My dear Daily Inquirer,
Let me begin by wishing you, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a happy, happy birthday! On Dec. 9, you mark your 39th year of relevant and meaningful presence and existence on this much−loved yet also much−debased motherland of ours. How aptly and appropriately you described yourself, what the Inquirer is and what it has accomplished, by affirming, not without justifiable pride, that it is indeed “a newspaper of record and a chronicler of the Filipino story.”
I am just as proud as you are, having traveled alongside you on your journey, from your inception way back in December 1985 until now. The first two of many articles written about me and my advocacy to rid Philippine textbooks of their cargo of errors, inconsistencies, misconceptions, fallacies, and lies were written by Constantino Tejero, one on June 4, 2000, titled “Read closer and see what textbooks are feeding our kids,” and the other one on June 11, 2000, titled “Textbooks that can idiotize your kid for life.”
The first of nearly 200 commentaries and letters to the editor written by me was the one whose subject was Miriam Defensor–Santiago on March 17, 2001 titled “We cannot have Santiago in a UN court.”
My latest submission, titled “The Imperative for the Lost to be found,” was published on Oct. 31.
I was the subject of 13 editorials of the Inquirer inclusive of the years 2002 to 2017. (“Books for Burning,” “Tragedy of Errors,” “Tsunami of Errors,” “Substandard Textbooks,” “Toxic Textbooks,” “Sick Books,” “Gadflies,” “An Itch Not to be Ignored,” etc. )
I had caused to be published in the Inquirer, between the years 2002 to 2007, 10 paid advertisements in furtherance of my advocacy, at the cost of more than a million pesos.
High regard
All these mean that I’ve really had a close relationship with the newspaper that I hold in such high regard, a connection that has lasted 24 years, already more than half of the lifetime of the Inquirer and a full one-third part of my own lifespan.
I have had the distinct honor of getting the trust, guidance, and support of iconic giants of journalism such as Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, Isagani Yambot, Fernando del Mundo, Raul Palabrica, and Juliet Javellana.
In this era of deep fakes, the Inquirer continues to stand tall and straight, a beacon of hope in a time and place bereft of gods and heroes, staying ever true and loyal to the exhortation of its illustrious founding chair Eugenia Duran-Apostol to “be a disturbing presence,” by delivering only “Balanced News and Fearless Views.”
The Inquirer has weathered many supertyphoons in its checkered life, most notable of which were the shameless campaign to boycott the Inquirer instigated by Erap (Estrada) and the strong-arm bully tactics carried out by (Rodrigo) Duterte against what he branded as “unfriendly media” during his disastrous reign of terror. The Inquirer did not only endure and survive, but it also outwitted and outlasted all manner of aggravation and aggrandizement that had been thrown its way, with amazing grace, equanimity, and the patience of a rock.
I grew wiser due to the lessons I learned from being on “intimate” terms and being in close contact with the Inquirer. I owe much of the good name and reputation I was able to establish over these last best years of my life to the inspiration and tutelage I gained from reading the writings of the great men and women who have graced the pages of the Inquirer.
