ABIOG. Can you tell us something about your educational background, what degree you've finished and where you graduated?
ORTEGO. Educational background?

Q. Opo.
A. I don't think I'm educated.

Q. (Laugh) Bakit naman po?
A. Well, a…ok…ah, dito sa, skip elementary and high school. I took up journalism at UST at the Facult of Philosophy and Letters. Ganun din sa UST noon noh. Ah…Philosophy and Letters. It was not a school, it was not a college, it was a faculty. Yun ang pangalan ng aming eskwelahan. Ah…iba ang sistema doon, ah…wala kaming textbook. Ah…that was how, ah…uh…difficult it was for us. Wala kaming friends. We were on our own. We were left to find our own textbook. Kasi it was a test of resourcefulness---ganun ang journalist eh. Di ka namn tuturuan ng editor mo kung paano mo gagawin yung ano, kung pano mo hahanapin yung istorya. And philosophy was important because philosophy is the foundation for people who think. Uh, noon ang mga journalist, mga writers, uh, nag-iisip. We tought noh? We used our brains. Ngayon, wala na akong nakikitang kuwan eh MasCom graduates who think eh. Oo. I'm sorry to say that noh. Uh, so philosophy uh was the foundation and we had nothing but Greek. There were some English words that, uh, derived frim Latin rootwords and Greek. So it helped our vocabulary. Ngayon, iba na ang MasCom. Wala ng specialization. Kami, we we could choose huh. We learn to major in philosophy or journalism or both noh. Ngayon, wala na. Ang…communication shotgun diba?

Q. Um, sa ano po kasi yung sa amin parang…program po namin, meron po silang tracking. Like not really sa…tatlo po yun, photography, journalism-print and, um broadcast, um tapos film. Sa inyo po ba ganun?
A. Hindi, may focus kami. Kung journalism ka…

Q. Journalism.
A. Yung major mo, talagang marami kang kukunin na journalism subjects.

Q. Ano po ba yung inyo, more of application or talagang…?
A. Communication in a sense that, uh, all our professors were practicing journalists. They were editors no. We had exercises in news writing, for instance, we had exercises in the classroom. Aah, our professor in, aah, journalism I, aah, (laughs) Joe Bautista, no, was the city editor of the Manila Times no. He would, ah, bring to class facts that , ah, about, ah, facts of the events, ah, that really took place, no. He would give us the facts and we would write the story. The best critic story came out in the Manila Times with the, with the, tag line of the, uh, student who wrote it. So that was the application, no. At, uh, our training was rigid. Feature writing, for instance, I broke into print when I was in deed second year college, thus, we were really pounded every class day, uh, to, to learn what was being taught. And, uh, what was uh, taught us was not, uh, theory but, uh, practice, application.

Q. Paano naman po yung graduate studies o masteral degrees. May ganoon pa po ba?
A. Ya! Alam mo sa amin Philets, PHILET in short because of the letters PHI-LETS, 1st year pa lang pag magaling na, ay, kinukwan na ng mga editors, inaakit na. So many of us were not able to graduate because wer were taken in by the newspapers.

Q. Ah, uhuh.
A. Because, at that time, uh, all the editors and reporters in all the newspapers in town were PHILETS. Maski saan ka magpunta noon, PHILETS. Ah, pati editor bihira ka makakita ng taga-ibang eskuwelahan. Ah, even the tabloid before edited by PHILETS. So that's how the Philosophy and Letters, the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, uh, excelled in creating future journalists and writers. So, uh, to, uh, waiting of masteral program or doctorate, First year ka pa lang kung magaling ka kukunin ka na ng newspaper, eh.

Q. Ah. So what kind of assignments did your boss give you as a "crib" journalist? Nung bago pa po lang ba kayo? Di ba sabi po nila parang usually may mga initiation pa po, pahihirapan pa po kayo ng boss niyo, di ba?
A. No, uh. Ang mahirap yung first day sa first year. Ah, English I. The teacher told us to write about ourselves regardless of length, of length, uh, bahala ka kung isang notebook ang pupunuin mo one sheet. Uh… from that exercise, the professor already knew if you had it. The, the, the, the thing that the professor was looking for was facility in expressing oneself in English because English is a, is a, is still the tool.
A. in Journalism. In communication, no. Pag may nakitang error dun sa exercise mo, maski dun sa punctuations lang, ina-advice ka kaagad to shift to education, to the arts. It will be easier for you. You will find an easier time in another class, not in journalism. Otherwise, ma-embarrass ka lang. Di ka papasa eh. Yun ang hirap. If you had it, pumasa ka doon sa English, then you …… meron ka ng ano, uh…

Q. edge.
A. Ability for ano, uh, expressing yourself and, uh, every, uh, assignment, and, uh, test, whatever was not too difficult enough. And by the way, all. uh, exams, were all essay type. Puro kwan… puro…walang, walang….

Q. objective type.
A. ……questions. Kung may questions man, sasagutin mo at the same time. The professor, or kami, we would suggest four questions, no. And then we would elect two out of the four questions. Yung two questions na yan yung napili namin yun ang sasagutin namin. Tapos, mahirap, dahil minsan four na exam, examination booklet yun pupunuin mo.

Q. Pero pag ano niyo po, di ba after, kinuha na po ba kayo agad ng newspaper?
A. Kinukuha nga kami ng time pero hindi ako sumama.

Q. Ah, so hindi po yung Manila Bulletin yung first na news….
A. No, no. no.

Q. Ah…. KITCH: Ganito ang nangyari sa akin. Since, uh, I broke into print when I was only in 2nd year, uh, our professor in, uh, editorial, editorial writing, si Rose Sta. Romana,uh, wanted, uh, to take me in, dun sa, as a reporter - Manila Times but I was already making a little money by freelance writing. Kasi freelance, sa, sa freelance writing, sa as a freelance writer, I've got freedom. I could write for the Manila times, for the Weekly Graphic, for the Daily Mirror and the magazines of the, the Time and the Mirror, so I could earn more money than a reporter, no.

Q. Yeh.
A. I had several sources eh, so, I did not, uh, accept the offer for me to be a reporter at the Manila times, no. Maski dito sa Bulletin, eh, one time, I was offered a job, but I declined it. Pero, at that time, gusto ko subukan lahat ng media, ah.

Q. ….Um……
A. Uh, ayaw ko muna matali na sa print. And, uh, really it happened. I went into filmmaking. I was a doccumentary film maker for a year. I wrote, uh, at least one script in a four-story movie, uh, for Sampaguita Pictures. Aand then, uh, I went into, I, I, published our newspaper in Samar until, uh, ,y life was in danger …..

Q. Uh..until na, uh, …..
A. Uh, nagkaroon ako ng problema because, ano, the people that I was exposing in the provincial government were my own relatives.

Q. Ah….(laughs)
A. And my sister, my sister was a public school teacher, my father was in public works, they start pressuring my mother and my sister because they could not pressure me so just to give my father and my sister peace of mind, I have to stop publishing the newspaper and I was carried into radio. I was the first station manager, the first radio station in Samar, a very prestigious station in Samar, DYOB, Calbayog City. I managed it for a year, so, kuwan na no, printmaking, to radio, then to advertising. I spent fifteen of the best years of my life in advertising and public relations.

Q. Um….
A. Martial law…..

Q. Ya….
A. One of our agency, only 30% of our business was left. So from advertising, I was taken in by Program Philippines as a special projects director. This was the Tele-Independent TV Production Company that was producing Student Canteen, Kahapon Lamang and other shows. So I was in television and radio again for five years, tapos, ay nagsawa na ako sa television, balik ako sa print and then in between staage, stage, because I was writing the scripts for the gridiron of the National Press Club and I was into stage production, so nalibot ko yung buong media from print to audio-visual and back to print.

Q. print again.
A. That's the story of my life.

Q. You used to write humurous articles, right, like for magaziness, or something, sir, humurous articles.
A. Did I?

Q. Yes, sir. My professor told me that you used to write for this magazine or newspaper.
A. A….ya…. First, before martial law, I was with the Weekly Graphic, the Weekly Graphic was a better graphic than the Philippine Graphic now, no. The Weekly Graphic at that time wa second only to the Philippines Free Press. I was associate editor in the entertainment department. So, I wrote feature articles and eventually I became a movie reviewer of the Weekly Graphic, a movie reviewer, a movie critic and I had threats everyday in the telephone. People did not want me criticizing the movies. Directors did not like, and producers did not like the movies being criticized, but the directors wanted to be, directors of art films were on my side, Jerry de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, si Chat Gallardo of Premier, and Armando Garces, they were on my side, they wanted me to criticize their work, as a matter of fact, they were the one insisting that I should cut their work into pieces because that was their argument before the producers for asking for an art film, no. So from writing ordinary feature articles sa Weekly Graphic I became a movie critic.

Q. Sir, how doe you deal with the threats, threats, po, blackmail, bribery, sir, how do you deal with those?
A. The what?

Q. Threats, sir, kanina you said na nagkaroon kayo ng mga threats
A. A.. threats. A…wala. Our security guards just waited for me at the gate every morning and then took me to the gate.

Q. Sir, do those things bother you?
A. No, one time at the Famas Awards night, a director punched me in the face and I could not hit him back because everybody held me back so ako lang ang tinamaan. I wanted to return the compliment, no. Well, that was the worst thing that I experienced as a movie critic and one time, hindi ko na lang babanggitin yung artista, pumunta ang tatay sa Weekly Graphic, yung tatay malaking tao, nagalit because I criticized the performance of his daughter in a film, Sampaguita Pictures, Sabi sa akin dahan dahan ka sa pagsusulat mo baka pareho tayo mawala dito sa Maynila. Sabi ko, hindi bale kung pareho tayo mawala, ang mahirap kung isa lang sa atin ang mawala. Aang aking kuwan doon, kung magpakita ako ng takot talo na ako, kung magpakita ako ng tapang talo ko siya. O, wala, hanggang doon lang. I don't know what he meant but kung may gagawin siya sa akin, may magagawa din ako sa kanya, so ganoon.

Q. So what kind of fulfillment do you get from this job?
A. Well, the mere exercise of self expression is fulfillment. Before you write, there is something in your head that induces you to write, para kang buntis, kung ilabas mo yang nandyan sa utak mo, pag nakalabas, fulfilled ka, parang you're pregnant ideas or idea in your head, pag writer ka, so you have to write. There are even writers who write not for publication but just for writing, for the sake of writing.

Q. Sir, do you intercept guidelines or boundaries on the topics that you are suppose to cover?
A. Guidelines for what?

Q. On the topics, sir, boundaries.
A. For?

Q. For the topics you are supposed to cover, like, sir, are you given limitations by the editor or something?
A. Saan, dito?

Q. Or you can just write about anything?
A. Dito?

Q. Yes sir.
A. Wala akong limitations.

Q. Wala, nasa inyo pa yan? So every week po you think of a topic wala po silang binibigay, like you have to write about this?
A. Wala, I write a column here, four times a week and then two times sa Tempo and then I ……

Q. How about sir, the articles, or the things not to write, are your given….
A. Wala, I can write about anything.

Q. Freedom of expression, sir. KITCH: From atomic energy to symorgy. You know what symorgy is?

Q. Sir, what?
A. Symorgy, that's the science of making liquor. (laughs)

Q. Ha. Ha. Ha ……
A. Now, as a writer, you have to build up you vocabulary because those are your baterya, pag wala kang vocabulary hindi mo ma express lahat ng ibig mong sabihin, di ba?

Q. Yes, sir. So, what benefits do you get working for the Manila Bulletin?
A. What?

Q. Benefits.
A. Oh, benefits, of course, the salary, the good pay.

Q. Good pay ho ba talaga?
A. Good pay. I think we've got the biggest bonuses here.
A. During Christmas, we have the biggest bonuses, and association with a respected newspaper.

Q. Ah, so what are some of the problems you encounter working for the newspaper?
A. Problems.

Q. Ya, and how do you solve this?
A. I have no more time for my moral life. Ha, ha ha ha

Q. Parang buro bangayan na lang ho.
A. Because we work until the early part of the evening, after that pagod na, so uwi na.

Q. Sir, so paano naman yung family life niyo. Okey naman po ba o do your wife complain about all the time you spend here?
A. Bakit siya magcocomplain. She is only my wife. Why should she complain. I'm a good husband. I'm a good provider. I am very faithful, very loyal to only two things, my work and my family. But I have a private life, like I go drinking with friends, dati sa National Press Club, gabi gabi nandoon kami, lasingan, but we're getting old, so ako, I've reduced my drinking and because of my work my love life outside of my family has also been reduced. By the way, lets not call it love life or whatever, lets call it diversion. It's important for a writer, kasi.

Q. Yes, sir, they say so. How come?
A. That's a source of experience,at saka release yon, e. Kung nandiyan ka na lang sa desk at saka looking at the computer screen everyday you will die young. After work you have to recharge, you have to give off steam in the form of release. Kaya, before, the war, no, until the 50's, the Manila Times had an arrangement with the Quezon Institute because most journalists contracted TB at work. Mahirap ang buhay ng writer o journalist marami ang nagkakasakit ng TB o kaya heart attack, so may arrangement na ang Manila Times noon with Quezon Institute. Dapat nga ngayon ang media may arrangement sa National Heart Center because wala ng TB, heart attack naman ngayon ang sakit ng mga journalists. A few nasisira ang ulo, ha , sa kaiinom. Meron akong kuwan, ha, dati kaklase ko pa sa UST, naging anong tawag doon, yung taong plaza, yung naglalakad sa kalsada na tulala lang, na walang malay, na marumi, napakarumi, puro grasa ang katawan. He was a poet.

Q. Ah. Okay.
A. So stress ng kuwan, hindi kaya ng kanyang utak. Hindi kasi umiinom yon, eh. Hindi umiinom, hindi…

Q. Walang release.
A. Oo. Hindi nambabae. Mabuti yung may chick, may chick kasi mayroon siyang release, may hinihingahan kapag may problema. Kapag may problema, idinidiscuss niya sa kanyang girlfriend, ano ha. Yung girlfriend naman, hihimas-himasin siya, kung masakit ang ulo, masahiin ang ulo, nakakatulong. Kaya't kailang magboyfriend na kayo.

Q. Mabalik naman po tayo. Kanina diba namention niyo ang Martial Law. Talagang malaki ba ang effect sa ano niyo po?
A. Aba oo. Na-curtail ang freedom of expression. Before Martial Law, I was Diokno's technical assistant at the Kalaw Affairs Committee. I was handling Public Affairs. I was doing serious works. Ang daming publications sinusulatan ko. I was writing serious articles about economic conditions, social conditions, political affairs, serious. And as the technical assistant of Senator Diokno of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, I handle the facts that deal about economic and social problems. When Martial Law came, hindi na ako pwede magsulat kagaya ng sinusulat ko noon, siguradong makukulong ako eh dahil political ang aking approach sa system. There was something wrong with the system and the government and the people running the system of the government. From Marcos down to his men, so hindi na pwede. Rod asked me to write. Sabi ko hindi pwede, makulong tayo pareho. Sabi niya sumulat ka na. Sabi ko hindi na pwede, delikado. Everytime na magmeet kami, kinukulit ako. Sumulat ka na. One time nanuod ako ng Fashion Show sa Regent. Ang katabi ko si Joe Quirino. Tabos nagcomment kami ni Joe Quirino na ang figure ng model hindi maganda pangromancing. Puro buto eh. Sabi ko, pag nasiko ka sa mata, magkaroon ka ng black eye. Pareho kami ni bae sa plump. Gusto namin yung plump kasi yung plump, maski saan mo hawakan malambot eh. Yung fashion model, puro buto. Ganon. Ilang years na kinukulit ako. Sumulat ka na. Sumulat ako ng article "In Defense of the Plump".

Q. Yes.
A. It was a humor article, safe, walang political ano. When the article came out, the page for letters to the editor filled out with letters about that article of mine. So sabi ni Rod, ituloy mo ang humor writing kasi maganda ang response. The next one ganun din. Puro letters. So without my knowing it, I was into humor writing.