The sermon of the sea

 A flock of seagulls flies in the blue cloudy sky over the sea and burrows into the waves/Freepik

TO BREAK out of the hustle and bustle of human toil.

To escape from the rut of encultured habit.
To flee from the jealous, constricting embrace of vainglory.
On New Year’s Eve, hastened I to the eternal sea.
And in my solitude, a soliloquy.

Cast off the old. Ring in the new. The incessant monotone of the year-end… after year-end, after year-end…So, we bid 2022 good riddance, and joyously welcome 2023 with much louder boom than the proverbial bang.

Fleeting as the wind, footprints in the sand are.
Swept to nothingness by the onrushing waves.
As fleeting are the days, flushed by the tides of time.
So waste not repentant tears over the demised year.
Refresh, renew. The new one promises something truly dear.
The year just past is better forgotten. With some spirit of thanksgiving and forgiveness.

The incoming one best taken. With open arms, with hope and prayer.
Less thanksgiving and lesser forgiveness, guarded hope and incessant prayer there, if I may. But not ever to be simply cast away.
To simply consign to the deepest recesses of memory injustices and atrocities, is in itself a worse injustice and the worst atrocity. An invitation to the revision, nay, the perversion of history. Of the past –

We may end the wailing but not the mourning,
We can stop the weeping but not the grieving.
This our sworn duty – as human beings –
As much to the dead, as to the living.
And as much as justice, to wish the cruelest death and damnation upon the perpetrator. That it may not ever happen again.
The waves rise, crest, fall – surging to ritual death upon the shore.
The sea murmurs, nay, roars:
”Leave the forgetting to the gull, 

its fish for the day its only care.

Leave the forgetting to the fish, 

escape from the gull’s hungry beak its very cause to exist.”

I am no gull. I am no fish.
The sermon of the sea I hear, and shall heed.

“…Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children…ships get wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and the children play…” The Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Gitanjali, I suddenly well remember.

Over. Done with. 2022 was.
Dwell in the past, no matter how dead. Why must I?
In. Going. Doing. 2023 is.
Live in hope only of a future best. Why can’t I?
For like the sea – rising and falling,
In its very waters the old in the new abiding. I am.

(Updated from a piece published here January 2010)

 

 

 

SunStar-Pampanga: The origin

AN IMPOSSIBLE dream. For the longest time, just about every newspaper in Pampanga had its thoughts fixed on a daily frequency as soon as it got birthed.  Only, to grow and live a weekly existence – many even dying before getting to their volume 2.

Even in these dot.com times, still impacted in the very core of Central Luzon’s oldest newspaper – founded in 1954 – is that dreamed-of masthead, The Daily Voice. Notwithstanding the nearing extinction of the print media. There’s just no substitute to the smell of pulp, especially on a daily whiff.  

But dreams come true. Not, unfortunately, for Pampanga’s “best in reading, no kidding” “most cherished newsweekly.”

Sometime in mid-1995, media maven Jose “Joe” Pavia called his PNA (Philippine News Agency) bright boys to a meeting at the Shanghai Restaurant in Angeles City. Over a sumptuous lunch, Joe adumbrated the plan for a daily newspaper that will serve, primarily, as a platform for the Clark Special Economic Zone as well as the recovery of Pampanga from the then-still extant Mount Pinatubo devastations. SunStar-Clark, it will be called.    

While owned by the Sun-Star Cebu of the Garcias, SunStar Clark will be independent of it with Joe himself as publisher-executive editor, thereafter promptly assigning Bong Lacson as editor-in-chief, Fred Roxas as news editor, and Peping Raymundo as managing editor, giving us the freehand to recruit the editorial staff – from section editors, to reporters, correspondents, and photographers.

Fred cited possible conflict with his position as PNA-Pampanga bureau manager but could help from the sidelines. Lacson begged off being the senior consultant to Gov. Lito Lapid, unwilling to risk the paper being identified with the then new governor.

Asked who could be EIC, Lacson recommended Ody Fabian, then acting publisher of The Voice. Roused from his siesta, Ody managed to join the group for coffee.

Joe asked if Lacson could be at least named associate editor and serve as opinion editor, to which the latter acceded.

Among the first to go onboard SunStar-Clark were news reporters Joey Pavia, IC Calaguas, and Ashley Manabat; photographer Ricarte “Boy” Sagad; columnists Sonny Lopez and Cora Taus. Lacson’s column Golpe de Sulat in Mabuhay, Joe’s Bulacan-based weekly, was also moved to SS-C.   

Dry-runs thereafter ensued – first weekly, then three times weekly, until all weekdays. The editorial offices moving from the office of Sonny’s Sunny Vision company at the Marlim Mansion to Ody’s rented house at Sta. Maria Subd., both in Barangay Balibago, until settling at Plaza Romana in Dau, Mabalacat.

The maiden issue was officially launched with former DOTC Secretary Jesus Garcia Jr. and Gov. Lapid as guests of honor in November 1995.

Joe Pavia has left a lasting impression not only on the staff that worked under him at SS-C, but on every journalist that came under his tutelage. No anniversary of the papers he founded or served would be complete without some memorials for him.

Joe was the most respected long-time general manager of the PNA and no-nonsense editor of a number of publications from the pre- to the post-martial law eras, as well as chair of the Philippines Press Institute.

To say that Joe Pavia was a pillar of Philippine journalism is an understatement.

The mantra every journalist fortunate enough to have been mentored by Joe is “Accuracy. Accuracy. Accuracy.” Be it in a news story or in a headline.

No, he would never settle for simple fact-checking. It had to be checked, rechecked, cross-referenced with all possible sources for a final check. And then, after each news story: “Ang follow-up?”

Still, to Joe: No story is worth dying for. The well-being of the journalist of utmost precedence.

And then, Joe had this never-the-twain-shall-meet rule with news vis-à-vis opinion writing. At SS-C, he expressly enjoined me to lay off news stories as I was already writing a column and the editorials. Precisely, as news is bound by facts, and columns/editorials stand on opinions.

Food for thought: What would Joe say about SunStar-Pampanga today?

(P.S. Reconstructed from ageing memory, the writer apologizes for whatever lapses in this story solicited for the paper’s 27^th anniversary.)

 

Once upon the CL press

1978. It was July, most probably. Department of Public Information-Region 3 director Ricardo Velasquez Serrano – Kapitan Gigil, fondly – newly assigned to Central Luzon, though a Kapampangan by parentage, asked his senior staff how the office can engage the provincial press in development communications to support the socio-economic and infrastructure initiatives of government.  

Freshly schooled in OD (organization development) at the Development Academy of the Philippines, his chief of research, training, and development division suggested the formation of an association of “all working journalists” in Central Luzon, which Serrano readily approved, and tasked the proponent to do the working paper for such association.

The primary consideration laid out in the working paper was membership. Aware of the intramurals between provincial press clubs of the time, acceptance into the proposed regional press organization would be by individual membership with representation not of the press club but of the publication or radio station of the member. Thereby, an inclusive umbrella organization that will not be in conflict with the press clubs in terms of membership.

In a week’s time, backstopped by Fred Roxas, bureau manager of the Philippines News Agency in CL, and Ben Gamos of the Times Journal, the proponent traveled around Central Luzon in a campaign for membership to the new organization.

At the time, there were two press organizations that, unfortunately, were regional only in their nomenclature but not in scope of membership: the Tarlac-based Central Luzon Association of Journalists headed by Carlos Gatdula of Bulletin Today, and the Central Luzon Press Club of Romy Medina of Times Journal domiciled in Olongapo City.

It was naturally to these gentlemen that the trio from DPI deferred – they responded positively to the new organization, but with Medina asking for first right to the presidency. In character, the self-effacing and gracious Gatdula readily conceded, merely requesting that something of his club should be in the name of the new organization, hence: Central Luzon Media Association. 

From there, it was a breeze tapping the services of the “old guards” in  organizing: Rod Reyes of the Journal Group, along with brothers Jess and Bert Matic of The Reflector (CL’s first and only broadsheet) in Bulacan; Efren Molina of Bulletin Today in Bataan; Pacifico de Guzman of The Monday Post, Pete Salazar of Dahongpalay, and Anselmo Roque of Daily Express along with Isagani Valmonte of Times Journal in Nueva Ecija; Ben and Rose Razon of the Tarlac Star and radioman Ben Gonzales, Feliciano Pasion of Manila Times, and DPI coordinator Luz Ducusin in Tarlac; spouses Elpidio and Susana Curiano of Olongapo News in Zambales.

In Pampanga, members of the Pampanga Press Club enlisted en masse to the CLMA.

Aurora – at that time still part of Region IV-A – nevertheless joined in the person of Rodante Rubio of Malaya.   

That the greater mass of members came from the print – both provincial and national newspapers, reflected the state of media obtaining in the region at that time: only Olongapo, Tarlac, Angeles, and Cabanatuan had operating radio stations.

September 24, 1978. At the DPI-3 office in San Fernando, Pampanga, the first set of officers of the CLMA with Romy Medina as president was inducted into office by Public Information Secretary Francisco S. Tatad. 

Director Ricardo V. Serrano is the First, while the rest of those mentioned here are the rest of the Founding Fathers of the CLMA. Suffice for this writer to hold on, with honor and privilege, to the title Serrano himself bestowed upon him – “founding proponent.”

CLMA presidents: The first decade

1978. Romualdo Medina (Times Journal). Loosely organized, absent any constitution and by-laws, CLMA adapted to the standards of media practice – objectivity, fairness, and accuracy – and adopted these as protocols. 

1980. Maximo L. Sangil (Daily Express). The framing of the CLMA constitution and by-laws, engagement of the association in crusades in partnership with the Ministry of Public Information notably: the anti-pollution campaign that forced polluting sugar mills, pulp and paper manufacturing factories in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Bataan to put up pollution-abatement facilities; the anti-illegal gambling drive that resulted to the sacking of a regional Philippine Constabulary commander, provincial commanders and chiefs of police; and the anti-illegal dikes campaign which resulted to the demolition of some 300 dikes encroaching the waterways of Bataan, Bulacan, and Pampanga.     

Re-elected in 1981, Max holds the distinction as the only CLMA president who succeeded himself. Successive reelection has since been prohibited.

1982. Alfredo M. Roxas (Philippines News Agency). All the shibboleths of political campaign – T-shirts, streamers, balloons, food and drinks, leaflets – obtained in the election that saw Fred triumph over Amante Reyes (The Voice). The heavy turnout of voters indicated the rise in membership resulting from the increase in the number of provincial newspapers and radio stations in the region. 

1983. Jesus Matic (Reflector) and Hector P. Soto (Times Journal). With equal number of votes, a coin toss decided not who should be president but who would sit first in the shared presidency. Jess’ half of the term was cut short by his death leaving Toy more than his half-share.   

1984. Jeremias J. Lacuarta (Bulletin Today). A court injunction filed by a disgruntled CLMA director came too late to stop Jerry’s election. Lawyer-friends later questioned the injunction over the CLMA, it being a “social organization” unregistered with the SEC. The CLMA was officially affiliated with the National Press Club. CLMA meetings started to be moved from province to province instead of being centered at the MPI regional office. 

1985. Carlos P. Gatdula (Bulletin Today). His sacrifice of the presidency upon the organization of the CLMA bore fruit six years hence, being the only candidate for president in what turned out to be an acclamation rather than an election. Serious threats to his life constrained Gat to seek temporary sanctuary in the USA ceding the presidency to his executive vice president Bert Padilla (Bulletin Today).

1986. Benny Rillo (Balita). Along with acting president Bert, Feliciano Pasion (Manila Times) and Rizal Policarpio (Balita) were handily beaten by Benny in the election held in Cabanatuan City.

1987. Feliciano Pasion (Manila Times). Exchange of gunfire between NPA rebels and the military in an armed encounter in nearby Samal, provided the horrifying accompaniment to Ising’s election to the presidency held in Balanga, Bataan. A revised CLMA Constitution and By-Laws was drafted during his term.

1988. Jeremias J. Lacuarta (Manila Bulletin). The Constitution and By-Laws was approved overwhelmingly in the general assembly preceding the election. Jerry renewed his call to cleanse the CLMA of media scalawags and extortionists.  

(P.S. Reminiscing over events more than four decades back has taken its toll on ageing memory. This is the best reconstruction I can do for a piece celebrating the 44^th anniversary of the CLMA held last Dec. 2 at the Hiyas Convention Center, Malolos City. My apologies for lapses.)