Growing up with LJM
It was Christmas Eve, just a couple of hours before midnight. I was on the floor surrounded by freshly bought presents, wrapping paper and ribbons, finally ready to feel the holiday
January 1, 2016
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It was Christmas Eve, just a couple of hours before midnight. I was on the floor surrounded by freshly bought presents, wrapping paper and ribbons, finally ready to feel the holiday
I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve cried in Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc’s office while she shuffled back and forth between summoning the copyboys and holding my hand.
She was unafraid to shake up the front page by putting out lifestyle, culture and human interest stories side by side
with that day’s serving of political circus and crime
To my regret, my interactions with the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s esteemed editor in chief were few and far between. It wasn’t because she was unapproachable, or had no time
She appreciated reporters who made an effort to look good on the beat. ‘Best dressed,’ she called me once
I’d like to believe that LJM had a sweet tooth—every time the Lifestyle section would offer her a box of something sweet, whether a cake, pie or ensaymada, she’d never
She made the paper a priority and had the generosity to talk to you for however long it took—as long as the paper had been put to bed.
I first heard about LJM from my father Rafael, who worked at the Inquirer as desk editor from 1991 to 2004. On one of his birthdays, Papa got a page
LJM worked her magic in the newsroom. No longer having her around feels like when Gandalf the Grey fell into the abyss—snatched away all too sudden, and all too soon.
‘Annie Brazil provided the soundtrack to my love life, hahaha’
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