ANDRES BONIFACIO: THE BETRAYAL OF A HERO

Andres Bonifacio y de Castro, the father of Philippine Revolution and Philippine Democracy, was executed to death by firing squad by Gen Lazaro Makapagal and four other soldiers at Mount Nagpatong, Maragondon, Cavite on May 10, 1897. But, who ordered the execution? Read the article and find out.


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Andres Bonifacio y de Castro, born in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863 to Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro and married to Gregoria de Jesus, the Lakambini of the Katipunan, is the father of the Philippine Revolution and Philippine Democracy.

Bonifacio founded the premiere crusader of the Philippine Independence, the “Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan” (Highest and Most Respectable Society of the Sons of the People) or the Katipunan at a house in Calle Azcarraga, now Claro Mayo Recto Street, in Tondo, Manila, on the night of July 7, 1892, the night when Dr Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda, the national hero of the Philippines, was deported to Dapitan, now City of Dapitan, in Zamboanga Del Norte. Together with Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, Bonifacio formed the first triangle of the Katipunan. With them were Jose Dizon, Valentin Diaz, Pio Valenzuela, Deodato Arellano, and Emilio Jacinto, who served as Bonifacio's secretary and adviser on fiscal matters.

According to Dr Teodoro A Agoncillo in the “History of the Filipino People,” the katipuneros gathered around a flickering table lamp, performed the ancient blood compact, and signed their membership papers with their own blood. They vowed to liberate the Philippines from the tyranny of Spanish friars and civil guards through force of arms.

Continue reading the article at http://www.quazen.com/Reference/Biography/Andres-Bonifacio-The-Betrayal-of-a-Hero.111603

NO GUTS, NO GLORY: CHAIRMAN GENUINO AND HIS JOURNEY TO PERSONHOOD

Text and Interview by Lea Salen Peralta, Kevin Rein Galang Alvia, and Kimberly Cochingco Wy


HYATT HOTEL—He was not in his office when we arrived. He was attending an urgent meeting with the President and the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management at the Malacañang Palace. We were almost disappointed, and we thought that our toils to satisfy our intrigues about him turned to dust. But when one of his female staff called him via his mobile phone to remind him of a rendezvous with us, he swiftly returned and welcomed us to his chic but manly office.

To say that it was effortless setting up an interview with such a busy personality in the country, especially if he happened to receive instant calls from the President or if he happened to speak in a conference in such a short notice, with no ample time to accommodate a personal interview in his extra hectic to-do list, was a tall tale, only professional mass media practitioners obtain. Our young hearts were throbbing—intimidated with the proud stance that he carried around. But when we stepped into his cold and spacious office, he seemed calm and unperturbed; his workaholic image did not seem to reflect on his face. Despite his stylish red tie and sophisticated black coat, giving him a seemingly domineering façade, he looked like an ordinary man, very warm and in all smiles, working yet in a not-so-ordinary office.

He was talking with a man in an executive ensemble—perhaps meeting an associate who was beating a deadline—when his beautiful receptionist ushered us inside his office. When he saw us, he surprisingly cut their conversation short and warmly accommodated us. He invited us to sit in front of his big, black desk. Still in awe, we started the interview with a light query about his childhood. It was a free-wheeling interview that took us more than an hour jotting down everything that we need to know.

Mr Efraim Cruz Genuino described himself as a man of honor, integrity, and strong character. Reared in San Roque, Navotas, though he was born in General Trias, Cavite, Mr Genuino told us that his childhood was inevitably difficult because he came from a brood of three boys and 12 girls. Mr Felix Genuino, his father, was a simple fisherman, while Mrs Trinidad Cruz, his mother, was a plain housewife. However, with his father’s hard labor in the ocean and in raising swine, with the mutual support of his family, which according to him, “was more than enough to form a basketball team,” they had modest but honorable lives.

“Nagtitinda ako ng ice drops at nag-aalaga ng paanaking baboy noon. Nasa Tangos Elementary School ako noon,” Mr Genuino remembered.

It was in high school when Mr Genuino developed his sense of leadership. He served as the corps commander of the Wesleyan High School Philippine Military Training, now Citizen Advancement Training. As a martial artist, he also developed his sense of valor, bouyancy, and moral fiber, adding that he is a black belter.

“Ang mga iyon ang kailangan natin sa buhay. Kailangan nating maging matapang. No guts, no glory, kumbaga,” Mr Genuino explained. “Pero, noong high school ako, nahuli akong nangongopya. Napahiya ako. Nagbago ako. Nag-aral ako ng mabuti.” And he graduated as third honorable mention, a feat he still remembers with a glee.

Finishing his undergraduate studies was equally tedious for him because he had to work part time to financially support his education. He worked as a laborer in Central Textile Mills where, because of hard work and dedication, he was promoted as a supervisor at the age of 18, handling less than 50 workers twice or thrice his senior. And while working to fend himself and his family, his industry and intelligence paved the way for a scholarship grant that lessened his expenses. It was in the textile mills where he developed his good interpersonal skills and how to negotiate properly with people.

After finishing Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Management at the Philippine Christian University, he joined the Great Pacific Life Insurance Company as an underwriter. Later, he joined the Filipinas Life Insurance Company, the precursor of the Ayala Life Assurance Company, where he was recognized as its best insurance agent in the country. Two years later, he eagerly informed his superior that he wanted to be promoted as supervisor, or else, he would resign from his job. However, he was told that his request was far from possible because he was only 22 year old then, too young for the position since aspirants needed to be at least 24 years old. His superior challenged him that if he could break all records of his forerunners since the company started; he would have his request granted.

“I accepted his challenge. Sinira ko ang lahat ng records ng kumpanya. Still, the management did not want to promote me. I planned to leave the company,” Mr Genuino proudly told us. But when he was about to file his resignation letter, the management had no option but to promote him because “asset daw ako ng kumpanya.” With his admirable work ethics, he was promoted to the position he wanted. Yet, after two years again, he wanted another promotion, this time, as a division manager. And it was granted again. Talk about hardwork and charisma rolled into one!

But then again, at the age of 28, “gusto ko na namang maging presidente ng kumpanya.” He informed again his superior about it who promptly dissuaded him because the president is also the owner of the company. Right there and then, “I tendered my irrevocable resignation telling my boss that if I could not be the company president, I’ll resign, establish my own company, and become the president.” And so he did.

“Nagsimula ako sa PhP2 500. Nakipagsapalaran ako. Nakipagsosyo ako sa isa kong kaibigan. Naniwala ako na ang isang bagay, basta gusto mo, there is always a way, para makuha mo,” Mr Genuino said.

With only such a meager amount in his pocket, all he had was his determination to go farther, to make something out of his bare hands. His Trace Pest Control and General Services defined the dawn of his peaking triumph, earning him almost PhP30 000 a day. It was followed by several other successful businesses that he himself founded, supervised, and managed. One of which is the Trace Computer and Business College, the first computer school in the country established before the advent of STI Colleges and AMA Computer University. Successful enough, Trace now has four branches, and its Los Baños Campus hosted this year’s Miss Earth beauty pageant and last year’s Southeast Asian Games aquatic competitions. In partnership with the Singapore International School, he told us, the Trace International School will be established in Global City in the years to come.

“Pinatutunayan ng nakamit kong tagumpay na ang kahirapan ay hindi hadlang sa inaasam na tagumpay basta’t may pagsisikap at mabuting hangarin sa bawat gawain na ating nilalayon,” Mr Genuino adviced us.

On January 21, 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Mr Genuino as chairman and chief executive officer of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the country’s third biggest moneymaker after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs. During his incumbency, Pagcor’s revenue almost doubled from PhP14.62 billion in 2000 to PhP23.3 billion in 2005. “The best solution to a problem is to prevent it. What are important in management are control and human relation,” answered Mr Genuino when asked how he manages his corporation.

Mr Genuino then informed us that out of the earnings of his corporation, 50 percent of which is remitted to the National Treasury, 5 percent to the BIR, 5 percent to the Philippine Sports Commission, and 1 percent to the Board of Claims. He also informed us that all vaccines and vitamins that health centers distribute and administer across the country came from the earnings of his corporation. Capping all of these, he added that his foremost priority was to serve the common people, to help them in any plausible ways.

Spearheading the most progressive government-owned and controlled corporation, he is one of the best chief executive officers and is one of the most powerful persons in the country, ranking 42nd in the Biz News Asia’s Power 100. Perhaps, no better appreciation of his and Pagcor’s undertakings can be more moving than the apostolic blessing that he and Pagcor received from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI early this year.

As a family man, Mr Genuino were blessed with four children—two boys and two girls—whom he and his wife, Mrs Aurora Flores Genuino, reared very well. Ate Sheryl, 27, is a successful business woman who manages their business conglomerates. Kuya Erwin, 25, studied in Colegio Santa Rosa, La Salle Greenhills, Ateneo de Manila University, and the University of the Philippines for his pre-school, elementary, secondary, and tertiary education. At present, he is finishing his law education at the Ateneo Professional Schools. Mr Genuino even showed us his son’s handsome picture saying that his son wanted to serve the masses someday.

“Naglilinis yan ng palengke nung araw. Kasi nga may tindahan kami sa Guadalupe Market noon. Hindi yan spoiled. Marunong yan sa buhay,” Mr Genuino quipped with pride.

Kuya Anthony, 24, finished his undergraduate education in De La Salle University, who according to his father, is a sportsman who wants to intensify sports development program in the country to save the youth from illegal drugs. Ate Angeli, 20, who at the middle of the interview called her father, went to Colegio de Santa Rosa for her elementary and secondary education and is wrapping up her college degree in La Salle. Throughout the interview, we could, without a doubt, notice how he loves his family so much. Though he was overly occupied with heaps of public commitments, he always make it sure that he spends quality and more than enough time with his wife and his four children especially when they were still young.

“My family waits for me every night. They are the source of my strength,” Mr Genuino smilingly said.
As he was amusingly narrating his life story to us, he was constantly being paused by urgent phone calls and reminders for meetings and other appointments. At one point, one of his female staff informed him that a commissioner from the Presidential Commission on Good Government was waiting outside and was very eager to speak with him. But, he patiently went on with the talk show, not minding other executives waiting outside.

We felt special enough to have been sitting in front of him, a man thoughtful enough to entertain our simple aspirations despite being caught in a bad timing. This exhibited his social neutrality when it comes to attending people, that he is negligent of people’s social repute, that whichever class one belongs, he deserves to be treated equally.

“Dapat, kahit successful ka na, marunong ka pa ring lumingon sa pinanggalingan mo,” he meekly uttered.

Mr Genuino then told us in a wholehearted tone that he could not possibly ask for more anymore, since he has already actualized all his aspirations in life.

“Life is what you make it. With control and determination, you can surely be successful,” Mr Genuino said while standing at the pedestal of idealism and rectitude and while every person would want to be just like him—humble, amicable, learned, determined, and hardworking.

Having a tête-à-tête with such a prominent individual was more than an honor. It was overwhelming to ascertain that behind his power, he remains as humble as when he started, willing to face everyone to bare himself. Mr. Efraim Cruz Genuino embodies a rugs-to-riches personality, firm with a conviction that an uphill struggle coupled with a strong determination to succeed will concoct and reciprocate worthwhile miracles.

“Hintayin ninyo, gagawa tayo ng milagro sa Pilipinas. But for the meantime, get involved, totally involved in your communities,” Mr Genuino said, ending his story.

JOSEPHINE BRACKEN: JOSE RIZAL’S DULCE ESTRANJERA

IN “DESCRIPTIONS OF My Life,” her unpopular autobiography, Josephine Bracken described her parents, her childhood, her heartaches, her disappointments, and her first meeting with Dr Jose Rizal. Josephine’s complete name was Josephine Leopoldine McBride Bracken. She was born in Victoria Barracks in Hong Kong on August 9, 1876, to Cpl James Bracken and Elizabeth McBride.
She had four siblings—Nelly, Agnes, Charles, and Francis (Cabrera, 1999).

Because her mother died after giving birth to her and because her father, being a military man, was always on the move, Josephine was adopted by Mr and Mrs George Edward Taufer, her godparents. Mr Taufer was a German-American boiler engineer. Mrs Taufer died of a heart disease in 1882. After one year, Mr Taufer took his second wife who also died in 1890. After another year, Mr Taufer took his third wife, who, in Josephine’s own words, was a torment to her (Cabrera, 1999).

One month after, Josephine ran away from home and sought refuge at an Italian convent for two months until Mr Taufer pleaded for her to return. In 1893, Mr Taufer fell ill from double cataract that no ophthalmologist in Hong Kong could cure (Cabrera, 1999). Mr Taufer then heard of Rizal from Julio Llorente, a Filipino resident in Hong Kong (Medina, 1997).

On February 5, 1895, Josephine, accompanying Mr Taufer, arrived in Manila. In the same month, they went to Dapitan in Zamboanga to consult Rizal (Medina, 1997). At first sight, Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each other. He was attracted to her blue eyes, brown hair, and happy disposition, and though she was not highly educated, she was witty, quick, and eager to hear all the things that Rizal had to say (“Dapitan,” n.d.).

After a whirlwind romance of one month, they agreed to get married. When Mr Taufer learned about their plan, he flared up in violent rage. Unable to endure the thought of losing Josephine, he tried to commit suicide by cutting off his throat with a sharp razor. Rizal, however, grabbed Mr Taufer’s wrists and stopped him from killing himself. To avoid further tragedy, Josephine returned to Manila with Mr Taufer by the first available steamer the next day (“Dapitan,” n.d.).

Before Josephine left, Rizal gave her a poem that reads in translation: To Josephine//Josephine, Josephine/ Who to these shores have come/ Looking for a nest, a home/ Like a wandering wallow/ If your fate is taking you/ To Japan, China, or Shanghai/ Don’t forget that on these shores/ A heart for you beats high/ (“To Josephine” 1).

Uncured because his ailment is untreatable, Mr Taufer returned to Hong Kong alone. Josephine was left in Manila and was supposed to stay with Rizal’s family as the latter requested his mother through a letter. However, it was with Narcisa that Josephine stayed because the rest of Rizal’s sisters were suspicious that she was a spy for Spanish friars to lure Rizal into a well-laid trap (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999).

After six months, Josephine returned to Dapitan. Doña Teodora permitted her son to marry Josephine, but Fr Antonio Obach of Dapitan refused to sanctify their marriage without a special dispensation from the Bishop of Cebu. But because Rizal was a mason, though Josephine was a Roman Catholic, a dispensation was not given. They then married each other, as one account narrated, holding hands in the presence of two witnesses. They lived together as husband and wife in an octagonal bamboo house that Josephine turned into a love nest—stocking the pantry with pickles and preserves; cooking, washing, and finding food when supplies ran low; and trying desperately to build bridges with Rizal’s family especially his sisters who heard rumors that Josephine was a woman of the streets and was a singer in a tavern in Hong Kong (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999).

In his letter to Trinidad on January 15, 1896, Rizal wrote that “we had no quarrels and we always laugh happily” (“Dapitan,” n.d.), but unlike fairy tales that end with “and they lived happily ever after,” Rizal and Josephine’s love affair did not last long. Quarrels came much later, one of which, based from an article in the Philippines Free Press, was violent, leading to her miscarriage. The same article suggests that Rizal’s days of consolation with Josephine were over and that his request for assignment to Cuba as a medical volunteer was also prompted by his unhappiness with her (Alburo, 2001).

On his way to Cuba, Rizal, however, was arrested, and after a mock trial, Spanish authorities sentenced him to death. On December 29, 1896, Josephine visited Rizal in his cell, spending the whole night on her knees in front of the chapel where he was detained. After seeing her, Rizal sadly exclaimed: “Ah! My dear, my time has come to be united to you but to be separated forever.” After which, he begged for forgiveness for the sorrows he had caused her (Cabrera, 1999).

Minutes before he calmly faced the firing squad, Spanish authorities allowed Rizal to marry Josephine. He gave her Fr Thomas á Kempis’s De La Imitacion de Cristo y Menosprecio del Mundo with the dedication: “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30th, 1896, Jose Rizal” (Zaide and Zaide, 1999). After some time, she became a widow and she was just 20 years old then (Cabrera, 1999).

After the revolution, Josephine asked for the mortal remains of Rizal, but she was refused by the Spaniards. She swore to avenge his death by joining Gen Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary movement on January 6, 1897. She once led a charge against the Spaniards and killed one Spanish officer using her own rifle. She participated in many battles, and most of the time, she was hungry and barefooted (Cabrera, 1999).

After the revolution, Josephine stayed in Cebu where the American colonial government employed her as a public school teacher. One of her students was Sergio Osmeña, who became the Second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Afterwards, she returned to Manila, taught at the Liceo de Manila, and witnessed the Tejeros Convention of the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions of the Katipunan at San Francisco de Malabon in Cavite. She was then summoned by Governor General Camilo Polavieja who gave her an ultimatum to leave the country. Frightened because of an impending torture, she left Manila for Hong Kong in May 1897 (Alburo, 2001).

When her foster father died, Josephine was married to Don Vicente Abad of Cebu, who was then working in a tabacalera in Hong Kong, on December 15, 1898. They had one daughter, Dolores Abad, who was born on April 27, 1900, in Hong Kong, and who was married to Don Salvador Mina of Ilocos Sur. When Dolores was one year old, her parents brought her to the Philippines, and they lived with the other Abads in a big house in Calle Magdalena, Trozo, Manila (Cabrera, 1999).

Afflicted by tuberculosis of the larynx, Josephine wished to die in the land of her birth. A certain Father Spada, then Vicar General of Hong Kong, said that he was deeply touched upon seeing her deplorable condition. Father Spada added that the last time he saw Josephine, he was stricken with pity. She was broken down in health and in spirit, and she had lost all her hope and her faith in humanity (Cabrera, 1999).

Father Spada took Josephine to the Saint Francis Hospital where nuns took good care of her. At the eve of her death, she asked for the Holy Sacrament that Father Spada and another priest administered. She died on March 15, 1902, without knowing how a line of a poem had rendered her, as only a good poet can, immortal: Adiós, dulce estranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría (Farewell, sweet foreigner, my darling, my delight). Her mortal remains were buried in the Catholic section of the Happy Valley Cemetery in Hong Kong (Cabrera, 1999).

In honor of Rizal’s dulce estranjera, the City of Manila named a small street, Josefina, after her. It crosses España Street near the Quezon City boundary (Alburo, 2001).

N. B. This article was written using the APA documentation format. List of works cited are available upon request.

CROSSOVERS: MEDIA PRACTITIONERS IN THE SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES

THE GROWTH AND development of the print and the broadcast media in the Philippines is perhaps unique in Asia because political development was established before economic advancement (Camagay 7; Doronilla 201, 209). This sequence of developments characterized the print and the broadcast media in their impartiality in politics and in their position in shaping the destiny of the nation (Doronilla 201).

When the United States of America began its civil government in 1901 and its Philippine Assembly in 1907, its primary task was to prepare the country for absolute independence (Camagay 7-10, Doronilla 201). The rigorous preparation involved the establishment of the judicial, educational, political party, and local government systems; the commencement of civil service, social justice, public health, and infrastructure programs; and the encouragement of agrarian reform and agricultural development, diversification, and industrialization (Camagay 8-10, 16-17; Doronilla 201-202).

After US President Woodrow Wilson signed the Philippine Autonomy Act, Governor General Francis Burton Harrison inaugurated the Philippine Legislature, a bicameral body composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives (“History of the Senate” 1-5; Totanes 183, 255). The Philippine Legislature served as the legislative body of the Philippines from October 1916 to November 1935. It was succeeded by the National Assembly upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines provided by the 1935 Philippine Constitution. By virtue of a constitutional amendment in 1940, the two-chamber Congress was restored. On April 23, 1946, the legislature was called the First Congress of the Third Republic of the Philippines that shared governmental powers with the executive and the judiciary (“History of the Senate” 1, 7).

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines regained its independence from the United States, but it was only in the 1950s when industrialization began (Doronilla 202). Consistent with the government framework for economic development, the liberal political party system approved that the print and the broadcast media must be owned and controlled by private entrepreneurs. The power of the print and the broadcast media commenced when magazine and newspaper owners were allowed to control and to operate radio and television stations (Doronilla 205).

Such power nurtured the adversarial and confrontational tradition of the print and the broadcast media that proposed a healthy formation of public opinion and democratic society through public debates and discussions. Thus, the print and the broadcast media were not merely instruments to provide social, cultural, political, and economic information. They are important players in politics who maintain equilibrium in the government (Doronilla 205).

EARLY CROSSOVERS

The history of print journalism in the Philippines is defined by the influences of the Nineteenth Century European press when newspapers were carriers of liberal ideas and were centers of political activities. Over the next century, newspapers proliferated during periods of wars, revolutions, and upheavals. Successive wave of colonizers—the Spaniards, the Americans, and the Japanese—used the press to promote colonial agenda and to impose severe censorship (“Philippine Journalism” 1).

Interestingly, in the history of the Philippine Senate, a number of journalists used their fame to crossover from print journalism to Philippine politics in the early Twentieth Century. Earlier, there was Isabelo de los Reyes who wrote articles for La Opinion, Oceania Española, La Revista Popular, and El Diario de Manila. De los Reyes founded and edited El Ilocano and founded, edited, and published Ante Europa and El Defensor de Filipina in 1899. He edited La Lectura Popular in 1890 and founded El Resumen and El Municipio Filipino in 1890 and in 1894, respectively. He was elected senator of the Ilocos Region from 1912 to 1928 (“Isabelo de los Reyes” 4, 6, 13).

Rafael Palma, who joined the libertarian movement as a reporter of La Independencia, assumed the newspapers editorship after Gen Antonio Luna died in 1899. Palma, with Sergio Osmeña and Jaime de Veyra, founded El Nuevo Dia in 1900 and El Renacimiento in 1901. He was elected senator in 1933, representing the Fourth Senatorial District of Rizal, Biñan, Manila, and Laguna (“Rafael Palma” 3, 4, 6).

Osmeña, who edited El Nuevo Dia in 1900, was elected senator in 1922, reelected in 1928, and reelected again in 1934 (“Sergio Osmeña” 2, 7, 9, 12). Jose Alejandrino, on the other hand, joined La Solidaridad and later represented the Twelfth Senatorial District of Sulu, Lanao, Baguio, Agusan, Cotabato, Bukidnon, Zamboanga, Nueva Vizcaya, and Mountain Province in the Seventh Legislature (“Jose Alejandrino” 3).

Once a member of the editorial staff of La Vanguardia (“Jose Avelino” 2), Jose Avelino represented the Ninth Senatorial District of Leyte and Samar and served the Eight Legislature, 1928-1931; Ninth Legislature, 1931-1934; 10th Legislature, 1934-1935; First Congress, 1946-1949; and the Second Congress, 1950-1953 (“List of Senators”).

Manuel Briones, one of the seven Filipinos that composed the Committee of Wise Men who drafted the 1935 Philippine Constitution, started as a reporter of La Revolucion and became the editor of La Tribuna and El Espectador in Cebu (“Manuel Briones” 1, 3). Briones served the Ninth and the 10th Legislature, 1931-1934 and 1934-1935; and the Second and the Third Congress, 1950-1953 and 1954-1957 (“List of Senators”).

Mariano Cuenco edited El Precursor of Cebu for many years. In 1926, Cuenco became a member of the Academia Filipina Correspondiente de la Real Española de la Lengua (“Mariano Cuenco” 5). He was elected senator in 1941 and reelected in 1946. He served as Senate President from 1949 to 1951 and continued serving the Senate from 1953 to 1965 (“Mariano Cuenco” 4).

While still a law student, Claro M Recto joined the editorial staff of El Ideal and later became a columnist of La Vanguardia. Recto was elected as senator in 1941, garnering the highest number of votes among the 24 senators, and was reelected in 1949 (Zaide 275, 278-279).

At the age of 17, according to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Benigno Aquino Jr. was the youngest correspondent to cover the Korean War for the Manila Times. Because of his journalistic feats, Aquino received a Philippine Legion of Honor Award from President Elpidio Quirino. He even interrupted his law studies to pursue a career in journalism. In 1967, he made a mark by becoming the youngest elected senator in the country’s history.

Francisco Tatad served as a correspondent for the Agence France-Presse and as a reporter and columnist of the Manila Bulletin before being tapped by President Ferdinand Marcos as Minister of Public Information from 1969 to 1980. He also wrote for the Mr and Ms, Business Day, Washington Quarterly, Philippine Daily Globe, Asian Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. He was elected senator from 1992 to 1995 and reelected from 1995 to 2001.

Starting as a journalist, Blas Ople wrote columns for the Manila Bulletin and its weekly magazine—Philippine Panorama. For quite sometime, Ople edited the Manila Times and wrote columns for the Daily Mirror, Filipino Magazine, and the Philippine Daily Globe (“Blas Fajardo Ople”). He was elected senator in 1992 and was reelected in 1998 (“List of Senators”).

Like Ople, Ramon Magsaysay Jr. was also a print journalist. Magsaysay wrote business columns for the Philippine Daily Inquirer from 1988 to 1990 (“Ramon Magsaysay Jr.”). He was first elected senator for the 10th Congress, 1995-1998; was reelected for the 11th Congress, 1998-2001 (“List of Senators”); and was reelected again for the 12th Congress, 2001-2007 (Philippine Panorama 10).

Even Miriam Defensor-Santiago is, at one time, a crossover. Defensor-Santiago made a history when she became the first female editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian. She wrote editorial columns for the Philippine Daily Express, 1972-1975; Philippine Panorama, 1976-1978; and Today, 1994. She was elected senator for the 11th Congress, 1995-2001 (“Miriam Defensor-Santiago 1”) and was reelected for the 12th Congress, 2004-2007 (Philippine Panorama 7).

SECOND WAVE CROSSOVERS

“It terrifies me,” said Walter Cronkite, the US broadcast media icon, “that anyone should suggest that a person, just because he anchors an evening broadcast, might be qualified to run for public office” (qtd. in “Loren Legarda: Television’s Child” 93).

What worried Cronkite, Luz Rimban said, was the over-glorification and excessive promotion of broadcast journalists whose jobs are to look and to sound good on television, though in reality, they are nothing more than news presenters who read what other people write and who voice what other people think (“Loren Legarda: Television’s Child” 93).

According to Rimban, broadcast journalists could easily crossover from broadcast media to Philippine politics because radio and television are the domains of the brilliant, the eloquent, and the quick thinker. And through the wizardry of radio and television promotion and broadcasting, with ABS-CBN in the forefront, broadcast journalists are transformed as crusaders and superheroes (“Loren Legarda: Television’s Child” 94).

Rimban also said that through glitzy plugs, publicity blitzes, and constant exposures, ABS-CBN has not only sold news but also created a cult of broadcast journalists. Before ABS-CBN, Noli de Castro was a field reporter of Johnny de Leon and later radio announcer in RPN 9 and DZWW from 1976 to 1986. Loren Legarda was a reporter and later news anchor of Newswatch in RPN 9 from 1981 to 1985 (“Loren Bautista Legarda-Leviste” 1, “Loren Legarda: Television’s Child” 94).

Before the campaign periods, ABS-CBN produced 30-second television political advertisements for Legarda and Renato Cayetano. The advertisements were aired free during primetime while other candidates spent millions producing their plugs and millions getting them broadcast. At that time, ABS-CBN charged PhP95 000 per 30 seconds of television political advertisement (“Loren Legarda: Television’s Child” 96).

Consequently, Legarda topped the 1998 Senatorial Election and became the youngest woman elected to the Philippine Senate and the first woman Senate Majority Floor Leader in the history of the Philippine Congress. Legarda gained prominence as host, anchor, and producer of ABS-CBN’s Earthlink, PEP Talk, The Inside Story, and The World Tonight (“Loren Bautista Legarda-Leviste” 1, “Loren Legarda Leviste” 1-2, “The Media as Kingmaker” 91).

Following Legarda, Cayetano also won a seat in the Philippine Senate in the 1998 Senatorial Election. Cayetano was not the brightest star in the legal profession, but his sustained exposure in the print and the broadcast media made him a legal luminary in ABS-CBN’s Compañero y Compañera, a public service program that offers free legal advice to radio listeners and television viewers (Balgos 101, “Renato ‘Compañero’ Cayetano” 2, “The Media as Kingmaker” 91).

After three years, history repeats itself. In the 2001 Senatorial Election, ABS-CBN produced two more broadcast media personalities-turned-politicians in the persons of De Castro and Francis Pangilinan. De Castro, like Legarda, topped the senatorial election. He worked as segment host of Good Morning, Philippines; as host of Magandang Umaga, Kabayan and Magandang Gabi, Bayan; and as news anchor of Kabayan and TV Patrol. He served as the over-all head of TV Patrol Production Team and as company vice president of ABS-CBN and DZMM (“Noli ‘Kabayan’ de Castro” 1, “Noli Leuterio de Castro” 1).

Elected in the Philippine Senate, Pangilinan was the co-anchor and segment host of ABS-CBN’s Hoy Gising! where he gave free legal assistance on-air. Pangilinan also anchored DZMM’s Batas and Relos Report with Attorney Kiko, public service programs dedicated to make the legal court system understood by the masses through increased understanding of their rights and duties under the law (“Francis Pangilinan” 1, 3).

Pangilinan also hosted and conceptualized ABS-CBN’s Barangay Dos, a public service program that established him as an intelligent lawyer and articulate broadcast media personality who hastened the delivery of justice in the barangay level. He also served as head of ABS-CBN’s legal desk and as legal analyst of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Department (“Francis Nepomuceno Pangilinan” 1).

Before Legarda, Cayetano, De Castro, and Pangilinan, Orlando Mercado worked as radio and television announcer at the Republic Broadcasting System. Later, Mercado worked as a police reporter and as anchor of ABS-CBN’s Radio Patrol. He also hosted and produced Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, the country’s longest running public service program (“Orlando Mercado” 4-5). He was elected senator for three terms, 1987-1992, 1992-1995, and 1995-1998 (“Orlando Mercado” 13).


N. B. This feature article was written using the Modern Language Association documentation format. List of works cited are available upon request.