KAMINSKI & LIM. Good morning. I'm in Canlubang with Mr. Lito Tacujan, sports editor of the Philippine Star. Good morning po, Mr. Tacujan.
TACUJAN. Good morning.

Q. How did you get your start in journalism?
A. Ahh. I really wanted to write, even in high school… the high school papers, college in UST. I wanted to write and then for a while I was a news writer at the ABS-CBN. When was that? Probably about in 1969. At that time, ABS-CBN, had a sister company, the Manila Chronicle. I was assigned to write sports. So when there was this vacancy in the Manila Chronicle, the Sports editor of the Manila Chronicle asked me to join them. So, that's how I started in sports writing.

Q. So you really planned to take up sports writing or any other field in particular?
A. Actually, in college, I was the literary editor of The Flame, that's in the arts and letters, so, but then all my life, I've been in sports eh. I trained in Canlubang, they have the Canlubang Barons, which at that time was more like a legend in local baseball. When we were small, we played Little League, and then I got into golf, nagte-tennis kami. So this place in Canlubang really had some sort of a culture in sports. So it was very easy for me to adapt to this beat in Manila Chronicle. So when they offered it to me in ABS-CBN news department, it was very easy for me to adjust kasi alam ko na yung terms sa sports. I began to love the beat. So I've been into this for so long.

Q. Are you the only one in your family who is into journalism or…?
A. Yes, I was the only one but my father, he had some articles written…published in the Old Free Press, but it's, I think only one or two. So, ako lang in my family.

Q. After the Manila Chronicle, what other job did you go to?
A. After The Manila Chronicle I went into public relations sa J Walter Thompson. And then I stayed there. I was a junior executive. I stayed there siguro for two years. And then after a while I got into Manila Chronicle na nga, and then nag-Martial Law, so the office was shut down for one year.

Q. Of the Manila Chronicle?
A. Yes, of the Manila Chronicle. So when it was opened, at that time, I went into the Philippine News Agency as a desk man, as a news desk man, then as a sports desk na rin. It's a continuing process.

Q. So, after the Manila Chronicle, how did you end up with the Philippine Star? Were you there when it was founded?
A. Yes, I was one of the pioneers, you can call it. Right after the EDSA Revolution, before the EDSA Revolution, there were only around four newspapers: The Daily Express, The Times Journal, The Manila Bulletin and then, I think it was the Philippine Express, another newspaper. So, after the EDSA Revolution, with the democratic space influenced by the Cory administration, a lot of newspapers came out. The Manila Times was revived and then The Chronicle. The Manila Times took me in, but then there was this walk out, right after the EDSA Revolution. A call from this group and I went to Manila Chronicle. I was part of that. And then, I stayed there for only two months. And then, the Philippine Star…

Q. Why did you stay there for only two months?
A. Actually, The Philippine Star was organized and they took me in from the Manila Chronicle. So pumasok na ako sa Star.

Q. So, the Philippine Star came to you and asked you if you could start up with them?
A. Yes, with the sports section.

Q. Who approached you for that job?
A. There were a series of meetings, pero I got a call from Art Borjal, he was the one in charge of getting key personnel for the newspaper.

Q. So, with the Philippine Star, you really started out as a sports editor also?
A. Yes, I was sports editor.

Q. Did you ever cover anything else, any other thing than sports?
A. I used to pinch hit before the Star. I remember, I covered for a while noong, the AGGRAVA Commission for the PM [they called it the PM because it was the afternoon daily of the Tempo tabloid] and I stayed there for six months then it was shut down. So, ganoon lang. Nag-pipinch hit lang kami if there were big events happening, otherwise, we stick to sports.

Q. Could you please describe the early days of The Philippine Star? The facilities, how many people are working there?
A. It was touch and go for a while kasi we were just starting, maliit lang yung staff namin. In fact, at that time, we had only one Tamaraw FX to deliver the papers and at the same time it was being used to ferry or shuttle our reporters and photographers. We still have that same building where we started. We are still in it. It is in Port Area. It used to print the Fookien Times and the early issues of The Inquirer were also printed there. So, we started with very few typewriters, in fact yung ano namin, Moresawa pa, yung head maker namin and then offset printing. A little wait until 1992, high-tech na. So now we are into I-Macs, we have scanners, we are into networking, the Internet, we also have our Website.

Q. So, now that you have this new technology, do you still have to go to work or can you just e-mail ,or the reporters just e-mail their stories to you and you edit it?
A. Yes. We, as the key personnel in the office, must be physically present but our sports writers would now e-mail or fax them. They would fax the copies of their stories. It is very efficient now, unlike before when I was starting as a sports writer, we had to dictate the story over the phone and it took probably an hour to do that. And then you had some problems with communications, particularly if you had to cover it sa Cebu, then you transmit it over the phone, matagal. But now, it's very efficient with these high-tech.

Q. Have you ever crossed over into other forms of media, aside from writing in the newspapers?
A. Purely print, but I started nga as news writer with ABS-CBN, but through the years it's been all print. I'd write for magazines and newspapers but it's purely print.

Q. Currently, as editor of the sports section, how many reporters are under you?
A. I have five at the moment and two columnists: Quinito Henson is with me and Bill Velasco. Make that three, I'm sorry, I also have a chess columnist, Mr. de Castro.

Q. So, do you impose any deadlines, are you strict with deadlines on your reporters?
A. Oh yes. All newspapers, all sections in the newspaper have a deadline to meet. For sports, we have two deadlines: the one at 7 o'clock. So all sports events and stories from morning up to the late afternoon have a 7 o'clock deadline. We need that for our provincial editions para it can easily be transported to different provinces. And then, we have the 10 o'clock deadline. This is for the late-breaking sports stories like the PBA, like the PBL, the NBA. Then we concentrate the circulation to Metro Manila areas. So, we have two deadlines.

Q. Two deadlines. So, what was it like to work in the Port Area and why do you think the Star started out in the Port Area?
A. We were forced to be based in Port Area because we moved into the Fookien Times' old office. But then, the Port Area as a whole, is a good place for a newspaper. In fact, among the newspaper people, we call it the newspaper belt because we have the Bulletin there, the Times Journal, the Standard and then the Philippine Star. The location makes it very easy for newspaper dealers to make the rounds every night. It's an ideal place to put up a newspaper.

Q. So, how do you go to the Port Area every day? Is it a long ride or is there much traffic there?
A. Well, there's traffic everywhere, no. So, it's not a problem.

Q. So, what's your schedule like everyday?
A. I would leave the house around 2 o'clock to be there at around 3 or 3:30, then we would collate the foreign news stories. When you say foreign, you have the NBA, then you have the features like golf, the motor sports [sila Schumacher]. All those foreign stories which would be of interest to local readers. And then, we would check on our reporters who are in the field. Parang they have positions to report on the stories coming our way. We try to get summaries of their stories. Then, by 4 o'clock, we have this editors' meeting…the daily editors' meeting. I would sit down with the news editors, the managing editor, the executive editor, the feature editors, the section editors, then we would discuss the important stories coming from our respective sections. We discuss whether they would merit a space in the front page or not. We would also discuss the big events in the day, especially the news section. Of course, the big event at the moment is the impeachment trial of the President. There are some sports stories which could be printed in the front page, especially when we have the Olympic games, World Title matches in boxing, etc. Otherwise, we stay in the sports page. After the meeting, we go back to our desks, we start editing stories and lay-outing. By 7 we have the print-outs of the pages.

Q. Does your newspaper focus on any particular sport? Does it give any particular sport importance?
A. No. We really rely on what the readers would rather read. But there are a lot of basketball stories because it is the number 1 sport in the country. We try to give as much space for basketball stories and basketball coverages.

Q. Speaking of sports, what are the memorable sports events which you covered?
A. Marami. I've been to four Olympic games. I started in 1986 with the Seoul Olympics and then I went to Barcelona Olympics in 1992, then Atlanta in 1996 and the last is the Sydney. One thing nice about this job, being in sports, is you get to see a lot of places. I've been to a lot of places because I'm being sent, every year, by our newspaper. I could remember covering the Ali-Frasier bout at the Araneta Coliseum, which up to now is considered as one of the best boxing matches of the century. I also saw how Onyok Velasco won the silver in Atlanta. There are so many. I was in Baguio during the Koch-Noelle-Karpoff World Chess Matches. I can't recall, I think that was in 1976. Marami eh, marami. I've seen the good athletes, you know, come and go. It's an interesting job.

Q. Are there interesting athletes which stick to your mind during your coverage of sports?
A. Well, Lydia de Vega, for one. I saw her start as a high school runner. Then, I saw her win the gold medal in the New Delhi Asian Games in 1982. So, when you really see an event like this, you can't help but feel very proud of being a Filipino. Parang there's a national fervor na not only among the Filipino athletes in the camp, probably pati dito sa Philippines at that time. You could feel you're a part of history unfolding, parang ganoon ba, although it is only in sports.

Q. Do you ever write your own stories, or you're just the editor?
A. Well, when I go out to cover the big events, I write the stories. Like the Sydney Olympics, I was there. I do a lot of writings when we have the Olympic games and other foreign assignments.

Q. Do you ever take stories from the Associated Press to use for events?
A. Yes, yes. We have the Reuters Associated Press, the AFP, the UPI. Kasi we depend on these wire agencies for wire the stories like the NBA. Especially the NBA, we get the standings. You'll be surprised, ang daming readers ng NBA.

Q. And how about the local basketball leagues? Do you cover them also?
A. Yes. The PBA, the MBA, the PBL and then the football. I assign people to cover these events. Tennis, marami, marami. One thing about the sports section is that people naturally like to read the sports pages and the sports stories for some information, entertainment and all that. Unlike in the front page, really straight news stories. In sports, there's some drama, so you try to get the color, too. Kaya, it is an interesting part of the main section of the Philippine Star or any newspaper, for that matter.

Q. In the newspaper you work for now, who is your boss?
A. Our founder is the late Mrs. Belmonte, Betty Go-Belmonte, the wife of Congressman Belmonte, Feliciano Belmonte. Our publisher is Max Soliven. Of course, everybody knows Max Soliven. And then, some of the key persons, personnel there, we have Art Borjal, sila Teddy Benigno. Ricky Lo is also with us. So, siya, Max Soliven is our publisher.

Q. So, what is it like working for Mr. Soliven?
A. Mabait naman siya pero you must really do your job well. You should really be efficient and you must be on top of your section, otherwise, he will really call your attention to it. But, he is a very nice person.

Q. Do you have any friends in the newspaper business?
A. In the newspaper business? We have a lot of friends kasi newspaper people move around that particular circle. In fact, one of my sons, ninong niya nga si Jun Ingrasia of the Inquirer. Yung mga ganoon ba. So, we are a very close circle.

Q. With the advent of all the new technology they have now, including the Internet, et cetera, what do you think is the future of the newspaper in print?
A. There's really a trend now for that, the high-tech type of printing. In fact, we have, our newspaper, The Philippine Star, have this website, the philstar.com. It's faster and then it's there in your PC. Pero I still think that the traditional paper, the tabloids and all that, I mean, the broadsheets…it's here to stay. There's nothing like it. Personally, I would surf the other newspapers but I still want to see how it is being laid out. I enjoy reading it in its old form. But then, you cannot ignore the new technology, it will go hand in hand with the old. But, I think the traditional form will stay on for a long, long while.

Q. That's all we have for today. Thank you very much Mr. Tacujan.
A. My pleasure.