ALCANCIA & SIM. What year did you started to write as a professional journalist?
PAUROM. I graduated 1980, I was that excited, I didn’t even like to take a break from a vacation right after schooling so I joined the Express.

Q. How old were you when you joined the Express?
A. Yeah, I was a fresh graduate, ilang taon ba yun, 14 to 20, 19 to 20.

Q. What led you to that employment? Talaga bang pinangarap niyong maging isang writer?
A. No, I didn’t have any idea that I was gonna be in journalism. It’s just that after high school that was the time that when we were filing our application for the UP. I couldn’t figure out what to take. I have so many interest. I was interested in Psychology, Sociology, Food Technology, Biology. I have interest in a lot of things, so I really had a very difficult time finding what to take so, I got to the point that my application form yung course intended colon, there’s that line noh , sa kakabura ko nun, yun butas na! Tapos I have to place a paper on it then I put scotch tape at the back, it was really that bad. So, I got hold of the UP curriculum, the book of all the curriculum that are offered by the school, so, I look at each and every course noh. I landed in journalism because it had a lot of electives, so, all of the things I wanted to take so parang samot-samot parang chopsuey noh. I took up Psychology, Socio, Anthrop, all the whatever that I wanted I took as elective, so that’s it.

Q. So, after graduation, why did you chose to enter in the Philippine Daily Express?
A. Well, the main choice that was the magazine, the magazine of the daily express that was the Express Week. I was fascinated with it. It had a good layout, hindi pa masyado uso yung color, color like right now we really color a lot like in terms of visuals, or the internet, or the CD programs but then the Express Week was really colorful, and the subjects that were covered were really of human interest, I’d like to have my internship in this magazine, so I did, and parang I blended so after graduation I sought them out I joined the Express.

Q. During those times, was it one of the top newpapers?
A. Well there were, I think there were only three then. Bulletin, Express, and Times Journal and these were the so called crony newspapers. But after martial law there were a lot of changes that took place in the newspapering and I think you were very well acquainted with theme called censorship, I’m for sure. After a while, martial law became quite so intrenched, or parang na systematized na siya parang the whole system was imbarded so you would think that nothing was a missed nothing was wrong in the system until you a s a journalist or as a communicator get into stuff that’s not palatable to that administration.

Q. Saan naman po ang location ng Philippine Daily Express noon?
A. It was at port area, in Fort Bonifacio. If you’re familiar with the pier, Manila Hotel, and then couple of building singer, I think there’s the Department of Public Works, its there.

Q. Why is it located there? Dahil po ba para mas mabilis matransport yung paper?
A. Well, exactly why we crowded at the port area, I think I would say there was a reason for that in the sense that for that you’re near places like the government, the seats of government, its in Manila. But why the port noh? Siguro sa bigat ng imprenta, hindi ba? It could be one reason. Once na-import na yung press, its easier to locate near a port noh and it sort of worked out well. Our port area naman is really central in a sense at that time, of course, wala pa yung Megamall, the Ortigas business destrict wasn’t there yet, of course, Makati wasn’t there too, but, in terms of government, Manila was big base. There was a lot of police things happening in the city, in the area. Oo, maraming maraming news dun, especially mga gangster, nandun ang mga sindikato, but basically, its really like there’s a lot of things going on in that place and you’re very near. At saka yung National Press Club nga, as a matter of fact, that’s also very near that. And doon lang siya sa may, what’s that? Sa Lawton, have you been to the National Press Club? Ayun, so, kumpol-kumpol, we’re near each other.

Q. What can you say about the physical facilities of Philippine Daily Express?
A. Express was relatively, I mean in terms of itsura niya, they were in a nice building. It wasn’t like Times Journal then. It was in a warehouse, parang high ceiling, no partitions, big warehouse, parang andun na kayung lahat. That was Times Journal, but Express, how many stories kaya then? There were about three, four to six storeys, and editorial department was at the third level. They were basically good partitions within the rooms. May room for the magazines, may room for photography, may room for the typesetting. Facilities, in terms of newspapering, facilities were like we have now the computer, dati nun typewriters. I would say that we were one, kasi dati nun tatlo lang nun, sa tingin ko nauna yata kaming mag-computer. We used computers for, I couldn’t say kasi hindi pa talaga lahat ng ano may computer.

Q. Pero, alam niyo ng gumamit ng computer?
A. Well, we were starting to have our seminars on computers. We were starting to be introduce into computers but it wasn’t like each reporter had one computer for each work station. Wala pa nun. The mode of ano was really typewriter pero at that time medyo nag-proprogress na unti-unti ang technology. As in technology we get to have the, we get to first be acquainted with it, we have to look at it and then, afterwards, you see that a lot of us we would have some resistance. I wouldn’t say that for myself but my colleagues who are in there forties, fifties, so much so yung mga nasa sixties na, they have a lot of resistance with computers. Parang hindi nag-floflow yun utak nila sa computers. Hindi nila natatap ng parang very vigorously. It’s the habit, it’s really the habit. Ako nun, medyo hindi pa ganun ka tanda, I am still open to innovations. I still am.

Q. What about yung mga naka-work niyo dun?
A. Ah, the people there, I would say that the people there were really really very nice. Meron pa ngang tinatawag na Express Family eh. Parang management style, the Benedicto’s have that way of instilling loyalty to their companies, fostering camaraderie among their employees. They have that. They even have, at Christmas time, we even have this annual, our annual Christmas party where we have the company’s owned by (laughs, interruption ). You want me to repeat that?

Q. Okay.
A. Our Christmas party featured contests among the companies of the Benedictos and that included the Trader’s Royal Bank, included the channel nine, RPN 9, siya nga ba yun Benedicto, nine, thirteen, so we have the broadcast city, the broadcast city group, so tatlo na yun, the Express. You have to rewind it? So, we had fun. May singing, may choral competition.

Q. May choral competition pa ah!
A. Yeah, yeah. May ano pa, we even progress to the point na it was really a big thing that as early as half, mid-year, we were already forming, identifying who among you will be members of the choral competition. We would, with matching choreography, with matching costumes, para talagang ano, para talagang very shozbiz. Showbiz kasi may inclination din because of the boadcast media ano, very showbiz yung dating ng the group of companies. As a matter of fact, I was one of the new singers at that time. So yun, I remember we sang yun medleys, that’s good noh to be part of the

Q. Who owned the Philippine Daily Express at that time?
A. It was owned by Roberto Benedicto, the sugar magnate and who’s properties were subject of the, subject to parang the sequestration by the PCGG.

Q. Paano naman kung holidays? Do you still have work?
A. Oh, holidays. I think early on noh, we have, di naman early on cause that was already the eighties. So, its just like today, as newspapermen, we would only be off on, we would have our day offs and our leaves. If it happens that your day off doesn’t fall on Christmas day, or doesn’t fall on the New Year, doesn’t fall on holy week, doesn’t fall on these holy, holy, the holidays, malas mo, you really have to work or you would have to do something, you can make advances for source kasi wala ng government office, so there would be no usual sources of information. They’d be off on break, so it would be upon us, reporters, to gather a lot stories so we could bank , we would make some, yun yung itatabi namin for, let’s say a week’s supply for Christmas.

Q. Was it a nine to five job?
A. Was it? It wasn’t, it wasn’t. Kasi five o’clock marami pang nangyayari eh. There were a lot of newspapermen, five o’clock marami pang pwedeng nangyayari eh, if you know noh. The senate hearings would go on till seven or even eight. So, it’s definitely not a nine to five job and we realize that there were several beats to cover that they have developments already only after a lunch diba? So, kung naka-flex na yung mga mayor. If you’re covering the local government meron ng konting accomplishment for the day or some committees, the city committees that we met so there’s some new to report, report about. Usually lunch, thst’s at eleven to something.

Q. Midnight?
A. Yeah, yeah. There were a lot of midnight sorties that kasi parang nasa ano na, naging tradisyon na sa mga newsmen to gather together after work, to share their stories kasi napakaexciting, you know. You have, you follow up developments, so you’re very much on the, you’re very, you’re mind is still very much on what you’ve written about. So, you share, you share it over beer, you share it over kwento, kwento.

Q. At that time, mga magkano yung salary?
A. Yeah, I think eight hundred, eight hundred bucks.

Q. Was it already big?
A. Pag-umabot, yeah I remember, I’m not so sure noh, pero mga eight hundred pero pagtumuntong ka na ng one two parang ano ka na. Pag tumuntong ka na ng one thousand two you should be a senior reporter already yung one thousand two.

Q. Could you talk about your first beat?
A. My first beat, I was assigned a health. I was assigned a health and ang health naman kasi ‘yan yung mga, usually you can be very imaginative about it that you can like all the things that take place not only with the department of health but with the various sectors. Among doctors, among nurses, among midwives, among anesthesiologist, there are some nice researches that are being discussed so marami siyang pwedeng maging istorya. But I recall you asked me earlier about my experience in Martial Law. I was very young reporter, masigasig ah noh. If you were young there’s something about being young na parang kiti-kiti ka na hala sumusuot ka sa kung saan-saan. One time at the Department of Health, in San Lazaro, nasiksik ako sa isang conference of nutritionist, conference of nutritionist and then if I remember right there were statistics that were released at that time and it had to do about the ratio of the number of parang the number of children who were malnourished and those who were healthy. I reported of course what they said that the nutrition level was very low. This was contrary to what the First Lady Imelda Marcos was brandishing that they were telling every body that there’s a progress in nutrition of the children. I would say that what the program was telling us the government was being headway in providing adequate nutrition for our children but what was reported in that closed door conference, it was really very low. Eh close door yun and di ba there was supposed to be no media there for some reason napasiksik ako doon, some of my contacts siguro thought that I really was a nice person but I was just ah, too friendly with them na nakaupo lang ako doon nakipag ah, they didn't notice no, na that I was a media person so they were all shocked the following day that the front page of the Daily Express gave a report that two out of ten, two out of ten or eight out of our youth of our school children are malnourished. So, that's really the poverty, the sign of poverty the, the deteriorating, economic conditions of our country. Di naloka na, naloka na, naloka na, di na nabodjak ako the following day, pinatawag ako ng editor namin si Mr. Bichaw Romualdez who asked me where I got my facts, and I stood by my story na yun talaga yung, yun talaga ang sinabi yun talaga ang sinulat ko ngayon kung sakasakaling hindi, hindi nagtutugma yung sinasabi ng gobyerno tsaka nung, nung report ko, sorry na lang sila nasiksikan ko yung kanilang conference room.

Q. Pinatawag ho ba kayo ng Malacañang?
A. No, no, no but neither did I get a dressing down from my boss, hindi ako pinagalitan ng boss ko, kasi a peryodista din siya at alam niya kung ano ang mga nagyayari.

Q. Ano naman po ang reaksyon ng ano, government dun sa ano niyo?
A. Of course they will hear something that really got them angry, so, they were angry that was really the, that was really the, the tawag dito, that was really, what? The, the censorship was all about. Kung ano lang ang gusto nilang ipalabas na magagandang kunwaring nangyayari sa bayan yun lang ang lalabas pero kung they were in contrary data statistics that would come out that are contrary to what they're saying then, they'd essentially be angry that, wala, I didn't get a dressing down.

Q. Di ba you were under censorship, so paano nakalusot yung article?
A. Kasi, yung the modes of censorship are in various levels. Three pre-censorships to be, after you are censored or you are, anong tawag dito you're yung censured after, you're censured after the news article came up so, you're asking kung paano nakalusot yun, so there was no prior censorship siguro na our editor also felt that it wasn't that, I could only think for him, for siya yung, siya yung dumaan nung article ko, I could only think for him, probably he felt that this was the real picture so be it, so, bakit natin itatago yung mga balitang makatotohanan at kung malaman ang katotohanan di gagawa ng paraan para ayusin ang katotohanan di ba eh yung sa dako naman ng sa gobyerno, nakita naman na may lumabas na ganoong istorya na malala pala ang mga nutrition problem ng bansa. I could also surmise that nasabunan din ng konti yung boss ko but then it wasn't, hindi naman yun ganun ka-, the controversy wasn't that bad as to, as to cause yung talagang other, di ba yung mga, oo yung mga nag ma-major kudeta, you know.

Q. Did you have co-workers na na-censured yung article nila?
A. Censured? Yeah, I recalled, before I joined the Express I have a colleague named Monica Feria. I don't know whether she was picked up from the Express I don't know whether because of her writings or because of her quote and quote subversive affections that were subversive activity and also yung mga kilala niyo na ngayon, sila Malou Mangahas, sila, although sila Malou joined the Bulletin, Manila Bulletin, during school days pa naman siya na-pick up noon eh kaya mainit na noon yung ano nya.

Q. Were some of them imprisoned?
A. Were some of them imprisoned, yeah, when I joined in 1980, the imprisonment have already, much earlier taken place at 1970, 72 kasi, eh 72 na declare yung Martial Law di ba? So, yung crack down really was very heavy during 72, 73, 74 yun talaga yung matindi at that time but at my time, hindi na ganun katindi but you would hear stories of people who were imprisoned years earlier

Q. Kailan po kayo umalis sa Daily Express?
A. On 1986 nagkataon that I had a grant at the United states for seminar or parang grant under regional economic security exchange and it was at the University of Hawaii February yun or January, February, March. During February yung '86 yung Edsa Revolution, so I was caught and that the Revolution happened I was away in the States and I was in Hawaii, I was in the University of Hawaii at that time na when the EDSA revolution took place, I stayed there. In that time, I mean I was still connected with the Express, but then it was nung babalik na ako ito na yun eh, senequestered na parang there are a lot mass action against the government and I stayed on the states until July or August yun na nga I stayed until November or October of 1986 and when I joined, when I came back na from the states, I joined naman with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Q. During the time na bumalik kayo inabutan niyo ba yung mga kudeta?
A. Yeah, naabutan ko na yon kase '86 si, si ano si Madam Cory is already known as the President so, and the kudeta naman started when she was proclaimed President.

Q. Meron ba kayong memorable experiences from that time?
A. Which one?

Q. Sa mga kudeta.
A. Not so much dun sa kudeta because I was already a desk editor so my work was desk-bound na. So, from the house to the office and edit the reports of those in the field no, so yung memorable as to the action to the story on for me, personally there was really not that much, as compared to had I been a reporter out in the field. What I would recall as being memorable was the time when I was in the States. It was an hour by hour update among the news development in the States. Radio, if you ride a taxi, the people was really tuned in to what was happening in the Philippines. All eyes were on us, even the newscast were all about the Philippines, so, nung na-dethroned na si Marcos, when he was ousted, there was a sense of jubilation also among the Americans who are the, what you call this, the keepers. They said to be keepers of democracy in the world, so, masayang-masaya sila para sa ating mga Filipino. Kaya naalala ko pagnaglalakad sa San Francisco sa Southern Street, people would really stop you and ask you about if you’re a Filipino, what do you think of your country. The Americans were very vocal about their feelings kasi or probably on what they think about. They stop you and tell you, “Your countrymen had done a great job.” So, it would be in the sense that you become really proud about the general of the people.

Q. Isn’t it that Marcos went to Hawaii after the Edsa Revolution?
A. But that was the other part of the story , I was in Hawaii during the Edsa Revolution. Nung nakaalis na siya for Hawaii, that was the time naman I was scheduled in our seminar na lilipad naman na kami sa San Francisco. Naku, sayang! During the first few weeks, he was there, but, alam mo, sa Filipino community lang naman yung there’s a lot of anxiety about his presence in the environment. Sa Amerikano, oh he’s there, so? Yung ganun, hindi sila yung, although they’re really very hapy about the fact na na-dethroned na si Marcos. In the States, he just becomes one of those personalities, political figures who sought assylum or he is there in the States for some reasons, so, he just becomes one of those dictators. He is just one of those dictators seeking in the States.

Q. How long did you stayed in the Inquirer?
A. Another six years, six years sa Express, six years din sa Inquirer.

Q. After that?
A. And then I set-up my own communications office, RubyCom for Ruby Communications Consulting, that was in 1993.

Q. How long did it last?
A. That’s still my outfit right now, what I do is home officing. I do my work out of this corner.

Q. What do you think about the changes that took place in the industry?
A. From what period?

Q. From the time you started
A. Ah,ok. It’s a lot different. There’s a lot of difference. You don’t fear you know parang, kasi nun we would always talk about being faced in the order of battle. Yung ASO , we would call it nasa ASO ka na, nasa ASO ka na. We took it as arrest, seizure order, so, once your in that list na may ASO ka, you literally become very afraid, whether its confirmed or not. May rumor na because of what you’ve written about malalagay ka na sa listahan ng blacklist. Its some kind of blacklist. Vey opt din yun acronym niya ASO, kasi pag aso ka, if they pick you up, they muzzle you. Diba yung aso nilalagayan ng muzzle? So, the very act of picking you up and bringing you to Crame for questioning or if you’re actually jailed, it has the effect of muzzling you para matigil ka na. So, at that time, as I told you earlier, it was the early days of the martial lead, it was in the years that a lot were arrest. The fears or the actual possibility of being arrrested and being jailed if not being salvaged, salvage was more at the extreme part of the pole of the things that could happen to you if you are anti-government, or if you are for truth, not exactly anti-government.

Q. Sa Express, gaano naman ka-strict sa deadlines?
A. You know, I think people are as strict then as now cause that’s really the way the cookie crumbles. If you don’t meet your deadline, the people won’t meet their deadlines to print the newspaper, to go to the next process, the next wave of things that needs to do to circulate the newspaper. So, after you write it, they edit it, they compose it, they lay-out it then its brought to the printing press. Those are all scheduled, like for instance the mat, we call it the mat, the mat would be with the press already by twelve o’clock. If you were not able to, if these people were not able to edit your story, typeset it and lay-out it in time then your newspaper suffers a lot of loss kasi pagprint niya, pag-iicirculate na, naunahan na siya ng competition o kung naiwanan na ng eroplano, there’s a lot of financial loss involve there. So, the deadline, the strictness, I would say the same.

Q. What about in terms of grammars?
A. Ganun din. It’s the same because it’s a craft. Writing is a craft and nakakataas balahibo if mababasa mo the following day yung newspaper na, the wrong grammar, diba? All the wrong grammarizations, you’d see that. Ganun pa rin yun nakakatindig balahibo pa rin yun kung magkamali ka sa grammar mo noon and sa grammar mo ngayon.

Q. May meeting-meeting pa ba kayo or nag-uusap yung mga reporters?
A. Yeah. We have that kasi it’s a part of the management of the newspaper company. The reporters should see eye-to-eye with the editors for the instructions, who made the, who have a set criteria as to what kind of news articles, and the quality of the writing, the style of writing that they want. So, it’s a constant communication with the reporters also.

Q. Why did you switch from these publications to Ruby Com?
A. For one, I married another news editor in the company Inquirer, so, I decided to leave the company, kasi both of us would be, we were actually seatmates eh, many in life would be so, masikip na diba? Masyado nang masikip ang mundo kung ano. So, when I left, I could have joined another newspaper but sabi ko I would like to be an enterpreneur.

Q. So, do you have any last words for the young journalists?
A. I would say to maintain and not to lose your enthusiasm for life, for things that are happening around you. Kasi usually ganyan noh pagbata ka very enthusiastic ka, aktibista. Aktibista, is something not really being an anti but has something to do with zest for change, for wanting better. It’s a very positive trait, rather active nga eh as in being passivist, na bahala na bahala kayo diyan. To keep that zest for life because that will bring you to, if you really set in becoming a journalist or a reporter, iba naman yung journalist, iba naman yung writer, but sometimes pwedeng magblend yung both lines. That is very important because the eye hindi napapagod na tumingin sa mga pangyayari, hindi nagiging jaded. Sometimes nagiging jade, nagiging cynical, nagiging callouse that could come from experience, that could with time, that could also wome with pain, na nadala ka na sa ginagawa mo ganyan. That’s what I would always tell people when they would ask me what I would tell them. I know of some good ones, of good journalist, kita mo para silang mga bata, kahit na gray na yung buhok nil, kahit na yung skin nila wrinkled na, but you’d sense with them a certain freshness in outlook, palaging may tinitignan na ito bago yan , bago yan, that’s a must for journalist, palaging naghahanap ng bago. That’s it.

Q. Thank you very much
A. Okay.