90 years of Freeman journalism

Last year I missed it; so this year I made a promise that I should be there, by any means.

I’m talking about The Freeman’s 90th anniversary celebration at Marriott Hotel Wednesday morning.

I made it all right but was still sleepy. My daughter was going to attend the PRISAAP in Baguio City and she had to catch a 5 a.m. flight. I woke up at around 3 a.m. and dropped her to USC-NC so she could show herself to the teachers. Then I adroitly drove to the airport.

Made it back to our place by 5:30 a.m. Tried to catch some sleep but my brain couldn’t seem to detect the signal that my eyes were already closed.

I was still rubbing my eyes when I reached Marriott. The sight of fellow deadline beaters garbed in denims and striped shirts or skirts awakened my slumbering soul.

Here they are alive, smiling, sharing jokes. In a few hours, they will turn into super humans in another afternoon at the newsroom where they write or edit stories so readers will have something to read the next day.

I found a seat with Nimrod Quiñones, Manny Villaruel, Yoyo Abayan, Gabby Malagar. I looked around and at the presidential table were Sir Dodong Gullas, Miguel Belmote and Juanito Jabat. Sitting next to us was our editor Jerry Tundag.

I felt like an outsider. In fact, I’m the most junior among the editors. I worked as assistant sports editor in September 2007 but had to stop in March 2008 after I contracted pneumonia. I still moonlight every Saturday to give Manny Villaruel a break.

Then there were speeches.

I listened intently as Mr. Jabat related a story about a postgraduate student who approached him to ask about the “rise and fall” of The Freeman. Mr. Jabat quickly replied, “The Freeman never fall, it’s always on the rise!”

He then related a defining moment - the morning after typhoon Roping hit Cebu. How he walked for more than five kilometers just to report for work, walking over all sort of debris on his way. He said, among the papers in Cebu, only The Freeman came out the next day. He said he hopes to be present when The Freeman celebrates its 100th anniversary ten years from now. Mr. Jabat is 79 years old.

Sir Dodong Gullas shared how his parents reacted when he told them he would revive The Freeman. His parents reminded him that reviving the paper is like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Once the substance is out, you could never put it back. The rest is history, so to speak. His wish today: a united Freeman.

The best announcement came from Sir Miguel Belmonte. There will be an across board salary increase next month!

There were lots of presentations. In between, I pondered over the ninety years of journalism that The Freeman provided for its readers.

The words of Paulino Arandia Gullas came to mind. In his editorial for the maiden issue of The Freeman, in 1919, he wrote, “In the hands of unscrupulous and unprincipled journalists, the press is the ugliest weapon of destruction, forged in the furnace of Satan. But committed to the hands of men who are true to the ethics of their profession, it is the greatest empire builder, the greatest educator, the greatest molder of public opinion - the best preserver of law and order, and the most faithful handmaid of private and public morals.”

I believe The Freeman of today is the paper Gullas had in mind. I pray that I could continue to uphold such heritage, and like the rest, make it to The Freeman’s 100th anniversary…and beyond.

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My family expresses our sincerest condolences to the family of Antonio Tapere. Mang Tony peacefully passed away July 10 four days after his 57th birthday. Mang Tony was one of the very first who welcomed us in the neighborhood when we transferred to R. Landon. We will miss you Mang Tony!

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