Neal Cruz, veteran journalist, 85

MANILA, Philippines - Neal Cruz, veteran editor and columnist, died yesterday at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. He was 85.

He is survived by wife Marina Novenario Cruz; children Doris, Dennis and Dinna Cruz, grandchildren Lyanne and Ysabel.

His remains had been cremated and the wake will be held starting tonight at the Mount  Carmel Church, New Manila, Quezon City.

He was two-time president of the National Press Club of the Philippines and founding chair of Samahang Plaridel, an organization of journalists and media communications professionals.

At the time of his death, he was a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

He was also editor-in-chief and columnist of the Daily Globe, The Manila Chronicle and The Daily Tribune.

During the pre-martial law years, he was managing editor and columnist of the Philippines Daily Express; desk editor and Malacañang reporter of The Evening News; senior deskman at The Manila Chronicle and literary editor of the paper’s This Week Magazine.

At the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated with a degree in Literature, major in Journalism, he was managing editor of the campus journal, The Varsitarian.

Together with the late Pat Gonzales, former editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulletin, Cruz founded the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum during the martial law years to test the limits of press freedom during the Marcos dictatorship.

The Kapihan sa Manila  Hotel, which he moderated, is the longest running media forum in the country and a template for other media forums such as Kapihan sa Anabel’s and the Kapihanan sa Sulo Hotel.

His wake will be held at the Mt. Carmel Church in New Manila, Quezon City starting today.