SALAZAR. When did you discover that you wanted to be a journalist?
SANTOS. Actually, I started sa campus paper, I was in the Ateneo de Zamboanga. I was in college and I didn't really know what to take up then, I wanted to be a lawyer sana kaya lang 'yung law course sa Ateneo de Zamboanga inalis nila. So I was kind of drifting until I joined the Beacon school paper, then, from there tuloy tuloy na. I joined the community paper of Zamboanga City before I moved to Manila.

Q. So, what attracted you to…
A. Maingay dito

Q. O sige po
A. Sa loob nang news room nalang tayo
A. Well honestly the so-called prestige, sikat ka because you have a "by line" and people will refer to your writings. It very started actually like I said sa campus paper. Tapos later on 'yung meron ka nang nagagawa because you know like pag meron kang nakikitang you want change, meron kang nakitang at that time Marcos regime pa 'yon when Martial Law was lifted. So, I was a police reporter marami akong nakikitang mga human rights activity and I wanted to write about it. You're ready to affect change, you're ready to help people.

Q. So sir did you have other jobs before you became a journalist?
A. Wala. I really started as a journalist

Q. Does writing run in your family?
A. No, unfortunately wala, I am the first one in the family to work in journalism

Q. So you
A. Although one of my brothers, my younger brother is also a journalist now. Nakatapos na siya nang MassCom

Q. Is he working for a newspaper?
A. For a t.v. company sa Zamboanga City

Q. Sa Zamboanga City

Q. Are you a full time journalist?
A. Yes, I am

Q. When did you become a full time journalist?
A. From the very start since 1981 when I got into college. I joined the community paper na sa Zamboanga City. Full time na ako 'nun

Q. So, did you start as a reporter?
A. Yes, as a reporter

Q. How long did it take before you became an editor?
A. Thirteen years akong reporter. Before, I joined the press as a re-write lang, hindi pa editor, dito parang re-write ah desk man lang ang trabaho ko 'nun

Q. Did you try writing for mga magazines, journals?
A. Yes, but, more or less parang nag fu-full time na ako sa newspaper

Q. So, what are the topics that you most often deal with?
A. Well, when I was a reporter I was covering mostly political. I started as like most reporters do. I started sa police bit and then you move to the other bits, like I also covered Malacañang during the time of Cory Aquino, the House of Representatives during the time of Speaker Mitra, Senate during the time of President Jovito Salonga

Q. How did you deal with criticisms?
A. of what kind?

Q. Like your work, when they criticize your work
A. Ah! I welcome criticisms. Kasi alam mo sa diyaryo parang feedback mechanism is your best mirror for you to improve your work. Kasi sometimes lalo na kami right now, I am Metro Editor of the Philippine Star, if you become complaisant, if you ignore criticism, if you reject criticism or if you discourage criticism the only way for you to grow is to look at criticisms like these and, you know, see how you can improve yourself. Kasi unlike other professions, kami we're not out to make money. Di ba 'yung parang nasa sales ka ma re-reflect mo kaagad if you're doing good, mataas ang sales mo, you know. Where as kami malaki ngayon ang gamit nang editorial judgement. It's a daily. So it's how you assess the news, it's how you evaluate data, how you treat issues concerned lalo na 'yung mga political issues. So sometimes it's very subjective. So the only way to find out is kinabukasan 'yung tinatawag naming feedback where we get the reactions from your readers and in times they come in forms of criticism which you should welcome and try to improve on that

Q. Do you have a certain style in writing?
A. Well, sa amin kasi like my news, Metro page, is a news page so we follow the "Philippine Star" style of the way they state news. Sometimes we feature. Very objective, very balanced. We don't do things na banat na lang nang banat. Everytime we cover something kailangan nandoon 'yung side niya it's always a balanced thing

Q. para fair
A. yes fair. It's always fair

Q. Is this the first newspaper you worked for?
A. Oh no, if I'm going to count, sa Zamboanga City I worked for two newspapers there, sa Mindanao Today and Zamboanga Journal. I came to Manila in 1986, I worked for the defunct Philippine Daily Tribune. Sarado na 'yon sayang hindi mo na inabot 'yun baka maliit ka pa 'nun that was in 1986. From there, I moved to Manila Standard. I was one of the pioneer staffers nang Manila Standard of almost what thirteen years ago. From Manila Standard I went to the Manila Chronicle sarado na rin 'yon. Then from the Manila Chronicle I moved to the Philippine Daily Globe sarado na rin 'yon. Naabutan mo pa ba 'yon? Nadidinig mo na ba 'yung mga 'yon?

Q. Yes sir 'yung iba. Kasi '81 po ako eh
A. Daily Globe that is still alive. Then I worked in Saudi Arabia sa Saudi Gazette. I worked there for 3 years in a newspaper. It's an english newspaper na usually caters to the Filipino community doon. Then from there I moved to the Inquirer. I was the Assistant National Editor of the Inquirer for a year. After the Inquirer I moved to the Star.

Q. So when was that, what year 'yung sa Philippine Star?
A. 'yung Philippine Star 1996

Q. So, how were the facilities and office equipments back then? When u started here
A. Ah three years ago dito sa Star okay na. We had computers. But going back to 1986 we were still using typewriters. Wala pang fax machines noon. Kapag may isa-submit ka you have to go to the office and write your stories unlike today meron nang fax machines, e-mails

Q. e-mails, internet
A. oo

Q. Are your colleagues nice, friendly or are they usually grouchy?
A. Well case to case basis. Actually mahirap i-stereotype. May taong pwedeng friendly, may taong pwedeng grouchy, may mga taong matampuhin, it's just like your professor

Q. So, it's the same lang sir back then sa mga nauna na newspaper
A. Yes. It depends on people to people. People are different

Q. So, who are your most memorable colleagues?
A. You mean names nang mga kasama?

Q. Yes
A. Dito sa Star sina Alex Fernando, Amy Pamintuan. Actually si Amy Pamintuan 'yung aming sales managing editor nagkasama kami niyan 'nung we were reporters pa of the Manila City Hall in 1986. Tapos nagkasama kami sa Justice department, tapos sa Supreme Court. Tapos nagkasama kami sa Malacañang. Tapos ngayon pareho na kaming deskman. Tapos si Conrad de Quiros nakasama ko sa Inquirer, tapos si Neil Cruz was my mentor sa Daily Globe. Sino pa ba, sino pa bang mga kilala mo? I don't want to mention kasi names na hindi mo kakilala Inteviewer: I don't really ano sa mga names I read lang some parts
A. 'Yan, those are the names

Q. So, what was your most memorable assignment?
A. Ah, when I covered the 1988 first presidential trip ni Cory Aquino on her state visit sa Vatican. We went to Switzerland, sa Geneva and we went to Rome. That was the first time when I was able to enter the office of the Pope, met the Pope, shook the hand of the Pope and had a photograph with the Pope.

Q. Sir 'yun pong whole trip niya?
A. Yes Inteviewer: Is it important to have an inspiration when writing?
A. Say it again

Q. Inspiration, is it important when your writing
A. Oh yes. You have to like what you're writing. You have to have compassion. You have to feel it. Di ba lalo ng kung reporter ka 'yung tinatawag naming, now I'm on the other side of the fence I'm now the editor but once upon a time I was also a reporter. Hinahanap namin 'yung lalo na pag bata 'yung reporter hinahanap namin 'yung fire, kailangang desidido, eager, aggressive, committed, dedicated, passionate, that's the only time you really come up with very good stories. Inspiration is really very important. It's not like your working for a government office or a clerk or working for a department store

Q. Just wait for people
A. Yes. It's not a bundy clock thing. It's not bundy clock kind of employment. You come in a day go home at five. So at times kami, mga reporters wala kaming oras. We don't even have to go to the office, we have to look for a good story out there and we don't care how you get it as long as you get it. Kasi at the end of the day you have to submit a story

Q. Yes. You have to submit
A. Yes, you have to submit a story, a good story and I don't know if you sleep the whole day or spend it on an hour or do your work on an hour or you spend twenty hours of doing it just as long as it is a good story

Q. Do you think you receive a sufficient amount of salary in doing your job?
A. Well, yes. Pero like nga what they said, journalism really is a low paying job and if you try to compare me to my other classmates malaki ang mga sweldo nila compared sa akin

Q. Is this the first office of the Philippine Star or kasi di ba 'yung iba kasi mostly sa Intramuros?
A. Yes. This is Intramuros

Q. Yes. I mean originally
A. Original na ito hindi na lumipat. From the very beginnng dito na sila. Well, although they already renovated this

Q. Do you think this place is conducive for writing?
A. Yes. Well, any other place. Kasi writing naman is, well we have a news room kita mo naman ang newsroom namin

Q. Oo nga sir. Ang ganda

Q. Right now 'yung facilities, same pa rin ba like before?
A. No. Even before I came here this office wasn't like this. Ngayon lang 'to na-renovate. Mga one year, two years ago lang. Parang bodega 'to dati. But this has improved a lot

Q. So, how many hours a day do you work?
A. It's eight hours, six hours. Depende like today I'm late I'm here at five I'll be home at eight. One, two, three, three hours

Q. Any time basta six or is there a certain time para mag start talaga?
A. Well usually, I'm here mga three-thirty, two-thirty, three o'clock because that's the time when the reporters will be giving their stories. So like ganito mga stories 'to nang mga reporters, I have to edit them, lay it out, di ba? And submit them to the production. So as soon as I'm finish any time I can go home. Wala kaming oras

Q. As long as matapos
A. As long as matapos. For me as long as matapos 'yung page ko

Q. Do you have any days-off?
A. yes, one day a week

Q. One day

Q. Do you observe holidays like other offices?
A. We don't celebrate holidays. We come to work. Although we observe holidays because we get double paid

Q. okay
A. Pero we work pag Christmas, we work pag New year, we work every day of the year except Good Friday.

Q. What are the deadlines like? Do you really fire people because of deadlines?
A. Oh yes. Pero hindi naman 'yung once ka lang naka-miss nang deadline you get fired right away. Of course, well, parang tardiness 'yan. Pag habitual ka or you're a chronic kuwan late, palagi kang late, una i-issue-han ka nang memo, hoy hindi mo na-mi-meet 'yung deadlines mo, explain, tapos gagawa ka nang memo. If you still are always late despite all the memos we'll put you back to proof reading or ano 'yung mga kargador doon sa likod. Then talagang pag kuwan, then, we fire you

Q. Sir, when you were still 'yung reporter, paano mag treat 'yung mga editors sa kunwari mga deadlines, ganoon din?
A. Yes ganoon din. Kasi if you're late and I'm late, then, the whole paper is late. May domino effect 'yan eh. Kasi like my deadline now is eight or seven-thirty. Kailangan by seven-thirty ibibigay ko na sa production 'yung page ko. Iba naman 'yung reporter. Ang deadline nila is three-thirty four o 'clock. Kasi maraming mga storya 'yan eh! Pero 'yung mga late papers siguro mga six o'clock. Pero kung mga six-thirty ka magbibigay nang istorya, then, my page will be late, my work will be late. First you'll get some bullshitting from me then kung tutuloy-tuloy pa 'yon we might as well give the work to another because kapag na-late ang page ko ma-le-late ang buong diyaryo because meron tayong scheduling of printing. So if I'm late magkakaron nang parang bottleneck effect 'yan eh!

Q. ma-a-affect ang whole newspaper
A. ma-a-affect ang whole newspaper

Q. Do you have any memorable editors?
A. You mean mga editors na naging girlfriend, ganoon?

Q. Pwede rin
A. You mean mentors who I look up to

Q. Yes
A. Well of course. Like I said kanina si Rusty Entico, but you don't remember him, he's a deskman. Rusty Entico, Conrad de Quiros, Neil Cruz. Sino pa ba 'yung dito, 'yung mga nagturo sa akin. Si Bobby dela Cruz marami ring akong natutunan sa kanya

Q. Sir, were you ever a cub reporter?
A. Yes

Q. What was it like to be a cub reporter?
A. It was very exciting. Well at that time young ka pa talaga, you meet a lot of people. Minsan nga nakakinis nga eh! when you're a deskman you're inside this office, pero kapag reporter ka your work is always outside. It's more exciting. Kaya lang hindi naman pwede na forever ka na lang reporter dahil tumatanda rin ang mga editors, tumatanda rin ang mga deskman, mamamatay rin. Kaya kailangang i-turn over din. So like me they made me a deskman then eventually an editor. Sa akin parang kuwan na lang 'yon eh! natural course of things. Well, if you ask me well I want to be a reporter.

Q. So, how were you treated by your colleagues when you were still a cub reporter?
A. It will depend really on how you do your job, how you treat people, how you carry yourself

Q. Kayo sir, parang kayo pa'no po 'yung experience niyo before
A. Ah, okay. I like to say that I earned some respect. Like, kasi you'll start sa police bit muna. Tapos you get promoted to a bigger bit. You move to the city hall, then you move to a department like labor. Then pag magaling ka you move to a bigger department as an assignment mo. Department of Justice, then the next one is Congress, then Senate, then Malacañang naman. Well to me nag Malacañang naman ako. Parang full circle na 'yan eh! pag Malacañang ka na tumataas ka na. Kapag nasa police bit ka okay lang 'yung palagi kang rugged pero pag nasa Malacañang ka na kailangan naka bihis ka na. Ganoon lang 'yon eh! Ngayon kapag nasa Malacañang ka na marami ka nang kakilala, you're assistant reporter already, marami ka nang issues na alam, then you're right to be a deskman. You start as a deskman. Tapos kapag merong maganda diyan you become editor, news editor, managing editor, executive editor. That's how the game works

Q. Sir, of all the ano of The Philippine Star, bakit Metro 'yung napili niyo?
A. Well, like for me they needed someone for the position because nag resign 'yung business editor nang Star. Tony Katigbak, then, was the Metro Editor, had to move to Business, so they needed someone to be the Metro Editor. They needed someone for the job. And I was young and galing ako nang Inquirer. When I came here I was assigned to the Metro. When I applied, I applied for a desk man lang

Q. How did it feel when you received your first assignment?
A. Noon? Well I was excited, nervous.

Q. So what were the important lessons that you learned when you were starting journalism?
A. Be honest. Just be honest. Have self respect and be honest

Q. Did you undergo some sort of an initiation?
A. Well, I can say initiation was the time when I was in Zamboanga I didn't start as an employed journalist parang correspondent lang ako 'non. You get paid only by the stories but the stories you make get published. Sa akin 'yun ang parang initiation. Kapag wala kang storya, then, you don't get to earn anything.

Q. Is there a certain "code of ethics" that you adhere to?
A. Yes. The journalism "code of ethics" and we are strict about it

Q. How are you when it comes to accuracy, ethics, grammar aspect of writing?
A. Well, we're not grammarians. We're not perfect but we always do our best. Like I said kanina we welcome criticisms because that's the only way we can improve ourselves.

Q. When editing an article, up to how much are you allowed to delete or alter a given report?
A. When you do an article, well you have to make sure, first you have to state facts. Kailangan 'yung facts maayos. Kung may kulang itatanong mo 'yung reporter but you are not allowed to change the facts unless you consult it with the reporter and tell him na mali ang facts niya. Ang purpose of editing is just for clarity, and abbreviate. Kasi sometimes it's too long. But we have to retain the facts

Q. So, what is your worst experience as an editor? If you have any
A. 'Yung mga booboos. Minsan may mga mistakes, mga typographical errors, production errors na nangyayari tapos hindi ka na maka ano kinabukas pag labas 'non, wow nakakahiya 'yon. It's embarrassing

Q. Sir, do you receive a lot of letter regarding 'yung mga mali
A. Not really. Unfortunately, not really. It's either people do not bother to write. But they tell us. We receive telephone calls. So we're very careful about it. We're very careful with our proof readers. Well, as editors we're not perfect. Kaya nga ang pencil nilagyan nang eraser sa likod. Kami 'yung gumagawa tapos 'yung mga proof readers ang magbubura if ever there are any mistakes.

Q. What is your best experience as an editor?
A. Siyempre when you come up with a good story tapos nababasa sa pahina mo and people react. It's able to influence things and the lives of other people

Q. Who are the people you admire in the field of journalism?
A. Marami. Like, 'yung boss ko. Siyempre sasabihin ko 'yung mga boss ko. Marami. Sina Max Soliven, Conrad de Quiros.

Q. Max Soliven sir
A. Max Soliven is our publisher

Q. I studied doon sa school niya
A. You tell him na pag nagkita kayo sabihin mo sabi ni Sammy Santos ina-idolize ka niya para he will give me a raise

Q. Do you think the quality of present journalism is the same as it was back then or is it better now?
A. Actually I am worried. Lahat nang editors na matatanda will tell you this. Young people are reading less now, because of computers, television. You know the language, the clash of the english language, minsan 'yung mga bata kuwan eh! mga taga UP, Ateneo, La Salle minsan nakaka-dismaya kung minsan. I'm kind of worried. Pero marami pa rin ang magagaling. Mga batang mahuhusay.

Q. What do you think are the developments in Philippine Journalism?
A. There are limited journalism and very dynamic. We can even compete with other countries. In Asia, I can say that Philippine Journalism is a lot better of course than let's say the Journalism in Malaysia and Singapore and even in Hong Kong. Japan malaki na 'yon. But Philippine Journalism can stand up to the world

Q. If given the chance to change, alter or remove any part in the history of Philippine journalism, what event would you change
A. If I had a magic ring or a magic wand

Q. And a magic potion sir
A. Make all corrupt journalists retire. Lahat nang mga tumatanggap nang pera, 'yung mga bribe. There are times when they are not truthful anymore because marami. I'm not talking about Star I'm talking about journalism in general. I wish there were more decent and less corrupt media practitioners.

Q. Would you encourage anyone to pursue journalism?
A. Yes. Just as long as it is not my son or daughter.

Q. Why naman sir? Interviwee: Well, hindi naman. Well, As I said it's hard work. Walang pera talaga. Pero sa t.v. ngayon, some of the broadcast journalists are well paid na. Well, I have a brother who's in broadcast journalism

Q. What advice would you give to all aspiring journalists?
A. Honesty. Be honest. Be strong. Values, kailangan strong ang values mo. You're coming here not because you want to be rich. Kasi if you want to be rich, you can be rich in journalism, but you know, what kind of a journalist would you be? Kailangan you have to be strong. You have to have self-respect. Dapat may respeto ka sa sarili mo kasi maraming bumibili nang mga reporters. Third, You must have a simple lifestyle. Kasi pag nasisilaw ka sa buhay nang mga mayayaman, mga sosyalista, glamour, well kuwan you'll be ano nga

Q. And love the work
A. Well, you'll learn to love the work. And second you have to have a vision. Madali lang naman kasi dapat meron kang sariling pag-iisip. Kasi pag pasok mo dito pwedeng dikta-diktahan ka nang mga tao. You should really be an individual and you should have self respect and, you know, mahal mo 'yung ginagawa mo, nirerespeto mo 'yung ginagawa mo. You'll never go wrong.
A. okay?

Q. Yes sir, thank you
A. Thank you very much