The Philippine Daily Inquirer will always hold a special place in my heart.
Our mornings were never complete without a copy of PDI in hand. It was one of the treasured memories of my childhood, as reading PDI became a bonding moment with my father. He would read the news, business, and motoring sections, while I would enjoy the lifestyle (fashion and 2bU) and comics. We would then discuss in the car what caught our interest on our way to school on weekdays or over breakfast on weekends.
In school, whenever we were required to share news for our English or Araling Panlipunan classes, PDI was our go-to source. Even in college, during my journalism class, PDI served as my standard for quality journalism. It also became one of my sources for our research paper on Philippine comics.
In my professional life as a PR practitioner, I am grateful to the editors and journalists of PDI. They were among the first to trust a young professional like me, just starting out in the industry. I still remember the warm smiles of the PDI team during my first media rounds—Ms Thelma, Ms Tina, Ms Amy, Ms Tek, and Sir Jong. Some of my career milestones are from PDI—front-page features, full-page coverages, exclusive interviews, and feature articles.
One of my most unforgettable memories was when my boss at the time arranged a lunch with Pam Pastor. I couldn’t hide my big smiles that day, knowing I was meeting and talking to the person whose articles I used to read and who inspired me to pursue a career in the media industry. My photo with her shows a calm smile, but my heart is exploding with so much happiness and kilig. I’m also grateful to her for the opportunity to share the memories of my late father in their Father’s Day special feature in the June 16, 2019 issue.
Even now, I still feel that familiar sense of excitement every time I hold and read a copy of PDI. Without a doubt, I am and will always be an Inquirer baby!