the People's Journal.

Q. oh so sir Ang Bagong Diyaryo Express one year lang siya? (nods)

Q. nagsara because of financial constraints din? (nods) swerte ko sa ganun.

Q. so sir after 'nun you joined... I joined yung kwan... ano na 'nun, '98 na 'nun napalitan na ng presidente, syempre pag may presidente bago yung...government ano yan eh, government sale yung publications diba government ano yan eh, first ay si Joe Burgos, ang kasama ko si Raymond Burgos sabay kami pumasok, tinawag kami riyan eh.

Q. sa People's Journal po? People's Journal. maraming yan eh, diba, si Joe Burgos yung ano top, and then there were some ______boys, top din. Ako managing editor of People's Journal, tabloid 'yun, may People's Journal, yung isa People's Journal, may People's Tonight. I was the managing editor. but we did not last long.

Q. how come sir? talagang ano 'yan eh.

Q. government-subsidized 'yun sir? hinde, the government sold the publication. madali lang kami, mga 2 or 3 months. nag-resign kami lahat, batch.

Q. buong staff sir? (nods)

Q. so nag-resign kayo, and then after na mag-resign kayo... 'eto na yata.

Q. 'eto na sir? (nods)

Q. so sir did you join this, or did you help put out the publication? no I was called, someone called me, the news editor called me, invited me to join them.

Q. the editor-in-chief po, si Ms. Olivares? no, si Romy Marinas.

Q. so ininvite ka po dito? (nods) invited.

Q. and then when you came here your work was a news editor? No. Lahat yata ng pressure pinagdaanan ko na, sweldo lang ang kailangan ko.

Q. sir how old is the Daily Tribune? oh, less than a...February, we started February.

Q. February 2000? February this year. uhm, compared to other newspapers, like Today and Manila Bulletin and Inquirer,

Q. how can you describe... no, you can't compare, content-wise maybe you can ano, pero circulation-wise, malayo pa kami, other newspapers have been here for ages. Bulletin, hindi pa kayo tao, hindi pa ko tao Bulletin na 'yan, Inquirer kapatid ng Philippine Star yan eh.

Q. so sir uhm Manila Bulletin is known to be the crony press today...ay crony publication today. ah how about the Tribune? siya ba iyong... meron ding ah, may nagsasabi na pro, ay kwan, pro-Erap daw kami, because of the stories sometimes pero hindi naman kami pro, objective kami.

Q. are you sir? seriously? I don't know, I don't know, it's only the publisher who...

Q. are you restricted from writing anything against the government? no

Q. you're free? we're free, nobody restricts us.

Q. sir yung sa panahong ngayon...ano ba yung pinaka-hectic na times ngayon, yung mga nagme-make ng headlines, anong mga circumstances na dapat talagang busy kayo? ayun, we process the page. edit the page and process the page.

Q. sa ano sa mga...mga pangyayari ngayon? ah yes, there's so many good stories, beat stories...

Q. are they keeping you very busy? oh yes. oh yes of course. we have to evaluate these big stories no, we choose which ones should be the primary, which ones should be the secondary stories, of course ganun lang yan eh.

Q. ah do you make your own opinion about the, about the news or...? oh yes of course. columnist. kasi minsan di maiwasan na you put your own opinion, sa article mismo?

Q. ah no. no?

Q. the stories, no.

Q. so sir uhm do you have your own field reporters sir, yung isang set of reporters who gather the news for you? oh yes. the beats, different beats. then they fax in their stories.

Q. so you don't go out to the field anymore? ako, no.

Q. when did you stop sir, from being a field reporter? matagal na...'71, no, '72 then I joined the chronicle as a deskman, then puro deskman na.

Q. sir ah...sir were you ever a cub reporter? cub? no.

Q. no sir?so sir deretso talagang ano... (nods) kami-kami nga pag nagyayabang ka sulat ko, may byline na

Q. sir you've been around ah the press business a long time, since the time you started, how was the facilities? well, facilities...

Q. what about the facilities noong nag-umpisa ka pa lang sa Manila Times...? oh, yung printing press nito very different ito kasi we were using those linotypes and intertypes a lot, yung di-tingga ngayon puro...typewriter

Q. so sir naabutan niyo po yung mga intertype... oh yes...oh yes, great improvements.

Q. and yung mga, yung mga nawawala na yung mga reporters sa office... yes, but the only problem now is because of these fax machines, the reporters are faxing their stories, and you don't see their faces anymore. unlike in our time, we have to report everyday, the reporters have to report to the office everyday, and that's very...the reporters sometimes get scolded by the editors, after that, walkout.

Q. uhm so sir diba you've been in the press for many years, were there any memorable colleagues or editors or publishers you remember throughout? all of them, I still remember.

Q. no, is there anybody in particular? I don't mix with my bosses eh, outside, unless it's official business. I remember when I was a reporter or section editor, deskman, I did not go with my editors outside, I had my own agenda.

Q. sir how many presidents na ba ang nakalipas? how many presidents na ang... naabutan ko? bata pa ko...naabutan ko Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay I remember na journalist na ba kayo noon? yes, 50s 'nun nasa Free Press na ko noon...nasa Free Press na. ayun Free Press

Q. uhm so can you compare, yung mga differences per president, can you compare? presidents? uhm tulad sa time ni Marcos, syempre banned ang journalism... well ah that's the only time journalism became different, because it was Martial Law.

Q. uhm teka, how bout nung, ngayon kumpara sa panahon ng Martial Law noon kay Marcos, sa ngayon, what can you say? free. it's free press now. it's free. of course there are other newspapers, they have their own value system, well you cannot compare that.

Q. do you think there is still much democracy in the Philippines? yes.

Q. sir when you were still a field reporter what were some of the memorable events that you covered, like the martial law for instance, or where were you when People Power Revolution broke out? '86 'yun, diba '86...saan ba ako 'nun...andun nga ako sa Metro Manila Times.

Q. were you able to cover it sir? hinde, nasa kwan na ko, Manila Times na. hindi ko na ano...nasa kwan na nga ako, nasa desk na.

Q. how about nung when you were still a field reporter, what were you able to cover, yung memorable? well like when I was a field reporter , I liked these travels. when you are a reporter you could travel anywhere.

Q. you were funded by the newspaper? oh, allowance lang.

Q. allowance lang sir? was it enough? the people who invited you there, would give you also allowance, free accommodations and...

Q. sir mga ano...nung Edsa Revolution were you... I was in the office. I was in the office waiting for the news breakout, what happened, naku hanggang umaga kami 'nun.

Q. sir your work as journalist has taken you through many presidencies like from president Marcos to the incumbent president. sir can you describe the state of journalism during each period? well the only difference was during the Marcos time the press was a press. other presidents, the same. free, it was free.

Q. just the Marcos era that stood out? (nods)

Q. last question sir...so sir um how do you find fulfillment in your work? well as far as I'm concerned I think I have fulfilled my dreams as far as newspaper is concerned. well when I was a proofreader, I wanted to become a reporter. when I became a reporter I wanted to become a deskman. when I was a deskman I wanted to become section editor, then etcetera, naging managing editor, editor-in-chief nga ako all of them I've gotten through.

Q. so you're basically a fulfilled man right now? (nods)columnist also, I also wanted to be a columnist

Q. sir what can you say about...um what can you tell us, for those who plan to be journalists in the future or...what do we need? any advice? well of course you have to improve. my personal advice is read, read, read a lot.

Q. read? read, read, read. and then be sincere in your job, don't be lazy in your job, and try to improve your work everyday, review your work everyday. of course if you submit your work today, it will come out tomorrow, study the story that came out and compare it with the reporter who faxed in, with the one you wrote, and faxed in. you can see the difference, unless your very good in reading. 'yun that's one thing I hate sa mga reporters, they don't really correct their work, they don't correct their stories, they commit the same mistakes everyday.

Q. so you are the one who corrects for them? (nods)of course, that's my job. and the trouble with that, these reporters, they rely on you, claiming that it's my job. of course, but if you're a good reporter, if you want to become a good reporter, strive on your own, don't rely on somebody else's ano...help. diba masarap yung nagsusulat ka compared sa wala kang ginagawa diba, sarap ng feeling. ngayon hinde, basta may byline happy na sila. iba nung sa panahon namin, you have to strive for your byline. yung mga reporter ngayon maka-scoop ka lang ganun-ganon tulungan. they help each other.

Q. who? yung mga hectic na deadline, in our time...I'm covering this beat, there are three of us covering this beat in particular, magkalaban tayo. magkaibigan tayo, pero hindi mo alam kung ano susulat ko, hindi ko alam kung ano susulat mo. scoop.

Q. so sir, it's different right now? oh yes. the best 'nun, in our time. ngayon, iba. there's a great difference.

Q. because sir ngayon may tulungan na and everything? (nods) even the periferation of these tabloids, kahit sino lang pwede mag-reporter nowadays, sir? (nods) hindi ba? kasi there are too many papers today. in short, the reporters were not as oriented with their papers,before we had to be interviewed and given examinations.

Q. now no more? nagbibigay pa rin sa mga applicants, pero the other papers, on the spot hired ka. you will be assigned a certain beat, overnight, doon ka na lang I-evaluate sa production mo.

Q. ok sir, thank you very much for your time. welcome, anytime.