I will be 90 in September. I cannot help looking back at my 60 years as a journalist. It seems like it was yesterday!
I cannot help feeling nostalgic, having covered many administrations. These are some of the landmarks of my life as a journalist.
There was, for instance, this event during the early days of martial law in 1972. The Media Advisory Council was mandated by then-President Ferdinand Marcos to oversee the censorship of domestic and foreign media.
I was then president of the Manila Overseas Press Club, composed of both domestic and foreign journalists. I was also public affairs manager of the Kanlaon Broadcast System of the late Marcos ally, Roberto S. Benedicto, that operated Channels 4, 9 and 13 and the government station GTV-4.
I never believed in censorship of any kind, Thus, I thought of a scheme to place radio and television outside the ambit of martial law. I wanted broadcast organizations to police themselves; we needed to show the world that Marcos was not suppressing media.
I got the approval of Marcos and Benedicto. It was all systems go for me and my co-founders of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas. We even had a Code of Standards approved. I was elected KBP president.
After a year, when the election of another president was being discussed, I heard that the sentiments of the majority of the KBP members was that another president should be elected—not one from KBS, but one who is allied with Marcos.
I raised the issue of having one vote for one network, but RSB did not agree. I had no choice but to resign. “Is it about money?” he asked.
“It’s about conviction,” I replied.
After a couple of months, Marcos then assigned the late Teodoro F. Valencia, his good friend, to become the next KBP president.
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Another landmark in my life as a journalist was the beginning of the 365 Club.
It was founded at the old Intercon Hotel, and stayed there for 44 years until the hotel was demolished to give way to a new building complex.
When martial law was declared at midnight of Sept. 21, 1972, I got a call from Channel 9. I rushed to the station along Roxas Boulevard and had to go through three or four checkpoints.
It was already five in the morning and I wanted to go home. Along the way, I decided to have coffee at Hotel Intercon.
I saw Makati Mayor Nemesio Yabut there, together with Valencia, who told me he was expecting to be picked up any time by the military.
After coffee and snacks, Valencia told me that from thereon, all the displaced members of media because of martial law would be welcome at Hotel Intercon and that he would shoulder the cost. Yabut, knowing he would be paying everything, simply smiled.
And that is how the 365 Club began. We called it such because everybody who wanted to meet would gather in that place 365 days a year. Ka Doroy proclaimed himself chairman. When he died, I proclaimed myself chairman.
The 365 Club is unique because it has no charter, no list of members, no officers and no mandate except that it would be a gathering of friends who want to talk about the issues of the day. Or anything, really.
It caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal, which featured us on its front page.
The 365 Club stayed at the Intercon all through the years. It was patient with us, especially when the members disagreed on something and would turn loud and argumentative.
I have since proclaimed myself chairman emeritus, and made businessman Alfonso “Boy” Reyno Jr. chairman-president. We made former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile chairman. He attends every Saturday.
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Another facet of my life as a journalist is the founding of Manila Standard.
In early 1987, I got a call from my friend Rod Reyes. He said he got a call from Manda Elizalde all the way from Miami, Florida. Over lunch, Rod said Manda wanted me to join him in starting a newspaper. I would be a columnist and chairman of the editorial board.
In February of that year, the Manila Standard came out of the press. We had offices at the old Tanduay Rhum building along Ayala Avenue.
After a couple of years, Manda sold the newspaper to the Sorianos and the late Alfonso Yuchengco, and later on to Ricky Razon, owner of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. that operates container ports worldwide, and of the Solaire gaming and entertainment complex.
The newspaper is now owned by the sons of Kokoy Romualdez.
Despite opportunities to write for other broadsheets, I will remain with Manila Standard until I write “30.” I like the policies and vision of the paper. There are no targets, no biases. Most importantly, I like the people I work with here.