The star of a universe called Lifestyle

MANILA, Philippines - In the busy labyrinth that is the editorial section of The Philippine STAR you’ll find her, unassumingly immersed in work, but with the kind of composure one would expect from a woman of her stature. An icon in the industry and a pioneer in the STAR, Millet Martinez -Mananquil has been Lifestyle Editor for 25 years — and she has made it her life, even calling the job, the paper, and the not-so-little world of Lifestyle “the center of her universe.”

The STAR’s Lifestyle section draws its strength from a permanent team composed of Ching Alano, Tanya Lara, Therese Jamora-Garceau, Igan D’Bayan, Scott Garceau and Lai Reyes, and a pool of 120 contributing writers/columnists. “They’re a dream team; they’re the best lifestyle writers in the country,” Millet shares. Often with the most number of pages in the paper, The STAR’s Lifestyle section also has the most of themes, including special sections for the younger set, a regular page on pets, a health section, a shopping section, and a modern living section. All conceived by Millet, these sections are now staples in Manila’s lifestyle sections.

But the universe wasn’t always this way.

“When the STAR started in 1986, the Lifestyle section was all of one page! This was easy and hard at the same time, because on that one page, I had to put at least one nice feature article, several press releases (of which there was always a mountain pile every day) plus the popular “Pebbles” column of Betty Go-Belmonte, and devote half of that page to Entertainment (which had no section of its own yet), through a column by Franklin Cabaluna and then Ricky Lo,” Millet recalls.

So marked the birth of one of the most successful sections in newspaper history. With a true pulse on trends, and more importantly, what interests the STAR reader, Millet had drawn up a plan that later on became a model for many lifestyle sections in the country.

She says, “I envisioned a section that would be read not just by women, but by men, as well. And by readers of all genders and ages. It could be light but not empty reading, fun but not necessarily too frivolous. It would feature people who have beautiful faces and beautiful minds as well, party people as well as provocateurs in art, culture, literature, beauty, fashion, design, cuisine, and wellness. It would feature beautiful homes, but would look at the lives of the homeless as well. It would feature travelogues on picture-pretty places, but should also capture the heart and soul of a country. It would feature young pop culture stars as well as venerable institutions.”

“For our first issue in 1986, I already chose a Lifestyle theme for each day of the week, and the first issue of STAR happened to be a Food day. So for our Lifestyle page, I wrote about Claude Tayag, a young artist/sculptor who was then starting to be a chef as well. My title for that feature was “Claude Tayag: Never a Starving Artist.” It was from Claude that I had my first taste of Phad Thai as cooked by a Filipino, for at that time, Thai dishes weren’t that popular yet in Manila,” she shares. It was a taste of what was to come: a life of impassioned journalism, unforgettable conversations, and stories of sights, sounds, and flavors waiting to be shared.

Life before lifestyle

Even before she was a journalist, Millet was already a poster girl for the profession. In 1969, Ricky Lo and his editor, then writing for Manila Times’ Variety magazine went to the UP campus looking for coeds to feature. There they found a young Millet Martinez, a regular protest rally joiner and AB Journalism major. Before this, she was editor of her high school paper and winner of several poetry and essay writing competitions — the perfect cover girl for the magazine’s special issue on Campus Journalism.

Millet went on to apply for apprenticeship at the Manila Times, which was the leading newspaper, pre-martial law. After graduating, she was hired by the Sunday Times Magazine as an editorial assistant. When Manila Times, like all other publications, was closed by the government upon the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, she was offered by her Sunday Times Magazine editor to join Daily Express, which was owned by a Marcos crony. “Funny but pre-martial law, my journalism batch mates had planned a rally to protest the opening of the Daily Express — and I almost attended that rally! If I had, I would surely not have been accepted,” she recalls.

It was at Daily Express that she met STAR’s Lifestyle assistant editor Ching Alano. “Ching has been my assistant editor, both at the Express and the STAR — a total of four decades!” she shares. Later on, Ricky, who also moved to Express, and Ching, joined Millet at the STAR a few weeks after it opened.

“From l973 to 1986, I worked with the Sunday magazine of the Express, perhaps with some sense of optimism and survival. During those years, I would waver and look at other options,” she says. Millet attended a course for real estate brokers in 1978, passed the exam, got a license, and practiced on and off as a sideline, selling real estate to friends and relatives. She also took an airline ticketing course (“…thinking that perhaps I would find more fulfillment working for an airline and being thus entitled to foreign travels,” she explains.)

It was when she received an offer from Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven and Art Borjal that her doubts about her chosen career as a journalist ceased.

The pioneer

“You can imagine how happy I was when I got an offer from Betty, Max and Art to be the Lifestyle editor of the Philippine STAR,” she says. “Writing for the Philippine STAR which was founded by respected and iconic journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven, Art Borjal and Luis Beltran in 1986, right after the Philippines regained its freedom from the Marcos regime, meant a fresh new, start for me as a journalist.”

“I thought at first that it would be difficult shifting from a weekly magazine to a daily newspaper, but then I took it as a challenge. I loved the smell of freedom, the idea of unfettered journalism that came with the opening of The Philippine STAR after the EDSA Revolution in 1986,” she adds.

She shares that she never really dreamed of becoming a lifestyle editor. The job was called “society editor” then, and this was because society pages then were just that — photos of social events, parties, weddings of scions and socialites. “I didn’t think it was a job that required a journalism degree then (though later on, I learned that iconic journalists like Carmen Guerrero Nakpil and Doris Trinidad were once society editors),” she says.

Millet took the job, lived and breathed lifestyle for the 25 years that followed, often making decisions that were questioned by competition, like getting personalities who weren’t necessarily writers by profession to write for the section. Her ideas were unheard of; she was ahead of her time, which made her the ideal fearless leader for the chosen trendsetters and hunters that became part of the section over the years.

Before they knew it, the STAR grew from being the 23rd newspaper at the time, and reached its current status as the number one broadsheet in the country.

“At the STAR, I have learned a lot and continue learning even more. From our president, Miguel Belmonte and editor-in-chief Isaac Belmonte, we learn how important it is to be fair, and to give both sides a chance to air their piece.” She adds, “Here at the STAR, we learn not only to be good journalists, but to be good human beings as well. I like the way the Belmontes are people-oriented bosses. Miguel is such a dedicated and hands-on boss, he knows practically all the STAR employees by name, their backgrounds, even their personal problems.”

Being with the STAR since day one, Millet is also familiar with the humanitarian endeavors of Betty Go-Belmonte. She shares, “I like it that the Belmontes are continuing the Damayan humanitarian project of their mom. It is my dream for the Lifestyle staff to be able to personally join a Damayan group, climbing every mountain or fording every flood to give aid to disaster victims and the underprivileged.” She herself has always found happiness in helping put children through school, starting with the kids of her household help to children in Tarlac, the province of her husband Robert.

While many may see her only as Millet, the Lifestyle editor, those closest to her, especially her staff, know her as a compassionate, second mom who will be there for them in times of need. “Maybe I look suplada or harassed while at work…My friends complain I’m no longer impressed by bola and flattery… If they only knew how easy it is to make me laugh, how cheap thrills can make me happy,” she shares. “I love it when a staffer calls me “Mamy”. And yes, when a reed-thin young staff artist makes her cry with his touching text, because Millet helped him repair his leaking roof and his kids can now sleep well. She says: “I cry a little and die a little when I learn that a writer is hurting and in deep pain due to problems in love and life.”

The Lifestyle staff, her second family, is always at the receiving end of her words of wisdom. She tells her writers, “You must have passion in your heart, commitment to your craft, your newspaper and your ideals… Never belittle anyone or any event in the lifestyle beat, no matter how frivolous they seem... Life is full of surprises. You never know who will sit beside you and give you an interesting story to write... Keep your eyes and ears open. Never let your mind go on leave or vacation. And most of all, nurture good intentions because, as my mom would always say, goodness begets goodness.”

A pioneer who has a way with words, a passion for people, and a pulse on style, the STAR is definitely a universe richer with Millet at the helm of Lifestyle.