Progressing with the FREEMAN: A journey of success

CEBU, Philippines — In the bustling city life and hurried clocks of the hustlers, there exists a group of unsung heroes who quietly weave through the streets, delivering the day's headlines to doorsteps and newsstands. But unbeknownst to many, these newsboys have their own stories worth telling—a testament of determination, progress, and most of all, their own taste of success.

From newsboys to creating themselves into news dealers, Danilo “Taya” Ybañez, Leny Acosta, and Oscarito “Bebot” Robles, have made this career transformation to thrive amidst life’s circumstances.

Danilo, a native of Barili town in Southern Cebu, came to Cebu City when he was a teenager with the purpose of looking for his father who had left their family at home. He searched the city’s every nook and cranny but found not even a shadow of his father.

To sustain his daily needs in the city, Danilo started selling ice drops. He also tried selling sweepstakes tickets on the streets which led him to meet a friend working as a newsboy. His newsboy friend opened the doors for him into becoming one of the most-valued newspaper dealers in Cebu today. Danilo said his newsboy friend introduced him to selling newspapers.

Recalling his humble beginnings, Danilo had a good laugh remembering his first daily customers as a newsboy at a hotel in Talisay City, Cebu.

At 16 years old, Danilo bought a bicycle from his earnings as a newsboy. Having a bike, he said, had made delivering newspapers to his patrons in Colon and Mambaling in Cebu City and in areas in Talisay City such as Tabunok and Lawaan easier.

With his jolly personality, Danilo developed a friendship with his fellow newsboys. He would deliver the newspapers back then in his everyday route with his signature rusty bicycle, hence the nickname “Taya”— the Bisaya translation for rust which his friends and even customers call him.

Soon after, Danilo levelled up his game from being a newsboy into a newspaper dealer that he is today. He now has several newsboys working under him.

Taya made himself. From a rusty bicycle, he now drives a four-wheeled red car. From a son who was abandoned by his father to becoming a hardworking father himself to his three sons.

In fact, his greatest success was when his sons have all finished college and have their individual careers. And these were all made possible through his hard work and perseverance as a news dealer.

“Ako gyu’ng gilahi akong kinabuhi ron, wa man koy grado, gilahi jud nako akong mga anak,” Danilo told The Freeman.

Although they now live a relatively comfortable life, Danilo said he also allowed his children to sell newspapers for them to experience the life he had been through.

“Akong mga anak gitudluan nako pagka-newsboy, gipatinda nako sila, pero gipaeskwela nako sila, para makat-on sila sa akong naagian tanan ba,” he said.

Despite his thriving success in the industry that he chose, Danilo recalled one of the challenging moments as a news dealer—the COVID-19 pandemic.

As newspapers are produced daily even with the health crisis, newsboys and news dealers like Danilo were one of the most affected individuals when the community quarantine was implemented in the country.

However, he could not forget how The Freeman helped them to continue with their operations despite the restrictions. Through media passes, The Freeman had made their work bearable despite the health restrictions. Danilo shared how The Freeman helped them and never abandoned them during those trying times.

Leny Acosta, a 54-year-old news dealer from Banilad, Mandaue City, Cebu, also felt The Freeman’s efforts to keep the newsboys and newsdealers like them keep together especially during the toughest time like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leny started working at a news dealer in 1999 and stayed employed for nine years until she realized the potential of becoming a news dealer herself. Leny then started her own business as a news dealer after having her own family.

Through the help of her former instructor at the University of the Visayas, Leny was able to get copies of The Freeman directly from the company. Her selling newspapers helped her provide for her two children single-handedly after her husband died in 2006.

Leny gladly shared to The Freeman that her children were able to finish college through her selling newspapers. Her first child finished Financial Management while the second graduated Civil Engineering last June 9.

“Accomplishment jud ba, sa pagkadealer, newspaper ra g’yud tawn ang nakabuhi,” said Leny.

She also shared that being a news dealer allowed her to help her siblings-- her brothers work for her as newsboys while her sister manages her own newspaper stand.

“Mao nang naa jud akong kasing-kasing sa The Freeman ba kay siya may naghatag nako’g una nga opportunity,” said Leny.

Speaking of opportunity, Oscarito “Bebot” Robles grabbed the chance to become a newsboy when he started to have his own family.

Bebot resides in Labangon, Cebu City. In spite having a degree in Medical Technology, he chose to sell newspapers as his bread and butter.

Back in 1975, the college student Bebot would help his brother sell newspapers to patrons in some areas in Cebu City such as Urgello and South Bus Terminal. He shared that he was trained and exposed to their daily customers because of his brother who first started to work as a newsboy.

Bebot shared that when he got his own family, life was not that easy as he thought. He decided to become a news dealer.

He got the chance to have an area at the South Bus Terminal and managed to have his own newsboys, from then on, he never stopped selling newspapers, including The Freeman, to his daily customers.

“Mahog nga dili na g’yud na mawa namo, mao g’yud na ang bread and butter namo,” said Bebot.

Being a news dealer has brought financial stability to Bebot and his family. Aside from being a news dealer, Bebot now has his own sari-sari store inside the terminal and an x-ray laboratory.

Bebot said his journey towards his success was not a walk in the park. The triumphs that he is enjoying right now are the pains he had endured back then. With tears in his eyes, Bebot revealed that this is what he wanted for his two children to realize amid the abundance they now enjoy.

The stories of Taya, Leny, and Bebot are just few of the many lives The Freeman has touched throughout the century. The three of them have never forgotten how The Freeman, the first newspaper that they all sell, has desirably changed their lives given its popularity to the audience.

As The Freeman celebrates its 105th anniversary today, Danilo thanked the paper for what he has financially achieved.

“Salamat kay naabot g’yud ta ani. Kay kung wala pa sad sila, wala g’yud mi naabot. Sa ilang nakab-ot, nakab-ot sad namo,” said Danilo.

For Leny, The Freeman is a family that is embedded to her heart for opening a door to where she is right now. As The Freeman marked another milestone today, Leny wishes for the paper to continue helping the community in the centuries to come.

“Mao nang naa jud akong kasing-kasing sa The Freeman ba kay siya may naghatag nako’g una nga opportunity. Kung naa sila, naa pa man pod mi, maong modugay sad ang dealer,” said Leny.

Meanwhile, Bebot marveled at how resilient The Freeman has been having overcome every challenge. The Freeman remained steadfast in conquering unfavorable circumstances.

“Diha g’yud baya mi nagsugod. Mahog nga ang newspaper sa The Freeman lig-on g’yud. Naka experience mi’g mga challenges nila pero naka-survive,” Bebot said.

The 105th anniversary celebration of The Freeman is not only for the people directly employed with the publication, the occasion also calls for giving credits to all the working force that completes the newspaper’s cycle every day for over a century now.