MANILA, Philippines - Maximo V. Soliven: The Man and the Journalist by Nelson Navarro is now available in bookstores. Max Soliven’s life and career spanned almost eight decades of wars, revolutions and unimaginable changes in culture and technology that all spilled, sometimes un-gently, into the 21st century. He saw his country emerge from its long and fevered colonial past into the uncertain tangle and frustrations of nationhood in a world imperiled by nuclear weapons, financial meltdown and climate change.
First as trail-blazing reporter, briefly as boy publisher, and later as the Philippines’ most respected publisher and columnist, Max rose to the top of his chosen profession in no time at all.
Starting from the police beat in 1954, he made national politics and world affairs the unerring focus and main concern of his six-times-a-week column in the Manila Times, the nation’s largest and most influential newspaper. He was among the first print journalists to venture into the new medium of television, hosting his own top-rated weekly talk show.
A victim of martial law, he survived into the post-Marcos period and helped revive the nation’s free press as founding publisher of the Inquirer and shortly after, the Philippine STAR.
What was the secret of the man’s success and power? First, he always knew who he was and what he stood for. Second, he always spoke out his mind and was never afraid to disagree with those who held other views. He always stood his ground.
He never yielded to tyranny or injustice and always upheld “faith in the Filipino” as the guiding principle of his life. He was a man of peace and non-violence who, at the same time, was fearless and always hopeful about the nation’s future.
He lived and died a journalist. Max Soliven’s story is a reminder for Filipinos to act in accordance with Christian principles, accountability and responsibility.
Maximo Soliven: The Man and the Journalist is a must-have book for government and civic leaders, journalists, students and for all Filipinos. For more info e-mail maxv.solivenbook@yahoo.com or log on to http://maxvsolivenbook.nowplanet.tv.