Palace condoles with Macasaet family

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday condoled with the family of the late newspaper publisher Malacañang and praised him for his contributions to journalism. 

“We condole with the family of Jake Macasaet. Jake was a long-term publisher of Malaya. We consider his death to be a big loss to Philippine journalism,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

Macasaet was the publisher of Malaya Business Insight and was a key figure of the so-called “mosquito press” critical of the Marcos administration. He died on Sunday at the age of 81. 

Roque, who worked with Macasaet in connection with the libel cases filed against journalists by former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, described the late publisher as a “maverick.” 

“(Macasaet) was very maverick and insisted, ‘let them file charges against me because I consider them as badges of honor,’” Roque said.

“He will be missed, both by me personally and by the nation,” he added. 

Roque said Macasaet chose to be cited in contempt rather than be silenced and surrender his independence as a journalist. 

Macasaet was cited in contempt because of his remarks about the so-called “Majestic Seven,” referring to judges who were accused of being in cahoots with alleged corrupt justices of the Supreme Court.

InterAksyon and BusinessWorld quoted Macasaet’s wife Karen who posted on social media that her late husband was “peacefully brought home by his Creator God at 8:35 a.m.” last Sunday “surrounded by his family.”

The two media companies also posted Malaya’s announcement  that Macasaet’s remains lie in state at Chapel 3 of Heritage Park in Fort Bonifacio where viewing was scheduled yesterday and today, between 10 a.m. and midnight, and tomorrow from 10 a.m. onwards.

Macasaet served for multiple terms as chairman of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), alternately leading the PPI with the late Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot and before him, the late BusinessWorld publisher Raul Locsin, among others, InterAksyon reported.

He was born on Aug. 9, 1936.