A: How did I become a reporter?

Q: Oho, paano yung start niyo from college? Ganyan.

A: I studied political science at the University of the Philippines. It was a period of turmoil in the Philippine society.

Q: Ano hong year yun?

A: 1971

Q: Ang start nyo sa college?

Q: That’s when he started.

A: It was a very turbulent period, it was 1972. Marcos declared Martial law. I had to give up my plans of becoming a lawyer dahil martial law eh, there’s no point in studying the law. Noon, nasa U.P. ako, I was an activist, I was a member of the U.P. student council then, when Marcos declared marital law, walang mga student councils dun, walang mga student papers. In 1974, about October, third year ako noon eh, I was third year, third year college, two police officers knocked on our doors in our house at La Loma, Quezon City, one of the guys name happened to be 1st Lt. Pamfilo Lacson. They invited me for questioning in camp crame, he was a member of the Metrocom Intelligence Unit then.

Q: Sir, third year pa lang kayo then, college?

A: Oo, third year college ako.

Q: Sir, ano hong affiliations nyo, Student council?

A: Oo. Lahat ng activist noon who refused to accept martial law kasi ayaw nila. It so happened that I wasn’t at home then, andun ako sa house ng classmate ko nearby, a few blocks away kasi Lourdes ako nun. So next morning, my father promised the police officers that if ever I should come home, if ever he should see me, he’ll bring me to Camp Crame for questioning. Usually, pag for questioning noon, di ka na i-quequestioning, i-dedetain ka na diretso ka sa jail while they’re making up their mind whether you’re a threat to Marcos or to the government. It so happened because my dad kasi gave his word. Eh yun dad ko, Ateneo yun eh, kaya alam mo, pag nagpromise, sinasabi nila noon na, di ko alam kung totoo yan… so, I called up the house tapos sabi ng sister ko, "Joey, dad made a promise na should you return he will bring you to Crame." So for four years, I didn’t ah… I didn’t ah…

Q: Go home?

A: Return home! I was bumming around. And I am part of this adventure of knowing more about our country so from that day on, punta ako sa province naming sa Bicol, sama ako dun sa mga farmers doon tapos for a time di naman ako hinahanap noon eh. Tapos tumulong ako sa mga trade unions kasi father ko trade union. Until after mga four years, to make the story short, after I’ve learned about what’s happening to this country, my father sent word na pwede na akong…

Q: Bumalik?

A: Akong bumalik na release na siya sa wala na yun pledge niya to turn me over. So I continued my studies, I finished mga 1979.

Q: Sir, so mga ilang years ho kayo nagstop ng college?

A: Mga 5 years, have you ever left home?

Q: ah… at most one week.

A: Sabi nila its part of growing up when you make one decision that doesn’t conform to what your parents want. Ako for 5 years, I believe that yun nga, that I made a quantum leap in my growth. So I finished college and one day a classmate of mine in high school and in college asked me to join a newspaper. It was called Business Day then, it’s now Business World. It’s run by the Locsins. The old Locsin has died and so his wife is running the newspaper. I stayed there for one year doing special reports, yun ibang mga reporters had beats but I was assigned to do special reports on Far East industries and Far East issues. But in 1980, I decided to join a bigger newspaper, maliit lang yun newspaper na yan, ang circulation lang is about 70,000. I joined the journal group of companies; they were putting up a business paper then. The journal group of companies was owned by Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez.

Q: Ah!

A: You know him?

Q: Affiliated ho kay Imelda?

A: The youngest brother.

A: All newspapers then were owned either by relatives or Marcos cronies, lahat yun hawak nila Marcos. For three years and ah… mga fellow reporters and employees naming decided to form a union, so we’d have a collective bargaining agreement which lays down the conditions of work, pay scales other benefits that are supposed to go to reporters and Kokoy Romualdez took it hard. Forming a union, although it was a right guaranteed in the constitution felt like it was a slap on him, on his management style, actually, wala naman talaga siyang alam. So he fired us all.

Q: Everybody?

A: Everybody, illegal yun ano? He fired us all, all union members, which looking back, I think it was good thing because on August 21, 1983, does that date sound familiar to you?

Q: Before birth pa ho yun eh.

A: No kidding? When were you born?

Q: ‘86

Q: 1986

A: Ah 86… On August 21, 1983, there was this guy named Ninoy Aquino, he came home from exile from U.S. tapos pagdating niya sa tarmac, day off ko yan, it was a Sunday, everybody was excited kasi he planned to challenge Marcos eh. He was killed in the Tarmac, grabe yan! Yun sa amin ano eh, yun mga events nay un eh dun nagchachange life mo eh. One event will change your life. September 21, 1972 what changed your life was when Marcos declared martial law. Eto, he changed again our lives kasi August 21, 1983, aba nagalit na lahat ng tao, ayaw na nila ng dictatorship. At first, people agreed to ano, d masyado nagpoprotest kasi Marcos was able to impose discipline, before 1972 puro demonstration na ang lalaki on the scale you’ve never seen. Yun maga recent demonstations, wala yun! Konti yun, sa Ayala, konti yun. Panahon ni Marcos 100,000, 200,000 naku! Yun ordinary classmates mo na ano noon na nagpaparty-party rin kami pero pag may demo pumupunta kami. So August 21, 1983 nagalit na lahat ng tao talaga. And Marcos thought that the people were still scared of him, pero they were no longer scared of him. So noon funeral ni Ninoy Aquino. Alam mo, it went down sa Guinness book of records as the longest funeral in history, Ah… comparable only to the funeral for an Indian great man named Mahatma Gandhi. Si Ninoy nagstart ang funeral sa Sto. Domingo, naku Sto. Domingo, Sto. Domingo! Dumiretso na sa Quiapo na, hindi pa gumagalaw. Maraming tao sa ano, sa marami sa Sto. Domingo. Ganoon kahaba iyon, tapos dun sa trak, dun sa coffin niya yun face ni Ninoy di pinagalaw ng mother niya eh. Di siya pinagalaw. Napanood nyo ba yun "The Godfather"? Si Marlon Brandon? Napanood niyo ba?

Q: Hindi po eh.

A: Well, ditto kabaligtaran dun sa Godfather. Yun sa Godfather, which is a celebrated film for our generation. Binaril yun ano niya, it’s about mafia eh. Binaril yun anak niya si Sally Coleone tapos pinatay si Marlon Brando. Sa friend niya sa funeral parlor. Sabi nya dun sa ano, do everything in your power, I don’t want my wife to see what they did to my son. Si Doña ano naman, mother ni Ninoy yun, si Doña, kalimutan ko na, sabi niya noon na nabaril si Ninoy, "Huwag niyong mamakeupan yun anak ko. I want the world to see what they did to my son." So si Ninoy, dami pumunta sa funeral niya. Yun Fernando Poe, wala yan! Yun funeral ni Fernando Po, wala yan! Ah naku, ang haba talaga! Siguro, pwede, comparable, pero masmalaki, at tsaka from all sectors, di lang showbiz mga ganun, so nung ano na niya, nung wake niya yun ano, nine days ata yun wake tapos pagdating ng funeral niya, cguro mga one million ang pumunta din. Nasa Baclaran yun ano, yun funeral, yun casket ni Ninoy nasa ano, sa isang flat bed. Nakakita niyo ba ang malalaking trucks?

Q: Opo.

A: Tapos may naglagay dun na sign, "Do not delay! A project of the 1st lady." May nagjoke! Parang sinasabi nila na si Imelda ang nagpapatay kay Ninoy. So iyon, the biggest funeral in history at mga reporters kami noon, hindi kami pumasok alam mo ba? August 21, 22 wala kang nabasa na funeral sa Philippine newspapers.

Q: So anong newspaper kayo noon?

A: Journal.

A: Sa Times Journal. Wala kang mabasa! International event yun, nandito lahat ng ano ____ or something, lahat ng journalists all over the world andito, tapos alam mo ba ng mag-Inquirer noon, kasi pagdaan galing sa Quiapo punta ng Luneta tapos Roxas Boulevard ang route di ka mapapagod noon. Ang basa ng journal, "3 killed by lightning!"

Q: Lightning?

A: Lightning! "3 Killed by Lightning." Lightning kills 3! Alam mo bakit? Kasi noon medyo November yun, hindi, hindi, August yun! May thunderstorm eh, ang daming tao, mayroon onlookers umakyat dun sa isang tree sa Luneta and they were hit by lightning.

Q: Oh my gosh!

A: Yan ang banner namin! Eh ang publisher ang ano naming, ang isang top editor ay si Isagani ang board. Naku, hiyang hiya sila, di na sila nagpakita. He’s now with Inquirer. So yun, grabe ang ano noon, walang press freedom noon. Kasi finire kaming lahat!

Q: Again?

A: Doon kami finire ni Kokoy Romualdez. And by some twist of fate, di mamaya na lang, twist of fate, ah finire ako ni Kokoy so wala akong work. Actually nakatulong yun eh kasi noon dahil walang naglabas noon ano ng newspaper. My aunt, yun name si Eugenia D. Apostol, Duran Apostol, formed a magazine to cover everything that the mainstream newspapers were not covering. So, lumabas na Magazine noon, Mr & Ms. Special edition.

Q: I’ve seen those!

A: Oh, yon! Di ka pinapanganak noon eh!

Q: When I’d research in the library, I’d see the old…

A: Ayun! Special Edition, naku! Binili lahat ng mga tao! Soon, she came out with a special on the funeral. And it sold 500,000 copies.

Q: Wow…

A: Kulang pa! 500,000 copies and Marcos decided na dahil may clamor doon, he ordered, he created a body. It’s called the Agrama Fact Finding Board. Investigate assassination. And gave commendations on who would be responsible. So dun ako kinuha sa, di wala ng akong job diba? Bagong kasal pa naman ako noon, cguro ang pera ko lang sa bank ay 5,000 pesos. Pero malaki na yun 5,000 dahil about two months lang yun, kasi ang suweldo ko lang nun about 1,600.

Q: A month ho?

A: A month! Mura pa ng coke nun, 10 centavos lang. So, I got married December 8 and joined the Mr. & Ms. Staff. Ang editor noon ay si Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc na related rin. Kailangan ay kilala mo yun mga ano eh. Kasi, grabe ang paranoia Ms. Special edition. And it’s good also na ang daming nafire sa Inquirer kasi may Malaya, may freedom si Joe Burgos, Malaya, maraming dun sa natanggal pumunta sa Malaya. Mga Anti-Marcos newspapers mga yan, na napunta rin sa Veritas, yun mga, medyo, period of protest say un. So for 3 years we covered demonstrations. Ako, I covered the trial ng mga involved dun sa double murder, nina Aquino at tsaka may pinatay silang isa pang tao dun na ang pangalan ay Rolando Galman eh. So, wala kaming makita noon sa TV noon ano, basta paglanding ni Ninoy, Nilabas sya sa tube, didiretso ka sa tube para makapunta sa terminal, siya dinaan dito, binaha sya dito, yun mga photographers at international press doon naghihintay so binaba siya sa emergency stairway, tapos all they heard were shots. Bang! Bang! Bang! "Oh no, what happened?" parang ano eh! Tapos pagtingin nilang lahat paglabas noon dalawang lalake sa Tarmac, si Ninoy tapos may isang naka blue, isang naka blue. Pangalan nya Rolando Galman. Sabi ni Marcos, "yun ang pumatay. Si Rolando Galman!" Alam mo bang yun nagbantay kay Ninoy? 2,000 soldiers secured the airport! Tapos may nakalusot na isang assassin. Tapos nang doon si… tapos ang sabi nila, dalawa ang pinatay!

A: "Siguro 30 years na ako noon". Yun ang pumatay, sabi ni Marcos, "communist yan! Pumatay kay Ninoy mga communists." So may trial, eventually by some magic or twist of fate, yun 5 kasi duda mga tao kasi mga kaibigan ni Marcos iyon eh. Medyo independent pero medyo ano sa kanya, lean toward him. Conservative na tao yun. Isang tao ang tanda tanda na. May educator may isa siyang kinuhang… kinuhang barber, may isang kinuhang labor leader, pero ang ginagawa niyang chief prosecutor pangalan niya, Andres Narvasa, who eventually became the… tapos nagulat si Marcos, ang recommendation ng court for the trial… well, ano yun trial, parang Big Brother ba yun? Napanood nyo ba? I-prosecute si Ver, yun pinaka chief-of-staff, si General Fabian Ver. Naku! Nakakatakot yun. Si Ver at mga 24 soldiers. 24 soldiers… Galit na galit mga tao parang… di sya ang tinuro na siya sya yung nag mastermind. Kasi si Marcos may very serious kidney ailment, Mayroon siyang _____. Nang nagappear sa TV. Maga ang mukha sa steroids siguro naka pajama pa siya "I order an investigation!" Tapos pina-aquit! Pina-aquit lahat ng soldier! Galit na galit mga tao, lalong nagalit na ha! One time, ininterview ngayon si Marcos, sabi ng isang David Brinkley yata, anchor sa U.S., live siya, sabi ni Marcos, "your mandate is under question." Noon 1980, tumakbo si Marcos, nagpatawag ng presidential elections, siya nanalo siya by 17 million votes, ang kalaban niya ang votes. Malaki ng konti kay Erap pero di tunay na election iyon. Kaya natanggal si Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc noon, kasi si Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc nasa Bulletin noon, siya ang editor ng Panorama. Kaya tapos noon minsan di nanalo si Marcos, tinalo niya si Alejo Santos, ang inaugural niya noon sa Rizal Park. Kumpleto! Akala mo coronation ng King! Mayroon chorus doon, Madrigal. Tapos ang kinanta nila "Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! And he shall reign for ever and ever! Alleluia!" Yun ang ginawa niyang ulo, ni Letty, "And he shall reign for ever!" Kasi yun ang kinanta naman dun eh. Galit na galit si Imelda pinaghanap si Letty Magsanoc, so nagkita kita kaming lahat by some strange coincidence. Pinag, nagkita kita kami forom different groups tapos nagform, sabi ni David Brinkley, "Mr. President, people think that you’ve lost the people’s trust" and ano, sabi ni Marcos, siguro scripted, "I am calling for a snap election!" Ang snap election sinabi yun mga November or October. October 1985, nagpatawag siya ng election mga February. Sige, pwede maski sinong tumakbo, biro mo hawak niya COMELEC, hawak niya mga governors, hawak niya mga mayors kasi may Kilusang Bagong Lipunan Party. Lahat ng party officials member nun. Hawak niya lahat ng councilors walang, opposition noon. Yun lumaban ngayon si Cory at si Doy Laurel. Ngayon sabi ng auntie ko si Mrs. Apostol, "kailangan natin ng newspaper na daily." kasi weekly lang yun Inquirer. So daming sumama na jobless rin si Max Soliven, Si Betty Go-Belmonte, Art Borjal, patay na ngayon si Art Borjal, marami pa. So nagform kami ng newspaper. Ang pangit ng newspaper namin. Ang tawag nila sa newspaper, may expression… Oh! Have you put the newspaper to bed? Ibig sabihin, natapos mo na, napadala na sa printing press para gumawa ng mga negative, tawag dun, ang expression dun "put to bed." Ang tawag ng mga friends naming sa media sa Inquirer, "an unmade bed." Kasi ano lang ang editor niyan, si Louie Beltran, patay na rin yun, si Louie Beltran. So nagstart kami, biro mo ang printing press naming kumbaga kalaban naming mga Ferrari cguro ang dala lang naming Toyota lang. Kumbaga ang na-interview mo sa police files, maganda lang ng konti office naming doon. Doon kami sa star building eh. Biro mo, Star building na iyon, siguro mga 100 employees kami kasi di naman kami serious eh, we’re just trying to put up a brave front para pang inis lang kay Marcos. At least may alternatives mga tao. Isa lang CR naming doon, tapos yun CR pala, dilapidated na iyon, yun girlfriend mo di magCCR doon. Eto advantage naming, eto ang Star eh malapit sa port area eh banda where they sell TV, kami ginagawa naming, halimbawa mag-C-CR kami, sasakay kami ng jeep at bababa kami sa Manila Hotel, doon kami mag-C-CR.

Q: Sosi! (giggles)

A: Pati mga babae dun nag-C-CR, sila Mrs. Apostol, si Letty Magsanoc, lahat dun na nag-C-CR, so dun pa lang talong-talo na kami, Bulletin, gawa ang building nila. Ang Journal, a few blocks away. Wala kaming CR, wala kaming printing press, ang sweldo namin noon, pagka nabenta yung Inquirer, yung mga newsboy dadalhin ngayon yun sale dun, nakabalot na coins. Pero, something happened. In spite… ang ganda ng Bulletin, quality ng newspaper, printing… the best! Bulletin, Daily Express at Journal, maganda at modernized sila. Kami ang pangit nga, siguro 12 pages lang kami noon. Walang sports, puro kulang kulang. First issue namin sold mga 50,000. By that time nagcacampaign na si Cory at si Doy Laurel, by the time mageelection na ng Feb., we were selling already 360,000. Wala nang bumibili ng Bulletin, yun Express, ay naku! Yun ang isang miracle noon period na iyon. And just when Marcos thought that he’d get away with the election, biro mo si Cory, papaano naman manalo si Cory dun eh, everywhere where Cory and Doy went, wala silang expedition, wala pang expedition noon eh, ang daming pumupunta! 1 million! I covered an event in Naga eh. I know the region, 500,000! Ang pumunta! Yun ang kick ng rally! 500,000! From the airport sinalubong siya and people thought before that, "Ay naku! Cory talo na kayo!" Pathetic mga Pilipino! Ay naku! One American described the Filipinos then, mga 20 million eh, described the Filipinos as a bunch of 20 million cowards and one son of a bitch! Sabi sa atin, eh pinatunayan ng mga tao na di sila mga cowards. Ang dami maski saan pumunta si Cory! Ngayon ang pagbiling ngayon, di ba may "Hello Garci!" nadadaya pa! Doon, outright ang dayaan, so series of events, una, ako nagcocover sa Batasan Pambansa, Proproclaim si Marcos, sa Batasan, hindi! Mayroon pa NAMFREL pala, nag walk out, mga computers! Bigla nalang sa mga TV nag walkout lahat ng mga nagbibilang! Dinadaya daw yun election, laking iskandalo, di prinoclaim pa rin ng Batasan Pambansa si Marcos, binilang nila doon eh, parang yun congress, naalala niyo yun? Doon ang national canvassing, prinoclaim sila ni Marcos! Sabi ni Cory "We will not accept the results of the election!" Dami pumunta sa luneta, one million! One million, punong puno yun, parang picnic iyon! Ang sasaya ng mga tao! Tapos, something happened! February 17… nag-away-away sila Marcos, gaganunin nila si Enrile (slits his throat with his finger).

Q: Si?

A: Si Enrile, who was defense secretary (repeats the gesture). Eh si Enrile… gaganunin si Marcos (repeats the gesture again). Nahuli sila Enrile, grabe! Na-uncover yun plot nila! Kasama noon si Ramos at sila Gringo Honasan, nahuli sila ni Marcos, huhulihin silang lahat! One day, pagbukas naming ng TV, alam naming sa Inquirer yun events eh, eh di nagreport na sila Enrile. They seized Crame and Aguinaldo, eh si Enrile di naman sikat yun, kasi he was the martial law administrator, he wasn’t popular pero somebody spoke for him, his name was Jaime Cardinal Sin, sabi niya, "Enrile is a good friend of ours, and we should help." Puntahan lahat ng tao sa EDSA! Lintek! Tayo ang headlines sa lahat ng newspapers for about four days. Four days minonitor yan tapos nasa TV na si Marcos at saka si Ver at lahat ng generals hawak nilang lahat ng mga tanke, eroplano! They sent the tanks, daming tanks, tapos yun mga madre, di nila napigil yun tanks. Yun mga tanks napigil ng mga tao. Nobody called for violence, everybody was all for prayers and peace. Tapos in the end nagdefect yun mga air force, mga helicopter na assigned ni Marcos, mga tanks nasa streets eh i-cracrash ang mga tao, parang yun ginawa sa China na crinash mga student revolt. Datingan mga helicopter sa grounds Crame, nagdefect na pala sila! They switched sides! Naku! Tuwang tuwa sila Enrile, tapos a few days later si Marcos na very good friend ni Ronald Reagan, ganoon sila, sila Imelda, si Ronald at si Nancy Reagan atsaka si Imelda, nagkakabarkada, sabi sa kanila ng senator kay Marcos, ang pagkadescribe ni Marcos ay that it was the loneliest period in his life. Sabi sa kanya, si Luger atang nagsabi sa kanya, I forgot the name of the senator, "Cut! and cut clean!" Tapos, ang tagal ng pause ni Marcos noon tapos pinatay niya yun phone. Sabi ng U.S., "If anybody gets hurt, you will be responsible, and you will no longer be your option of going to the United States for exile will not be available. Eh ang dami nang ninakaw ni Marcos noon, 20 billion dollars ang ninakaw nila, nakalagay lahat sa mga swiss bank, eh usually pag mayaman ka na, di ka na natatakot dib a? tignan mo si Erap, it will get to them! Pagdating noon, alis na si Marcos, Piyesta dito, buong Metro Manila piyesta. Pero ang Inquirer noon number one na newspaper, di na nakahabol ang Bulletin, nagsara na Express, yun Journal naging bankrupt. Nagstabilize circulation namin. So through the years nun nasa ano ako, dun sa sinasabi kong one toilet building, something happened in the newspaper. The newspaper was supposed to be a cooperative and some employees, hindi ako yun, decided to form a union. Sabi ni Mrs. Apostol di pwede yun union at cooperative, eh di ko alam reasoning nila noon. They chose a union over a cooperative, so yun Inquirer we had to sell, kasi ako shareholder ako eh, sell our shares ha! To the next owner, eh di ko alam, I don’t know if what happened was good kasi the Inquirer then had no business ano, walang agreement sa management. So it was taken over by people who could run a newspaper, so we transferred to Madrid Restaurant.

Q: Restaurant?

A: Madrid Restaurant. Madrid Restaurant is a historic restaurant along EDSA but you don’t see it anymore. It’s now a warehouse.

Q: Ay, di ho... nagagalaw lang ho.

A: Doon nagbo-ballroom dancing mga Spanish at mayayaman. Doon kami lumipat, so yun room ni Louie Beltran meron pang bathtub na malaki, yun ballroom ginawa naming... lahat, merong mga computers. Eventually, lumipat kami sa isang building na hindi rin maganda, siguro ang CR dun mga 4. Lumipat kami sa isang building dir in maganda, CR! Tsk, Terrible! Pagkatapos naming sa Madrid, Lumipat kami sa BF, BF Homes, sa Intramuros, ditto sa tabi ng Manila Cathedral, dun kami lumipat a few years again, tapos lumipat ulit kami sa isang building dito sa UN Avenue nag-CCR din naman kami sa Pavillion sa UN Avenue, Tapos eventually, we found our home 1994, a real home! Dun sa Inquirer after the Priettos bought the newspaper, were able to buy the newspaper. I am proud to say yun ang pinaka modern comfort room sa buong industry! Maski mga taga Star maiinggit yun sa comfort room. May comfort room for everyone, every floor, for both wings, lahat yun. Yun ang measure, bakit yun ang measure sa isang building?

Q: Banyo!

A: In fact, sa Singapore, ang measure nila for ano nila growth nila, sa comfort room. All comfort rooms, public toilets in Singapore linalagyan nila ng Star, the best, the cleanest na public toilet binibigyan sila ng 3 stars, I think eh.

A: Asan na tayo? Facilities?

Q: Oho, paano yun facilities niyo dun sa building niyo dun sa makati ho diba? Sa Chino Roces?

A: The best! The best in the world! Sa computer system, we use a computer system. Recently, we were doing the anniversary issue of the Inquirer. And Hanna, we asked ourselves, "Bakit ang Inquirer ang ginawang number one?" I mean, from the stories, you can see naman, we did not have the best printing press. When it came to talent, halos the same lang mga talents namin than other newspapers gaya ng Manila Times, Chronicle, etcetera. But we would like to believe that, dun sa kwento when we were looking back 20 years, it’s something we call grace. Grace, G-R-A-C-E, it’s something you did not look for but it’s something that came to you. Hindi naman naming habol yun number one, kasi gusto lang namin just to bring out the news, tell the people what’s happening, tell the truth as much as you can because it’s our duty to do so. And in the end, siya ang ginawang number one. And the hard thing about grace, is that, I’d like to believe that grace is available to everyone, but only those who will face the responsibilities given to them because of that grace. Only then, only they, kapag open ka to accept it, only then will it come to you. So through the years, unconsciously maybe, we have been part of that rule, "na balance news, fearless views." Many newspapers were given the chance, pero it seemed to me that they rejected it. So we’ll go to another important chapter in the Inquirer’s… memorable chapter! My most memorable chapter in the Inquirer’s history. Sometime in July 1999 when we were headed for another battery, every year. Kasi 5 percent of the net profits of the company, dinidistribute sa employees yun. The previous year, 1998, the share of each employee was 107,000. 1999, each employee was supposed to get a profit share of 150,000! July palang, binibilang na namin mga employees naming, mga 300 employees na 150,000, laki nun... isang kotse na ata yun ng 1999, makabili ka na ng magandang cellphone non, 150,000. Something happened in July, dahil we kept on telling the truth and the truth is sometimes painful to some people, nagalit si Erap ngayon sa amin. May two stories kaming ginawa. One involving his cousin, si Celia De Castro. Tapos another story involving his son si Jude Estrada. Si Jude Estrada, nung na-elect yung father nya, sinama niya yung barkada niya, ewan ko kung La Salle yun pero I . Ginamit nila yung presidential jet, as if parang car sa garage, nakita mo pwede mong gamitin. Di nya alam government property yun. Sinama niya mga friends niya, nag goodtime sila… gumimik. Tapos they left.... nagalit si Erap. Tapos yun isa pa yung kay Celia De Castro, 400 million book contract. Anomalous…. Galit din siya. Tapos nung March na-involve din siya kasi The Manila Times came out with a banner story saying that, Estrada was an unwitting godfather, ninong, to a 15 billion peso power contract. Galit si Erap… sinue niya yung Manila Times for 101 million peso libel suit. As if that were not enough, dinirect niya yun BIR, eh may ari nun Gokongwei’s. Nabuksan lahat ng books ni Mr. John Gokongwei! Binigyan siya ng assessment of tax delinquency of two billion pesos… grabe! Ang lakas ni Erap noon eh. So nag-apologize ang Manila Times pero tama ang story. Nagalit ang ibang editors, nagresign. Tapos, alam mo yun story na yun? Ano yun eh, March eh? Nung May? Aba! Yun kinasal yun anak ni John Gokongwei sa Hongkong, laking wedding nun. Alam mo kung sino yun ninong? Si Erap!.

A: Ang sakit! Tapos, nung July John Gokongwei sold his newspaper to a guy named Mark Jimenez, you know who’s that guy? He’s an Estrada crony. He was wanted by U.S. authorities for tax evation , shady character! He sold it for 20 million. Here is an example of a newspaper who could have stood up on their principles, and journalists sila, and decided not to. Yun ang example ko na, open ang grace to anyone if you accept it and if you are ready for it. But they chose not to, so wala na sila sa newspaper business ngayon, nasa magazine business parin. So yun ang events, pagdating ng July sabi ni Estrada, Erap "kaya natin tong Inquirer na to." So July 8 nagmeeting sa Malacanang mga producers, humihingi sila ng tax incentives. Sabi ni Erap, "sige, tutulungan ko kayo, kasi mga colleagues nya yun.... Pero pwede niyo akong tulungan? Pwede tanggalin niyo lahat ng ads niyo sa Inquirer?" nag ad boycott. Lahat! So pagstart naming, akala lang naming movie producers. Mamaya kasama na PLDT, Smart, Philtel, Shoemart, Lahat ng big advertisers namin nawala! Ngayon napakacrucial ng economics, napakacrucial ng ad revenues. Why?

Q: Sir, bale yan ang nagpapatakbo ng paper. Dun nanggagaling ang initial money niyo for publication.

A: No, not only that. kung titingnan niyo ang Inquirer, ang cover price niya is only18 pesos. But ang production cost niya, it costs 30 pesos to produce one newspaper. So in a situation where the production cost, uhhh… unit cost is higher than the cover price the gap must come from ad revenues. Yan ang weird structure ng Philippine newspapers eh. Unlike in America the cover price approximates, di ganon ka layo ang difference between the unit cost and cover price. (Engine Noises). So hindi niya tinira yung mga taong bumili ng Inquirer, tinira niya yung mga advertisers kasi madaling takutin kagaya ni Mr. John Gokongwei. So binoycott na ngayon yun Inquirer. Tapos yung president naming, very young president, si Sandy Prieto, kinausap niya ngayon yung isang close kay Erap, para to clear things up. Sabi sa kanya, "galit na galit ang presidente sa inyo. Paluluhurin niya kayo." Tapos after one week, ganun ang usapan eh, siguro kasing sweet mo yung si Sandy. sweet na sweet si Sandy, yung hindi pa na-eexpose sa world of violence, diba parang classmate nyo sa Colegio San Agustin, Assumption, U.P., social girl Tapos, a week later, lumapit sa kanya ang isang tycoon, billionaire sinasabi nilang golfer, kilala nilang lahat. Sabi kay Sandy, "Sandy, let us help ease your pain. Name your price." Name your price… Sandy and her family could have walked away with 5 billion pesos in that situation and happy na sila.

A: So he was advised ng mga sober, sober advisers nya to make peace with the Inquirer. Kasi Estrada thought it would be a four-round firght na ma na-knock-out nya yung iba na turned out to be a loosing struggle. But during the boycott although we generated a lot of support from the public, we were concerned about press freedom. We also took an inside-out approach so we, we reviewed all processes and procedures on how we gather the news and how we present it. And as a result of our, while habang sina Erap nag-aano and his friends were drinking in Malacañang till the wee ours of the morning, kami we reviewed our, for the first time in our history, we came out with a blue book, our blue book contained all our standards on accuracy, fairness and balance. Doon, in that bok, wala akong copy eh, baka meron ako dyan, merong, andun ang rules mo on how to make use of anonymous sources, when do you, when must you get the side, halimbawa Hanna tells something bad about you, ba, kailangan nyang kunin side mo before turning the story for fairness. Tapos you must always take notes, kagaya nyan, in interviewing somebody, maski may camera ka na kailangan nagno-notes ka, o maski naka tape na sya, halimbawa si Erap, kailangan may notes ka. Ano yun, must yun maski sa, sa Philippines kasi ah, its good also kasi it will take, ah it saves time kasi nagno-notes ka dyan, sabagay you wont be writing a news story, pero pag nonotes ka habang nag-aano ka, back-up mo lang yung tape mo, se when you miss something sa notes mo, pwede mo saying balikan. Pero mandatory yan. Sa America, and kukkunin sayo nung court hindi yung tape, yung notes mo, notes ang kukunin sayo. Nireview naming lahat yun. Have we been unfair to Erap? Inano naming, pinag-aralan naming yung mga procedures. We discussed ethics tsaka yung mga procedures. Finally, nung nareview na naming lahat, our history, tens and thousands of letters, e-mail, snail-mail, fax, sabi sa amin, don’t, don’t throw in the dowell, don’t surrender. You must fight. So medyo nagsuffuer, nabawasan marami. Finally, on November, in November of that year, Estrada said na sabi nya nag make peace, he sought peace. So divided and newsroom, yung newsroom suspicious yun eh. Sabi nung mga iba wala naming mangyayari dyan, humingi yan ng apology o kaya magpromise tayo, hihingin satin yung promise natin na we’ll give him favorable treatment, di naman natin mabibigay. Wag na tayong pumunta dyan, saying lang ang oras natin. You will be facing yourself in the corner tapos ma-oopen pa kami sa intrigue, sasabihin nilana nakipag-compromise kami, diba? Sabi naman ng mga iband editors "ah, why don’t we listen to the president, for once. Hear out what, listen to what he is going to say, tapos we’ll see.. don’t have to commit anything." So nung last week ng November, ininvite nay kami, yung nga-arrange ng meeting, isa naming reporter na who joined the Estrada administration and became the publisher of a journal group, journal group. Sinet yung meeting sa greenhills, sa bahay ni Mayor Jinggoy Estrada. Simple lang, syampre mas maganda dito, maayos. May house dyan tapos may cabana. Yung bahay ng mother nya si Doñaa Mary ginagawang.. any district… ang laking bahay. Standard lang naman to. Tapos nandun si President, ganyan yung table, ang habang table sa cabana. Siguro for mga 20 people, 10, 10. Si President Estrada nandyan, nandito katabi ko si Letty, ang nga-cater Le Soufflé. Kumain kami ng salad na pâté foie gras tapos may red wine, tapos may mga waiters. Simple lang. Start 7 o’clock, kwento lang, puro small talk lang, kwento, tapos nung kini-clear na ng mga waiter, winarningan kami before eh, na si President Estrada pag nagalit sayo, din a nagpapaalam. Tatayo na, aalis na, iiwan ka na. yun ang ginawa nya kay Atong Ang.

Q: Sino po?

A: Atong Ang, isa sa shady associate nya sa gambling. At yon di tinitake up nyo sa class nyo don. Don na kami, tapos na kumain, nagkwekwentuhan na si Erap. Biro mo, kaaway naming sya for four months, mortal enemy naming yun, every opportunity sa radyo, may radio program siya, Jeep ni Erap, tinitira nya yung Inquirer. "Yang Dyaryo na yan!" Napaka unfair daw, yung mga reporters naming, ininvite nya mga reporters naming, invite nya para lang ma-spite kami, ininvite nya sa merienda. Kunwari merienda, bibigyan nya kasi ng storya, tapos yung mga libro ng Inquirer, gaya ng ginawa nila, like what the BIR did to the Gokongwei, binuksan nila mga books, pati mga directors, grabe harassment, ang dami ah. Although they didn’t fid anything. So nagface to face na kami sa kanya, mahirap sabihin, meron sya ditong wrist band nya diba? So he’ll know, he can tell his left hand from his right hand. Sabi nila kaya may wrist band, sinipa ako ni Letty. Mr. President, ginagalit nyo na sya, so there won’t be any misunderstanding. Sabi ko, "Mr. President, alam nyo nung pumunta kami dito, marami ang nagsabi sa Inquirer wala namang mangyayari, marami namang editors and nagsasabi na ba’t hindi raw naming pakinggan ang presidente? Mr. President, ano bang hinanakit nyo sa Inquirer?" Sila Jinggoy, kala mo ang tapang ni Jinggoy, wala lang imik yan. Umalis na and presidential security guard. Sila Jinggoy pumunta na dun sa kanto, talagang he, hindi, hindi, kasi lumalabas ba kayo ng mga neighborhood nyo? Nakikita nyo yung mga neighborhood bullies? Ganun, ganon, siya yung siga sa… "Ito ba no holds barred?" Eh, dito sa tabi ni Letty Magsanoc, si Pardo, yung finance secretary nya nakatira yun sa Ayala. Gentleman yun, tapos nagtuloy-tuloy… "Ang ayoko sa lahat", sabi nyang ganun, "pati mga kamag-anak ko dinadamay nyo! Si Jude, sinulat nyo na pumunta sya sa Cagayan de Oro na hindi nagbayad ng mga bills nila! Wala akong anak na balasubas! Yung pinsan ko si Celio de Castro, napilitang tuloy pumunta sa America dahil dinawit nyo dito! Sa ano, "Wala akong kamag", kasi noong inauguration nya sabi nya, famous last line, "walang kama-kamag-anak" diba? "Walang kai-kaibigan, walang kumpa-kumpare…" Yon, nagalit sya non, "tapos yung litrato nila Laarni nilagay nyo pa sa dyaryo!" Hindi kasalanan ng Inquirer binintang samin. "Nilagay nyo pa sa dyaryo nakapicture sya ng shorts… kung makikita ng anak nya…" Sabi ni Letty, "Mr. President, hindi naman kami naglabas non, ang naglabas non Star. "Yung litrato ko na may langaw sa mukha ko nilabas nyo!" Sabi ni letty, "Hindi ho kami naglabas non, ang naglabas non Manila Times…" "Pareho lang yun! Tapos yung nagsisigarlilyo ako…" Nagpromise kasi sya eh sa, sa ano, sabi sa kanya, president say, be and example. Show that you’re concerned sa health nya. Inanounce nya na di na say nag ii-smoke. Minsan nakausap nya mga reporters, nag smoke sya ng Lucky Strike, pinicturan yun, galit na galit! Yon, inamin naman naming yon. Pero ano, dami, tagal nya. "Parang yung janitor ng Malacañang, pag nabasa and dyaryo nyo, mawawalan sya ng respeto sa akin!" As if respect isnot earned, sabi ko. Sagutan sila ng sagutan ni Letty. Aba, siguro 20 kami don sa table… ah… Parang pinapagalitan, galit na galit! Finally, sabi nya tama nga yung sinabi na walang mangyayari. "Mr. President, alam nyo, ang pwede lang naming ipanako sa inyo ay accuracy, fairness and balance, yung lang ang pwede naming ipangako sa inyo. Kung patungkol sa anak nyo, kinausap naming si, nag set-up kami ng hotline kay Press Secretary Rodrigo na kukunin muna naming yung side nyo ng mga kamag-anak nyo bago naming ilabas and istorya. Tapos saib ni Erap, "eh ganon naman pala eh! Ok!" Aba, nagulat kami bigla kmaing pinatawag tapos niloko na nya si Sandy. "Sandy, is it true the reports I heard?" Ikakasal na kasi si Sandy sa December. "Waiter" tapos pinaserve nya ay wine tapos nag-joke sya sa mga Cabinet Officials, maski yung mga Takusa, yung jinojoke nya sa elections, Takusa. Tapos wala na, kalimutan na. To this day, President Estrada never admitted in public na he instigated the boycott sa Inquirer, to this day ha. Despite the fact na after nagsalita si Sandy sa , kinausap si Sandy ng mga cronies ni Estrada. Letty Jiminez-Magsanoc was invited by Mark Jimenez to his house in Forbes Park, so si Letty sinama si Sandy. Don si Mark Jimenez naka-pajama lang, naka-pajama lang, would you believe? Tapos tinawagan nya lahat ng boycott coordinators, kasi yung pagboycott nila, bawat ah, 7 yun eh, bawat coordinator yun yung nag-iintimidate. Halimbawa ng Binondo businesses, Makati businesses at ganito, tinatakot nila so impress on the editor-in-chief na napaka extensive ng boycott, you have no way but defeat. Pinatawagan nya na sa, hindi nila alam ng mga kausap nya na si Letty nakikinig over the speaker phone so notes ng notes si, notes ng notes si Letty. Pagkatapos, paranoid yon si Mark Jimenez. Eh, binuksan nya lahat ng stereo nya, TV, cause he flet that he was being bugged. Hindi inamin, eh, never did President Estrada admit ha binoycott nya kami although alam na ng lahat…

Q: But it’s a fact that he did?

A: Sure, oo talaga. And nagsabi sa amin Malacañang officials kasi before he launched the boycott, they, may mga tao naman sa Malacañang with conscience. Hindi naman lahat sa Malacañang noon mga lasenggo, at saka nagmamajong, nagsusugal at nambababae. So winarningan nya kami so in the end sabi ni wala, wala. The boycott was never taken up during that meeting. Pero a strange ting happened ha. Natapos din. Nagstart kami ng meeting at 7 tapos natapos kami ng 1 o’clock in the morning. Si Sandy lives dito sa Bel Air yata at that time, 3 o’clock nagstart na magring ang mga calls from advertisings telling her "we’re ready to do business again with the Inquirer." Biro mo yun, because they can’t tell Inquirer readers and other people the wonders of their products and services, biro mo lahat yun nagsuffer. Yung PLDT nagsuffer, dahil hindi alam ng mga tao kung ano models ng cellphone nila, yon, yun ang nangyari. So by December, the boycott was over but it was the most serious crisis the Inquirer ever faced, in its life and na yun nga, we grow, with such trials. So ano, anon a tayo… yun ang pinaka significant events, infact, yong event na yon, yong boycott sa akin..

Q: Proved the Inquirer’s worth?

A: Proved that the Inquirer, with responsibility, Hanna, comes faith. Kasi yun, we could have chosen, sino yun, sina Sandy kinuha yung 5 billion, yung 5 billion dinistribute na lang yung 1 billion sa mga boys, hinati-hati na lang, but no. We decided to stick to our principals, principles and stay true to our commitment of telling the truth everyday as much as we can, so up to now we are still here. And ah, funny thing is, si Erap kasi hindi sya conscious eh, di sya conscious sa mga implications ng mga decisions nya. Yun yung tragedy nya. Kasi he didn’t know the boycott against the Inquirer awakened the forces who’ll eventually bring him down. Alam mo, galit nag alit sila Cardinal Sin, sina Cory sa kanya… nagrally. Ganyan so after nagbati-bati na kami ng November, pagdating ng February, there was a scandal, a big scandal in stock market. It involves BW resources. Biro mo yun 2 pesos lang yung stock nung yun, umabot at that time ng 86 pesos, wala namang business yun. Yun, grabeng scandal yon. Stock manipulation yun taos same month ng March, the employees are crying because they only receieved 40,000 pesos profit sharing. Thanks to Estrada, yong Presidential Chief of Staff nya ang pangalan si Brod D____ was joking infront of international ah, yung foreign reporters… "You know in Malacañang, by that time, by 4 in the morning, I’m the only ah, sober enough to take everybody home." Biro mo yun, everyday daw lasing si Erap hanggang 4 in the morning, eh di nagbanner sa lahat yun, ginanon ni Erap yun. Eh nagbibiro land daw si Brod D____. Taga Canada, pinauwi nya, "Umuwi ka na!" Kinukwento ni Erap tapos March yon, di n nakarecover si Estrada, dirediretso na pagdating ng October, nakaaway naman nya si Chavit Singson, nag-away sila over Jueteng kasi gusto nila kuni yung Jueteng ni Chavit into Bingo 2 Ball. So nag-away sila, nagsalit itong si Chavit na dinidiliver nya and payola sa Jueteng tapos yung tobacco taxes 200 million, 120 million yung tobacco taxes, dinidiliver nya kay Erap. Tapos si Erap nadiscover lahat yung mga mansions nya, yung Boracay mansion nya para sa mga mistresses nya, worth 1 billion pesos. Na-impeach ngayon si Erap tapos yon, ewan ko, birthday ko non, January 19, nandito ako non, day off ko, Friday, nanonood ako sa TV dahil pupunta yung friends ko dito so nag-aayos ako ng konti. Nakita ko na lang buong military leadership sa EDSA. Medyo naiyak ako non, sabi ko, patay na si Erap. We were, and ah, unfortunately, we were there when President Estrada leaped out of Malacañang, and went to his house and come April, we were also at the scene to formally arrest by the Sandigan Bayan Sheriff brought him to prison. Tapos is Mark Jimenez, nandun din kami nung sumakay sya sa plane to be taken away by US marshals for his, for jail in, for jail sa Florida. Tapos yung mga nagboycott na sinulat ni letty, yung mga names non, isang promotor sa boycott, ang pangalan niya si Jaime de Chavez, nasa exile dinyon kasi ninahanap sya. Meron pa don isa, meron pa don, nagboycott, isa sa mga nagboycott, wala na, nasira mga business nila. Isa sa nagcoordinate nung boycott, di ko na babanggitin yung name, nagcollapse yung premium company nya, lahat sila nagkandamalas-malas na. So yung Inquirer non, so we learned to roll with the punches, medyo nabugbog din kami pero compared to what happened to Estrada. In fact, yung ano na yun, yung episode na yun mas clear pa sa mind ko, sabi kasi nila, yong past is just one point in time. Ito, pag tinignan nyo sa Page One, yo can take a look at it later, tignan nyo mga events. You have to examine the events that we covered. Young coup, young coup ng 1989, 80’s na nagcocover kami, binobomba na yung Crame. Yun siguro 3 years old pa lang kauo. Yung Crame binobomba na, yung Aguinaldo, wala eh. Hindi ako nag… I look at it objectively ah, they say, Hanna daw when you’re a reporter and some big catastrophe happens, you can only weep with one eye, weep but only with one eye, basta may saying yung sa zen kasi yung other eye, you must observe and you just weep. Yung, yung earthquake, nako, grabe yun, yung earthquake. Yung Mt. Pinatubo eruption, the biggest eruption, the biggest catastrophes happened the last 20 years and I was privileged. Yung Abu Sayaf kidnappers, matatawa ka sa Abu Sayaf kidnappers yung mga inside stories. Meron yung head nung, nung Abu Sayaf pangalan ay Janjalani, hinuhunting pa rin yun. Ngayon, nagalit yung victims nung kidnapping, kinidnapp din yung mother nya, yung mother nya, yung kapatid nya kinidnapp din. So nagkita-kita sila sa isang lugar sa Sulu. Sabi kay Janjalani "Oy soli nyo yung mga teachers nay un, susoli naming mother mo." Alam mo sabi ni Janjalani? "O sige, okay, okay, okay." So nagswaswap na sila. Isosoli mother nya, isosoli nya yung kinidnapp nyang teachers. Alam mo sabi ni Janjalani? "Eh pano yung board and lodging nitong mga hostage naming?" Biro mo, yung mother nya yung ipapalit dun sa kanya, inisip pa yung pera. Ang nagkwekwento nito yung si si Robert Abertado, yung initiator. Ang comment nya, and to think he was so fond of his mother. Inano ny apa yung pera… Yung mga memorable collegues nabanggit ko na in the course of my..

Q: Pero sir, yung ano, yun nga, nung bago pa lang ho kayo, yung mga bossnyo ho dun, sino ho yung superiors nyo nung reporter pa lang kayo, tapos parang, how did they help you become what you are now?

A: How did I…? Well sa newspaper it is so difficult, maski Inquirer, it’s so hard to believe that, that this can be the work of only 1 person. It involves a lot of synergy, art, photography, design, editing, reporting, financial support by management, but yung management mismo of the paper. Ang mga unforgettable figures sa akin, yun, una si Mrs. Apostol, because ah, at saka si Letty, because they believed that, ah, okay naman ako, ewan ko ba kung ba’t naniwala sial sa akin, although may experience nako non, gave me the chance. Tapos ang memorable sakin yung generosity nina Sandy at saka Mrs. Prietto, talagang all out support sila. If Tita eggy has EDSA 1, the Priettos had EDSA 2. Maraming, marami akong editors dyan, wala na. Ewan ko, 1 editor I remember si Dick Pascual, yun and editor, parang editor-in-chief naming, wala na sya, finire sya, nasa Star na sya ngayon, he has a column in Star. Isang friend ko na nagretire nman, editor naming si Boy Lusan(?), nagretire nay un. Inquirer, many people have come and gone. In fact, from the original 100 or so employees, 12 nalang and merong, may ring na ganyan. Binigay ito 5 years sa origina, so mga 86 kami, so ngayon, after 20 years, 5 na lang kami. Kasama dun si Letty, Letty Magnasoc. And ah, isang I learned sa Inquirer na searching for the truth is not easy. The search for the truth is not easy. You must keep on balancing and you must have the courage to pursue it. Kasi it would have been easy for us na makipag-deal na lang kay Erap, that not the way I chose it. And looking back, looking back, Hanna, pag tinignan ko lahat yun, parang 20 years has been so short, 20 years just becomes one point eh, one point, one point lang ha, di yung maraming points a, just one point in your life. Tapos titignan mo, na one reason I continued to stay in the business, they say na yung mga journalist they don’t do kasi everyday they do something new. Somebody compared journalism to a, may isang nascratch sa, sa, na editor sa US who likened journalism to being married to a nymphomaniac. Sabi nya, once your through, you have to start all over again. So everyday it’s a miracle. Everyday you have to choose, you have to produce an entirely, an entirely new product. You have to keep reinventing yourself, and I can’t imagine how we could have pulled through for 20 years straight, 24/7, so I felt that a bigger force, some force bigger that all of us, must have been there to guide us through all these big stories.