Manila Standard February 10, 2017 Section E by Manila Standard

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CELLENCE NEWS should be like the ubiquitous Pinoy pan de sal – hot, easy to chew and ready to go. For the past 30 years, Manila Standard has been delivering news as fresh as they come and as straightforward as we can make it to be, because we believe in telling the stories that really matter, in a way that will make our readers, fully informed and enlightened. We are also similarly proud of our editors and reporters whose passion for their craft is equaled only by their sense of fun and camaraderie. Yes, they’re dead serious in beating the deadline, but they are just as seriously funny (and often corny), in a more-or-less futile bid to somehow ease the daily stress of newspaper work. And we haven’t even gotten to the backbone of the newspaper. The Manila Standard Opinion section has been the home of many inﬂuential opinion-makers who have shaped public perception on many political points of view. In fact, allow us to brag a little, as we enumerate some of our more seasoned and award-winning columnists, including Louie Beltran, Emil Jurado, Jojo Robles, Antonio Lopez and Atty, Rita Linda Jimenez, among others. Now, if you’ve got coffee, we’ll make sure to complete your day,w

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years of news reportage A timeline of stories that captured the headlines for the past 3 decades First Decade

(February 11, 1987 to February, 1996)

HE ﬁrst year following EDSA People Power in 1986 was jubilant and tumultuous. It was a period of adjustment for a society that had newfound freedom, particularly of the press. The ﬁrst issue of The Manila Standard was published on February 11, 1987. Its headlines included a clash between the New People’s Army rebels and the military forces, and assurances by the late President Corazon Aquino to army colonels that there are no Red advisers in the government.

Manila Standard’s ﬁrst issue rolled off the press on February 10, 1987

THE FILIPINO, PIONEERING GLOBAL PORT TECHNOLOGY. February 10, 1989- The deposition taking of former Public Works and Highways Minister Baltazar Aquino happened as he gave a detailed account of his role as collector for ousted President Marcos on the $4.5 million commission from Japanese traders in Hong Kong in exchange for major infrastructure contracts in the Philippines.

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By August of that year, the newspaper covered a coup attempt by rebel soldiers, said to be the bloodiest of the six attempts against President Cory Aquino with 50 people killed and 200 wounded. 1987 also saw the crash of Philippine Airlines PR 206 into a mountain in Benguet with 50 passengers killed, and the sinking of passenger ferry MV Doña Paz when it collided with oil tanker MT Vector at Tablas Strait, killing 4,341 passengers and crew. On a much brighter note, San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, was canonized on October 18, 1987. Turn to E2

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June 30, 1991- 20,000 Aetas uprooted by volcanic eruptions from their ancestral home on the ragged slopes of the once dormant Mount Pinatubo were resettled in Iba, Zambales by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

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February 10, 1987 A total 18 people, including a young Army lieutenant, are killed in Barangay Namulandayan,

Troops led by Col. Gregorio “Gringo’’ Honasan mounted a coup attempt on April 2, 1988

Lupao in Nueva Ecija near the foot of Batalla and Col. Romeo Abendan of the the Caraballo mountain range following Philippine Constabulary. a running gunbattle between communist rebels and Army troops. The soldier September 28, 1989 is identified as Lt. Edgar Dizon. His President Ferdinand Marcos, 10th unidentified radioman is wounded. president of the Philippines and the longest president to stay in office, dies in February 11, 1987 his Hawaii exile at the age of 72 of kidney, Manila Standard, believing it can, heart and lung ailments. He was ousted in a among others, serve as an intellectual Catholic Church-backed so-called People forum for ideas, whether clashing or Power revolution on Feb. 25, 1986 and his complimentary, clambers up the news family was transported by four Sikorsky stands in Metro Manila. HH-3E helicopters to Clark Air Base in Angeles City before boarding US Air April 18, 1987 Force C-130 planes bound for Andersen A Black Saturday, 56 rebel soldiers Air Force Base in Guam, and finally to stage a raid on Fort Bonifacio but is Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. repelled within the morning with one rebel soldier dead. October 1 to 13, 1989 Typhoon “Dan,” known in the August 28, 1987 Philippines as Typhoon “Saling,” is the The most serious attempt to overthrow third of a series of tropical cyclones that the Aquino administration is launched by impact the Philippines in two weeks, members of the Reform the Armed Forces leaving hundreds of thousands homeless Movement led by Col. Gregorio Honasan, and 58 dead. Super Typhoon Angela, a former top aide of Defense Secretary locally known as Typhoon “Rubing,” Juan Ponce Enrile, with soldiers launching formed in late September but had the attack on Malacanang. The siege is devastating wrath in early October, causes repelled but several military and civilians, severe damage worth $8 million and including Aquino’s son Benigno III, are leaves 119 fatalities. wounded. Typhoon “Elsie,” named in the Rebel soldiers also seize parts of Philippines Typhoon “Tasing,” is one of Villamor Airbase, three TV stations in the most intense known tropical cyclones Manila, military camps in Pampanga and to make landfall in the country, leaves 47 Cebu, and the airport in Legazpi City. people killed and 363 injured. Damage nationwide is placed at $35.4 million and December 20, 1987 some 332,000 people lose their homes. The MV Doña Paz, travelling from Leyte to Manila, and the oil tanker MT December 1, 1989 Vector collide, leaving a death toll of Three rebel T-28D Trojans rake 4,386 people and 24 survivors, making the Malacañang with rockets and gunfire, the accident the deadliest peacetime maritime rebel soldiers wrongly assuming they have disaster in history. achieved air superiority by effectively neutralizing the assets of the 5th Fighter April 2, 1988 Wing of the Philippine Air Force. The leader of the August coup attempt, By 1990 to 1991, the world faced an Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan, that almost oil crisis with the Persian Gulf War. This toppled the administration of President oil price shock occurred in response to Corazon Aquino escapes from his prison the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August ship in Manila Bay aboard two rubber 2, 1990. The Philippines was affected boats along with 13 of his guards, as much of its oil was imported from according to the military. Kuwait, hence prices of gasoline and other oil products went up, and there January 5, 1989 was a need to ration supply at gasoline Some soldiers seize Camp Cawa-Cawa stations. Another impact of the Gulf War in Zamboanga City, after Rizal alih kills was the displacement of overseas Filipino seven people including Gen. Eduardo Turn to E2

June 15, 1991Mt Pinatubo eruption results in a rain of hot volcanic ash.

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May 11, 1992 Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections are held, the ﬁrst general elections under the 1987 Constitution with an estimated 80,000 candidates running for 17,000 posts from the presidency down to municipal councilors. Retired Gen. Fidel Ramos of Lakas-NUCD wins a six-year term as President by a small margin, narrowly defeating populist candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago of People’s Reform Party.

From E2 workers, particularly those who were employed in the countries in conﬂict. On July 16, 1990, a magnitude 7.8-earthquake hit Northern and Central Luzon, killing an estimated 1,621 people and causing damages worth P15 billion. Its epicenter was recorded in Nueva Ecija, and the shaking lasted for about a minute. This earthquake is thought to be connected to another catastrophe. When Mt. Pinatubo erupted on June 15, 1991,it became the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. It is also one of the most destructive eruptions, as it affected the densely populated areas of Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga. The volcano, located at the central part of the Zambales mountain range, produced highspeed avalanches of hot ash and gas, giant mudﬂows, and a cloud of volcanic ash that is said to have reached as far as India.

July 2, 1993 The annual Bocaue River Festival in Bocaue, Bulacan is marred by the sinking of a floating pagoda, the centerpiece of the festivities, which results in the drowning of more than 200 devotees. The Festival is a celebration held every first Sunday of July in Bocaue in honor of the Holy Cross, the Mahal na Poon ng Krus sa Wawa, found in the river in 1850. September 24, 1993 Former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos is found by the Sandiganbayan guilty of corruption and sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison. The conviction comes seven years after she and her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, were hounded out of the Philippines in the Edsa Revolution in February 1986. Outside the packed courtroom, crowds of her supporters hold vigil; opposite them, hundreds of anti-Marcos protesters cheer her conviction. These 10 years were not full of bad news, thankfully. The Philippines first made its connection to the internet on March 29, 1994, when the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connected to Sprint in the United States via a 64 kbit/s link.

March 4, 1990 Suspended Cagayan Gov. Rodolfo Aguinaldo and his armed men of 200 seize Hotel Delﬁno in Tuguegarao as a result of the previous failed coup against President Aquino. Several hours later, a gunﬁght ensues intending to kill Aguinaldo and his men. At a checkpoint shootout one of Aguinaldo’s men is found dead, including Florendo and 12 others and 10 more wounded. July 16, 1990 The magnitude 7.8 earthquake produces a 125-km long ground rupture that stretches from Dingalan, Aurora to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, which resulted from strike-slip movements along the Philippine Fault and the Digdig Fault. An estimated 1,621 people are killed, most of the fatalities in Central Luzon and the Cordillera region. October 4, 1990 Mutinying soldiers stage a dawn raid on an army base in Mindanao. The seizure lasts for two days, ending with Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and 21 others capitulating to the government on Oct. 6. June 15, 1991 The second-largest volcanic eruption of this century, and by far the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area, occurs at Mount Pinatubo, an active stratovolcano in the Cabusilan Mountains near the tripoint of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. The eruption after

A collision on December 20, 1987 between M/V Doña Paz and M/T Vector resulted in countless deaths

more than 600 years produces high-speed avalanches of hot ash and gas, giant mudﬂows, and a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across. More than 350 people die during the eruption, most of them from collapsing roofs. Disease that breaks out in evacuation camps and the continuing mud ﬂows in the area cause additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 722 people.

December 11, 1994 The Bojinka plot, a large-scale, three-phase attack planned by Islamists Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for January 1995, to assassinate Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Philippines, is uncovered after a chemical fire draws the Philippine National Police attention. The plan calls for the blowing up of 11 airliners in flight from Asia to the United States, which is expected to kill about 4,000 passengers and shut down air travel around the world, and crashing a plane into the headquarters of the CIA in Fairfax County, Virginia. January 10 to 15, 1995 Pope John Paul II presides over World Youth Day, a Catholic youth festival held in the Philippines that year. It is the first time an Asian country is hosting the event. This is the second visit of Pope John Paul to the country. He came in 1981 to beatify Lorenzo Ruiz.

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Second decade (February 10, 1996-February 9, 2006)

HE second decade of the Manila Standard’s reportage started out with an economic downturn. The Asian Financial Crisis hit in 1997 as a series of currency devaluations that started with Thailand, causing stock market declines and reduced import revenues. The Manila Standard kept vigil on the effects of the crisis, monitoring its effect on the local economy, which was thankfully mitigated by its export growth and a large overseas workforce remitting foreign currency. The world was shocked and saddened by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. Her death was met with extraordinary public expressions of grief, and her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6 drew an estimated 3 million mourners and onlookers in London and on 2.5 billion people on television worldwide. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s death followed shortly after Diana’s. The Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary died in India at the age of 87. Media dubbed September 5, 1997 as a double day of mourning, as the world was still reeling from Diana’s untimely death. 1998 marked a whole year of celebrations for the Philippine Centennial or the 100th Anniversary of Philippine Independence. Then President Fidel V. Ramos led a host of activities centered around the theme 100 Kalayaan: Kayamanan ng Bayan (1898-1998). Among the highlights of the celebration were a Reception for the Heads of State, Exhibits, Cultural Shows, Trade Fairs, Fireworks display competition and the re-enactment of the Kawit ﬂag raising on June 12 and a Balikabayan Centennial Ball on June 13. “Baka ma-Echegaray ka,” was a warning and a buzzword on the streets around February 5, 1999. House painter Leo Echegaray was the ﬁrst Filipino to be meted the death penalty after its reinstatement in the Philippines in 1993. He was executed by lethal injection at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City after being found guilty of the rape of his stepdaughter Baby Echegaray, who was 10 years old at the time of the crime. On August 3, 1999, at least 58 people died after a massive landslide occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo City, Rizal province. News coverages showed shocked and distraught relatives and the victim’s bodies being carried away, with politicians visiting the site to offer relief and promising to look into the tragedy. This eventually

Eight died here, Inside coach no. 1037 of the Light Rail Transit as it approached the Blumentritt station on December 30, 2000 as a series of blasts rocked the rail system in what is now known as the Rizal Day Bombing

paved the way for stricter laws and ordinances on housing and more accountability on the part of real estate developers. March 24, 1996 The Marcopper Mining Disaster in Marinduque occurs, one of the largest mining disasters in Philippinne history. A fracture in the drainage tunnel of a large pit containing leftover mine tailings leads to a discharge of toxic mine waste into the Makulapnit-Boac river system and causes flash floods in areas along the river. One village, Barangay Hinapulan, is buried in six feet of muddy floodwater, causing the displacement of 400 families. Twenty other villages are evacuated. Drinking water is contaminated, killing fish and freshwater shrimp. Large animals like cows, pigs and sheep are overcome and killed. The flooding destroys crops and irrigation channels. Following the disaster, the Boac River is declared unusable. April 21, 1997 Former President Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth President (19611965) and the sixth Vice President (1957-1961), dies. He ran for reelection in 1965 but was beaten by Ferdinand Marcos, during whose incumbency he was elected president of the Constitutional Convention which drafted the 1973 Constitution, succeeding another former president Carlos Garcia who died on June 14, 1971. June to September, 1998 The dry spell begins in June, its effects continuing to be felt

At least 106 people died after storm Ondoy swept through Luzon on September 28, 2009. The government declared a state of calamity in Metro Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces.

through September 1998 in 16 regions, while ther country is enjoying a continuous four-year growth; damage to agriculture amounting to P9.46 billion. June 12, 1998 Independence Day, also known as Araw ng Kalayaan, or Day of Freedom, marks the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Since 1962, it has been the country’s National Day. The day of celebration of independence has varied throughout the nation’s history. The earliest recorded was on April 12, 1895, when Andres Bonifacio, along with Emilio Jacinto, Restituto Javier, Guillermo masangkay, Aurelio Tolentino, Faustino Manalak, Pedro Zabala and few other Katipuneros went to Pamitinan Cave in Montalban, Rizal to initiate new members of the Katipunan. August 3, 1999 A massive landslide, caused by approaching typhoon Olga, occurs in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo, Rizal, resulting in 60 people dead and 378 houses buried. The subdivision became a death trap when its foundation was ﬁlled with water and the whole complex slid down the hill on which it was built. Two Philippine Presidents in succession had the tide of popularity

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Second... From E4 turn against them, and both their administrations were rocked by scandals that were widely reported on media. From November 13 to January 17, 2001 President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada underwent an impeachment trial in an anti-graft court, on accusations that he was the recipient of large sums of “jueteng” money. After the trial was aborted, people took to the streets to protest in what was called EDSA Dos, from January 17 to 20, 2001. The movement overthrew the government of Estrada and the thirteenth President of the Philippines was succeeded by his Vice-President, Gloria MacapagalArroyo, who was sworn into office by then-Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. on January 20, 2001. After finishing the term of ousted President Erap, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ran in the 2004 national elections, and won. However, there were allegations of cheating, particularly when audio recordings of her in a conversation with then Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, allegedly talking about the rigging of the 2004 national election results, were released to the public by media. The “Hello Garci” tapes led the way for the President to make a public apology on television, where she uttered the infamous line “I am sorry.” Arroyo and her husband had already been implicated by Jun Lozada in a graft case called the ZTE scandal, involving a $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE. As if her political career was not rocked sufficiently enough, a plunder case was filed against her at the Sandiganbayan for misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds from 2008 to 2010. The former President, who spent her time at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and was usually pictured in a neck brace and wheelchair because of failing health, has since been acquitted by the Supreme Court and is now attending Congressional hearings as a Deputy Speaker. October 4, 2000 Luis “Chavit” Singson, one of President Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s closest friends, exposes the latter’s alleged links to illegal gambling. This is followed by a privilege speech in the Senate by Sen. Teofisto Guingona, who delivers the now known “I accuse” speech. December 30, 2000 A series of bombings – now known as the Rizal Day bombings – occurs in close succession within a span of a few hours in Metro Manila, with 22 fatalities and around 100 more suffering non-fatal injuries. Jan 17 to 20, 2001 The Second Edsa Revolution, a four-day political protest, peacefully overthrows the government of Joseph Estrada, the 13th President. He is succeeded by Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and sworn into office by Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. at noon on Jan. 20. May 27, 2001 Members of the bandit gang Abu Sayyaf seizes 20 hostages from the Dos Palmas, an affluent resort located on a private island in Palawan’s Honday Bay. The hostages include two American citizens Guillermo Sobero and Martin Burnham. At least 22 Filipino soldiers are killed in attempts to arrest the captors and free the hostages in the 12 months following the initial

October 4, 2000-Luis ‘Chavit‘ Singson testiﬁes against former President Joseph Estrada during his impeachment trial

November 30, 2007- Military ofﬁcers led by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV were whisked off to a police camp after they surrendered to government troops who surrounded the Makati Hotel they had commandered.

Leo Echegaray was the ﬁrst Filipino to be meted the death penalty. He died by lethal injection on February 5, 1999

hostage taking. An unknown number of captors are later killed by government forces.

May 10, 2004 In the presidential election, incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wins a full six-year term, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. The 3.48-percent margin of victory is the closest in Philippine presidential election history. This is the ﬁrst time she is elected to the ofﬁce. She initially became president in 2001 after Estrada was ousted not through an election.

September 11, 2001 Four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States kill 2,996 people, injure 6,000 others and cause at least $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage and $3 trillion in total costs. On that day, 19 members of the al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes slam June 5, 2004 into the towers of the World Trade Center in New Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United York City, a third plane hits the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashes in States, dies after having suffered from Alzheimer’s a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 people were disease for nearly a decade. killed during the attacks in New York City and October 13, 2004 Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police Enrique Fernando, the 13th Chief Justice of the officers and firefighters. Supreme Court, dies after serving in the Supreme Court for 18 years, including six years as Chief 2002 Justice. February 26, 2002 Deposed President Joseph Estrada admits having December 14, 2004 signed “the Jose Velarde” secret account of P500 Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, known as Fernando million in Equitable-PCI Bank. But Estrada insists he merely signed as guarantor of a loan being Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da secured from the bank by one of his businessmen King, dies. His long career as an action film star earned him the nickname “King of Philippine friends, plastics king William Gatchalian. Movies” (often shortened to Da King). October 4, 2003 February 14, 2005 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared in December Three separate but successive explosions occur in 2002 she would not contest the May 2004 presidential election. But today she reverses and busy cities of Makati, Davao and General Santos. Also known as the Philippines’s mini-9/11 – a decides to run. reference to the US attacks by terrorists – because of sequential nature of the attacks, the Valentine’s November 20, 2003 Pedro Yap, who briefly served for two and a half Day bombings coincide with the birthday of Kris months as Chief Justice, from April 19, 1988 to June Aquino, a movie actress and the youngest sister of President Benigno Aquino III. 30, 1988, dies.

The Makati City blast results in the death of four persons and wounding of 60 others. The Davao City and Davao City bombings, on the other hand, cause the death of another four persons and injury of at least 30 others. Only 30 minutes after the Makati City bombing, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) through its spokesperson, Abu Sulaiman, claims responsibility for these attacks as “Valentines gifts” to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The ASG also regards the three bombings as retaliations “to continued government atrocities” against Muslims in the Southern Philippines. June 6, 2005 The Hello Garci scandal (or just Hello Garci), also known as Gloriagate, is described as a political scandal and electoral crisis involving President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who allegedly rigged the national election in her favor. The ofﬁcial results gave Arroyo and TV news reader Noli de Castro the presidency and vice-presidency, respectively. January 12, 2006 A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day of the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia kills 362 pilgrims. February 3, 2006 Egyptian passenger ferry MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast, with only 388 rescued. February 17, 2006 A massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurs in Guinsaugon, Southern Leyte, causing widespread damage and 1,126 deaths after a 10-day period of heavy rain and 2.6 magnitude earthquake.

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Third decade (February 10, 2006-February 9, 2017)

Tourists from Hong Kong were held Hostage in Luneta on August 23, 2010, straining ties between the Philippines and Hong Kong.

The funeral cortege of former president Cory Aquino passes the stretch of Roxas Boulevard in Manila en route to Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City for her ﬁnal resting place.

President Aquino visits Raissa Laurel, one of the law students injured during the Bar exams near DLSU on Sept. 26, 2010

HE Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre after the town where the mass graves were found, occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, Mindanao. The 58 victims were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu for the gubernatioral elections of 2010, when they were waylaid and killed. Among those killed by an estimated 100 gunmen were Mangudadatu’s wife, his two sisters, their aides, lawyers and the journalists who were covering the event. of Prime Minister Thaksin Baghdad kill at least 215 people Shinawatra in a coup d’etat. and injure 257 others. November 30: Typhoon Durian October 13, 2006 triggers a massive mudslide and South Korean Ban Ki-moon kills at least 720 people in Albay. is elected as the new Secretary General of the United Nations. December 30, 2006 Former Iraq President Saddam November 5, 2006 Hussein is hanged, after being Former President of Iraq convicted of crimes against humanity Saddam Hussein is sentenced by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for the to death by hanging by the Iraqi murder of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites in the Special Tribunal. town of Dujail in 1982, in retaliation for an assassination attempt against September 19, 2006 November 23, 2006 him. He was 69. The Royal Thai Army A series of car bombs and overthrows the government mortar attacks in Sadr City, January 13, 2007 Overseas, the US elected its first African American President. In November 4, 2008, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was elected president of the United States over Senator John McCain of Arizona. Obama was sworn in as the 44th president and was subsequently elected to a second term. Polls indicated that he enjoyed high approval ratings until he stepped down to pave the way for Donald Trump.

The 12th Asean Summit is held in Mandaue City in Cebu. April 15, 2007 Manny Pacquiao knocks out Mexican Jorge Solis on the eighth round to retain the WBC International Superfeatherweight championship at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. May 14, 2007 Synchronized national local elections are held. July 11, 2007 Fourteen members of

and

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Philippine Marines are found mall in Makati City kills 11 and beheaded after an encounter injures at least 100. against Islamic rebels in Basilan. October 26, 2007 August 28, 2007 Former President Joseph Exiled Communist Party of the Estrada is pardoned and freed Philippines founding chairman from jail after his trial. Jose Maria Sison is arrested in Utrecht, Netherlands. November 29, 2007 The Armed Forces lays siege September 12, 2007 to The Peninsula Manila after The Sandiganbayan convicts soldiers stage a mutiny. former President Joseph Estrada for plunder and sentences him December 27, 2007 to reclusion perpetua while Former Pakistani Prime acquitting him and his co- Minister Benazir Bhutto is accused on other charges. assassinated, along with 20 other people, at an election rally in October 6, 2007 Rawalpindi. Manny Pacquiao defeats Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera via February 4 and 5, 2008 unanimous decision at the Mandalay The House of Representatives Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas votes to replace Speaker Jose to retain the WBC international de Venecia with Prospero super featherweight title. Nograles. Shortly after his removal, de Venecia criticizes October 19, 2007 the administration of President An explosion at Glorietta Turn to E7

July 13, 2007Government troops mounted an offense against Islamic militants who killed 14 Marines in an effort to rescue a kidnapped Italian priest.

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single launch. August 25, 2008 Peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front collapse after the Supreme Court declares the memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain is unconstitutional. November 4, 2008 Democrat US Senator Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States and becomes the ﬁrst AfricanAmerican President-elect.

A mushroom of volcanic ash shoots up to the sky as Mayon volcano spewed huge rocks and ash after daybreak on May 7, 2013.

December 6, 2008 Manny Pacquiao defeats Oscar De La Hoya after eight rounds in a fight billed The Dream Match. When the Mexican-American could not answer the bell for the ninth round, the fight was officially declared a technical knockout. August 1, 2009

Former President Corazon Aquino dies of cardiorespiratory arrest due to complications caused by colorectal cancer. Over a million people, by police estimate, attend her wake at the Manila Cathedral and the 21.5km funeral procession from there to the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque. September 26, 2009 Typhoon “Ondoy” (international name “Ketsana”) hits the Philippines and becomes the second most devastating tropical cyclone in the 2009 Paciﬁc typhoon season with a damage of $1.09 billion and 747 fatalities, only behind “Morakot” earlier in the season, which left 789 deaths and damage worth $6.2 billion. It is the most devastating typhoon to hit the Philippines, surpassing Typhoon “Yoling” (international name “Patsy”) in 1970. November 23, 2009 The Maguindanao massacre,

also known as the Ampatuan massacre, leaves 58 victims on their way to file a Certificate of Candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town. Gunmen kill the victims including Mangudadatu’s wife, his two sisters, journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who are witnesses or are mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. December 4, 2009 President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo places Maguindanao under a state of martial law. (She lifts the state of emergency after eight days.) January 5, 2010 Senator Panfilo Lacson leaves the Philippines, shortly before charges against him are filed. Lacson was tagged as the alleged mastermind in the murder of public relations practitioner Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito as claimed

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sovereign immunity in connection with the enforcement of an American civil judgment against the estate of of From E6 former President Ferdinand Marcos in Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and tells favor of 9,500 human rights victims. media he is joining the political March 24, 2008 opposition. The family of Corazon Aquino announces that the former President is March 6, 2008 Several members of Congress call suffering from colon cancer. for an investigation into a 2004 joint April 8, 2008 oil exploration agreement between the Police seize hundreds of bomb Philippines, China and Vietnam over the disputed Spratly islands, claiming components in Alaminos, Laguna, the agreement is unconstitutional and following a raid that targeted a Filipino with alleged links to Jemaah infringes on national sovereignty. Islamiyah. In the capital, nine military ofﬁcers receive prison sentences from March 11, 2008 A Manila trial court acquits former a Makati City trial court for their role First Lady Imelda Marcos of 32 counts in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. of illegal money transfers. April 27, 2008 The Taliban fails in an attempt to March 17, 2008 The Supreme Court of the United assassinate Afghan President Hamid States hears oral arguments on Karzai in a military parade in Kabul. April 28: India sets a world record a certiorari petition ﬁled by the Philippine governmentr, which invokes by sending 10 satellites into orbit in a

President Benigno Aquino III welcomes United States President Barack Obama who visited the country on April 28, 2014.

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Third... From E7 by former policeman Cesar Mancao. January 12, 2010 A 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurs in Haiti, devastating the capital Port-au-Prince. With a conﬁrmed death toll of over 316,000, it is the seventh deadliest on record. June 30, 2010 Benigno S. Aquino III is inaugurated as the 15th President of the Philippines at the Quirino Grandstand, taking his oath before Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales at the

Quirino Grandstand. President Benigno Aquino III, son of the late former President Corazon Aquino was elected to two terms in ofﬁce from 2010 to 2016. His administration was rocked by news reports about issues such as the laglag-bala scam at the airports and the Fallen 44 SAF of the Mamasapano clash. August 23, 2010 Hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand, which strains relations between Manila and Hong Kong. September 26, 2010 An explosion rocks the De La Salle University in Manila during the last day of the 2010 bar exams. December 14, 2010 Hubert Webb and six others convicted in the Vizconde massacre case are acquitted by the Supreme Court, based primarilyl on inconsistent testimonies of witness Jessica Alfaro during the trial. December 20, 2010 After seven years in detention, Antonio Trillanes is released from jail. December 21, 2010 The ﬁrst total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern winter solstice and Southern summer solstice since 1638 takes place.

This blood moon is seen over the Manila Bay before a total lunar eclipse on October 8, 2014.

November 8, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 6,300 people and leaving half a million homeless. The provinces of Samar and Leyte were the most affected,

Phillippine President Rodrigo Duterte (center) is sworn-in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes (left) as his daughter Veronica Duterte holds the bible during the oath-taking ceremony at the Malacañang Palace in Manila.

January 17, 2015 Pope Francis was moved to tears after holding a special Mass at the Tacloban airport for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The Pope made a special trip to the disaster site during the here-day Papal Visit. November 18 to 19, 2015 President Obama was one of the heads of state who visited the Philippines during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit held on November 2015. Trade and economic issues were discussed at the annual meeting, along with building concerted efforts to fight terrorism. Media covered the highlights and sidelights, informing the public of roads that were closed to make way for the delegates, and the popularity of charming world leaders Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and Mexican President Enrique Nieto. December 20, 2015 After a 42-year drought, Filipina beauty Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was proclaimed Miss Universe in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event caused quite a stir on international news when host Steve Harvey mistakenly awarded the Miss Universe title to Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez. He immediately reversed his announcement however and gave the title and the crown to Wurtzbach. The gaffe, which only served to show off Pia’s graciousness and good humor has helped made her into a global celebrity. June, 2016 Former Mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidential elections by an overwhelming lead. Duterte’s administration is labeled considered populist, in contrast to Aquino’s purportedly elitist government. The headlines that have reached foreign shores about President Duterte’s administration are about the EJKs or Extra Judicial Killings in connection with the Chief Executive’s war on drugs. The media has been under fire recently, with accusations of bias and partisanship seeking to undermine or discredit the Fourth Estate. In contrast, the 2015 report of international organization Freedom House has declared to only be “partly free.” What can be seen here is that despite obstacles, journalists have not stopped delving into issues that matter, bringing them to light, with tireless fact-gathering and balanced reporting.

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February 7, 2017—The military has begun arresting communists after President Rodrigo Duterte ended peace talks with them over a spate of rebel attacks on government troops.

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Ready for tomorrow By Honor Blanco Cabie

THE Manila Standard, which debuted on Philippine newsstands in 1987, rolls its presses to a fourth decade on Feb. 11, 2017, its news executives, reporters, the newsroom’s unsung heroes, the administrative, advertising, circulation and printing staff ready for the new challenge. With the new roll, the newspaper is complemented by its digital service and its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The founders of the Manila Standard, created the publication on the belief that there was room for a newspaper “that seeks to present facts...to serve as an intellectual forum for ideas, whether clasing or complimentary, to test the limits of investigative reporting.” Its maiden editorial was precise in the newspaper’s mission: “To stand firm in the face of sly machinations of power brokers; to offer nuggets from the arts, which are necessary if we are to live as sensitive human beings; to tell the stories of the little day-to-day heroisms that, minus the benefits of publicity mills, go sadly unnoticed and unmarked.” Manila Standard hit the discriminating consciousness of the Filipino news readers on Feb. 11, 1987, fresh on the heels of what is now described as the Mendiola massacre— a confrontation between farmers rallying for and reform and in protest against President Corazon Aquino which ended in a shooting. The violent incident killed 13 and injured 74 more. Readers had a first glimpse of the tall-man size newspaper— loosely, if immodestly, translated as “great in vertical dimension and high in stature” —nine days after a newly ratified Constitution was promulgated. More than defining the news it underscored the future of competition in the discerning, if tasteful, print industry. It competed with other firmly installed publications while it wrestled for a share of the advertising pie and

attention from the opinionated and well-informed public. As the Manila Standard and other newspapers raced frenetically for honest, balanced and accurate reportage, they individually raised the challenge whether they could continue to be relevant in the years ahead. The Manila Standard, for its part, has struggled – and has survived three backbreaking decades, despite numerous challenges, including the onslaught of technology, and some changes in ownership and names – like Manila Standard Today and The Standard. Through the years, and thanks in large part to the people who literally manned the fort 24/7, the Manila Standard earned credit for its Xcellence, Xperience, and Xcitement — attributes that have deﬁned and continue to deﬁne the newspaper. As it continues to roll off the press on Feb. 11, 2017, for its initial run in the next 10 years, the Manila Standard continues to be emboldened by its commitment to provide information far and wide. It continues to endorse the axiom that the newspaper will continue to be the “honest mirror of society.” The Manila Standard gets its muscle from the men and women who contribute their time and best lights to give the necessary information for its readers in this era of SMS and the Internet – the editors and copy tasters, the reporters and the correspondents, the layout artists, the page designers, the proofreaders, the editorial assistants and the other staff. As the newshounds and the staff rise to the dare of the uncharted next decade, they get reassurance from the efforts of their elders who blazed a trail in column inches for them in the newsroom in an earlier punishing clime. With them were the circulation, the advertising and the human resources departments, the same departments that will stand alongside the news department in the years hence to help the news department pursue the newspaper’s mission “to be a vital link in the

struggle for change...evolve into a truly unfettered, intelligent – and therefore responsible – press, cognizant of and vigilant against the pitfalls that litter the road toward freedom and

hard and soft sections. As the Manila Standard stands on the headland of a promising future, its news executives, the unsung heroes and other staff take great pride

justice.” With its coverage of the various domestic runs and overseas, Manila Standard slowly but steadily gained credibility as a distinct gatekeeper of news and information – both in its

in looking back at some of the major events at home and abroad during the past three decades, conﬁdent they will have the same energy and commitment to gear up to similar browbeating assignments.

Headlines and History and images can be sent through email, and sometimes, the sources can even be reached through app messaging. Global news services now offer the convenience of providing materials through

Through these changes, several things at the Manila Standard newsroom have remained constant – that sense of urgency to produce the most relevant news items, the commitment to pro-

One of the scenes of devastation during Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda.

By Maan D’Asis Pamaran

THIRTY years ago, the newsroom at the Manila Standard ofﬁces was abuzz with noises that were jarring and yet oddly comforting at the same time. There was the noisy clack of typewriters from different reporters trying to beat the daily deadline, phones would ring off the hook if there was a barrage of information about breaking news from different trusted sources, and fax machines would hum with statements being sent by national ﬁgures who wanted their stories to

make it to the front page. Couriers from the wires would often drop in with the hottest material from overseas and there would be a scramble to ﬁnd which ones would be most relevant to local readers. On top of that glorious cacophony would be the news and desk editors trying to make sense of the latest happenings, going through all the material that has come in for the day, and giving out orders to print, print, print. These days, the clack of the typewriters has been replaced by ergonomic keyboards. Interviews

the Year during the 2015 Rotary Club of Manila Journalism Awards for its balanced and crucial reporting on current issues, including the exposé story on the involvement of Wang Bo, a Chinese drug lord, as the primary suspect in the Bangsamoro Basic Law payola scam. More than just words on paper, the news articles published in the Manila Standard help keep the public informed on important issues that can have a long-term impact on society. Proof of this, are the headlines that came out in the past 30 years of the Manila Standard’s existence. Some of the local and global issues and events that have unfolded in the past three decades and which have been reported in the newspaper have helped shape public policy and opinion, and their effects are still felt to this day.

A million people march against PDAF at Luneta

the internet, making it more convenient to sift through tons of excellent reportage from all over the world.

vide accurate information, and its status as one of the trusted news sources in the Philippines. It was awarded as Newspaper of

Philippines wins arbitral case against China

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How it all started By Emil P. Jurado

OMETIME in January 1987, I got a call from my good friend, the late Rod Reyes, former reporter of the defunct The Manila Times who inﬁltrated the illegal drug dens of Tondo, got out of it alive to expose them.

When I asked him what was it all about, he told me: “We are putting out a newspaper and I want you to join me.” We soon got together for lunch and Rod told me he got a call from Manda Elizalde that he is interested in coming out with a newspaper, and that it would be ﬁnanced by the Elizalde Tanduay Rhum business with ofﬁces along Ayala Avenue. I got interested because at that time, I was not connected with

any media outlet, having cut off all my ties with the Bobby Benedictocontrolled Kanlaon Broadcasting System operating Channel 2, GTV 4, Channel 9 and Channel 13. My resignation from the Benedictocontrolled broadcast channels was a blessing in disguise since soon after the People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos, the Lopezes Turn to E10

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Atty. Emil Jurado

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GTV 4 as its own, and Channel 9 and 13 were sequestered. I had joined the Dizon, Paculdo, Jurado, Jurado and Vitug Law ofﬁces in the practice of law, From E9 but I was not happyThe very thought of joining a got back their Channel 2, the government retained newspaper excited me.

When Rod and I had lunch, he told me he got a call from Manda Elizalde from Miami, Florida that he was coming home after his self-exile in Costa Rica. Manda had fled to self-exile after a warrant of arrest was issued on him for allegedly leaving the Philippines with a group of Tasaday women. Just how Manda was able to enter the Philippines despite a warrant of arrest on him, and how he bypassed immigration is another story. All I know is that some influential people very close to the Cory government were responsible, who they were and what did they do for Manda to evade arrest is also another story. All I know at that time was Manda, upon arrival, was brought to his rest house somewhere in Calatagan as a hideout. During the lunch, Rod told me that he would be the publisher, and I would be the Chairman of the Editorial Board, Jullie Yap would also be editor-in-chief, and both Jullie and I would write columns. We had our offices at the Tanduay Rhum building along Ayala Avenue, the same building that was soon bought by former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and soon acquired by the Ayalas to become a Financial Center. Our first edition of the Manila Standard on February 11, 1987 was in tabloid form, we took the newspaper industry by storm. But, the business of newspapering is peculiar in the sense that if you can’t get advertising revenue equivalent to 60 percent of the gross cost of the newspaper, you lose. And the more you print, the more you lose. Thus, after a year or two, Manda was complaining that he was losing money. This is when the combined group of the Sorianos and taipan Al Yuchengco came in as partners who bought out Manda Elizalde. Rod Reyes soon quit to join ABS-CBN as senior vice president. I stayed on as a columnist.

When some businessmen were attacking Yuchengco over an issue on Oriental Petroleum, Yuchengco wanted to answer back, using the Manila Standard. But, the Sorianos did not consent since they, too, had interests with Yuchengco’s business enemies. Thus, Yuchengco quit the Soriano partnership. The Sorianos then partnered with billionaire taipan Ricky Razon of the International Terminal Container Services Inc. and now Bloomberry casino and entertainment, or Solaire. After a few years, Razon sold out to the Kokoy Romualdez siblings-former Leyte Congressman Martin and Chamber of Mines Chairman president Philip. Now, Manila Standard has as its chairman Philip Romualdez and publisher, former PAL Vice President Rollie Estabillo, also chairman of the Plaridel groups of newsmen and journalists. At one time, former Ambassador to Hungary, Poland and Bosnia Andy del Rosario was also publisher with Jullie Yap Daza as editor-in chief. We also had Ambassador to the United Nations, Teddy Boy Locsin also as publisher when he sold out Today. I like being a columnist of The Standard because I believe in its vision and goals. Truth to tell, I had opportunities to become a columnist also in other broadsheets, but in my book, I’d rather be a big ﬁsh in a small pond than be a small ﬁsh in a big pond. I’m now 89 years old going 90, and I think I will keep on making life comfortable for these like to be comfortable and making discomfort to the comfortable till I write ‘30.” I like the company of the staffer of The Standard and I am comfortable with them. Like what I said, I will remain with The Standard because it’s my kind of newspaper, no targets, no biases, nobody to protect, and above all, it tells the truth when it happens and where it happens. After all, the truth will set us

Celia Esteban of PENRO, Atty. Jen Go and daughter Gabby, and Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo lead the tree planting activity.

Manila Standard... From E16 both Estabillo and Valmorida recognize the importance of the tree planting activity in fostering stronger relationship among Manila Standard employees.

areas which our contacts in DENR Central Ofﬁce might offer. Or, perhaps, we can do river or coastal cleanups or mangrove planting depending on what is permissible,” shared the Circulation chief.

“This is a way to bond and at the same time to give back to the community that supports Manila Standard. This project is not only for the present but also for the future,” said Estabillo.

Format and name changes, notwithstanding, Manila Standard, since its inception in February 1987, continues to uphold the highest standard in news reporting and information dissemination. And with its CSR iniValmorida, for his part, said the tiative, the newspaper is making a affair is a chance for the staff to be real difference in the world, one patogether in doing something that ben- per and one tree at a time. eﬁts the environment. “Not only are we promoting camaraderie among our employees, we are also giving them the privilege of contributing something good to the future of our country,” he said. With the positive impact and development “Adopt a Tree” has brought to the environment and to the Manila Standard family, Valmorida said they intend to continue with the project in the coming years. “We have a plan to adopt an area in Antipolo City. Or opt to plant in other

The ‘Adopt a Tree’ project helps in fostering stronger relationship among Manila Standard employees.

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Three decades of Manila Standard By Charmaine Cunanan

ROM ownership to format, Manila Standard has undergone several changes throughout the years. Only one thing has remained – its dedication to serve the Filipino people by offering news that reﬂects the truth. Manila Standard was born shortly after the Martial Law era ended, when Philippine media gained back its freedom and democratic rights through the ratiﬁcation of the new Constitution. As publisher and owner, the Elizalde Group formed the Standard Publications, Inc. The maiden issue of the newspaper was released on February 11, 1987 with Rod T. Reyes taking on the mantle of publisher. Reyes was the former news editor of the Manila Times and former editor-in- chief of Manila Chronicle before Martial law. He later served as Press Secretary for the Es-

trada administration from 1998-1999. Joining Reyes at the editorial desk were Alejandro del Rosario, Val Abelgas (managing editor), Chato Garcellano (Opinion editor), Rusty Otico (associate editor), Sammy Señoren (Business editor), Tony Siddayao (Sports editor), Nini Yarte (Features editor), Perry Solis (Foreign News editor). Lynette Villariba was assigned as Art Director while Caeserson “Sonny” Bismonte sat as editorial cartoonist. The desk was joined by a number of reporters and photographers from the Daily Express and Tribune. Turn to E14

GLOBE TEAMS UP

WITH LEAGUE OF VICE GOVERNORS TO DEVELOP TELCO INFRA

Partnership intended to enhance connectivity of businesses, communities

LOBE TELECOM signed a groundbreaking agreement with the League of Vice-Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) to collaborate in facilitating the deployment of vital ICT infrastructure, particularly in unserved and underserved communities in the country.

“ICT is rapidly changing the way that companies conduct business and the government delivers services. This agreement shows that we are one with League of Vice Governors in our desire to develop the ICT capacities of communities and businesses. We are confident this initiative would unlock more economic opportunities in the countryside and provide vital services to more Filipinos, benefitting the country as a whole,” Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu said. Under the memorandum of agreement, which was signed by Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Martha Sazon and LVGP National President Antonio Albano, vice-governors committed to provide support in relation to the deployment of telecommunication facilities in their capacity as presiding officers of Sangguniang Panlalawigan in their respective provinces. The agreement follows repeated calls by Globe for a rationalization of permitting process for cell sites and other telecommunication infrastructure, pointing out it takes

Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Martha Sazon (4th from right) shakes hands with Isabela Vice Governor Antonio Albano, LGVP National President (4th from left) following the signing of a MOA to facilitate deployment of ICT infrastructure in the country. Witnessing the signing are from left Globe Director for Sector Relations Robert Aquino; Masbate Vice Governor Jo Kristine Revil, LGVP PRO; Leyte Vice-Governor Carlo Loreto, LGVP Secretary General; Oriental Mindoro ViceGovernor Humerlito Dolor, LGVP Chair; Globe Director for Business Development Michelle Ora; and Laguna Vice-Governor Karen Agapay, LGVP Treasurer.

at least 8 months, involving 25 permits, to put up one cell site. This has led to considerable delay in the deployment of telecommunication facilities. In the case of Globe, the telecommunications provider has a backlog of around 3000 sites amid difficulties in securing permits from various local government units, homeowners’ associations and

other government agencies. Specifically, members of LVGP committed to ensure that only reasonable fees equivalent to the cost of regulation of ICT infrastructure in relation to the process of reviewing ordinances passed by municipalities and cities in their respective provinces. The LVP also committed to advise and

encourage cities and municipalities to have a turn-around time for the issuance of permits and licenses of not more than 10 days from the submission of all requirements; exempt ICT infrastructure installed in agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial areas from zoning clearances; and to enact a uniform ordinance prescribing

the barest minimum documentary requirements and that no more than 3 signatures shall be required for such permits. The LGVP also committed to identify areas owned and controlled by the government as possible sites where ICT infrastructure may be installed, co-located or leased by Globe and to encourage cities and municipalities to do likewise. In addition, the group committed to encourage cities and municipalities to deploy at their cost and expense their respective ICT infrastructure such as fiber optic networks and communication towers to be leased by Globe and to provide the necessary assistance to facilitate acquisition of permits and licenses from cities and municipalities under the LVGP’s jurisdiction which are identified by Globe as priority areas for ICT infrastructure deployment. Globe, on the other hand, committed to provide free Wi-Fi service in cities and municipalities compliant with the provisions of the agreement as well CCTV cameras or computer software or hardware and free internet service in select schools and public institutions or other high traffic areas such as city halls, terminals and other LGU-owned areas where there will be potentially have high Wi-Fi usage. Under the agreement, Globe will be in charge in identifying priority areas for deployment of ICT infrastructure and to provide technical assistance to provinces, cities and municipalities in the deployment of their respective ICT infrastructure to be leased by Globe.

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Heralds of Truth, Voices of Reason By Maan D’Asis Pamaran

N ITS 30 years of publication, the pages of the Manila Standard has not only reported the news but also served as a venue for opinions on issues that affected, and continue to affect, the country. In this section, we highlight four esteemed newsmen who lent their voices to the public and spoke up on burning issues. These men were unafraid to challenge even the highest government ofﬁcials and the most powerful in private industries., They have helped set the bar high for journalism in the Philippines. Luis Beltran (April 4, 1936 – September 6, 1994) “Ka Louie” was a broadcast journalist and newspaper columnist who wrote for the Manila Standard’s opinion pages from the late eighties to the early nineties. He is considered one of the media giants for his journalistic accomplishments in the field. Known as a hard hitting investigative journalist, he fearlessly hobnobbed with political warlords as well as criminal kingpins to get his stories. He also often ran counter to government administrations, which is why he came under close scrutiny during the Martial Law era, and was once detained for his political stories. His show, Straight From the Shoulder, was often the venue for political confrontations.

He considered Ninoy Aquino a friend, following him as a journalist from the time he was mayor and corresponding with him while the latter was in exile. After the EDSA revolution, he became a very prominent media figure, commenting on current issues on radio and TV. He was sued by former President Corazon Aquino for libel when he wrote in his column that the late President was “hiding under her bed” during the 1987 coup. Beltran was unafraid to share his opinions and was very vocal about issues. He left behind a legacy of fearless sharp-witted reportage, raising up many of the current practitioners in radio, TV and print as his students or as his readers and viewers who grew up admiring him. Rod Reyes (July 23, 1935 – April 14, 2016) The appeal of newspaper writing came early to Rod Reyes, the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of Manila Standard. He was a sports writer of the Manila Times at the age of 16, and later became an investigative reporter, bagging the Journalist of the Year award in 1961for his exposé on heroin drug syndicates in the suburbs of Malabon. Roxas disguised himself as a drug addict to inﬁltrate the syndicates. His piece was subsequently translated into a full-length ﬁlm by Gil Portes entitled “Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa,” with Matt Ranillo III portraying his role. For his work, he was given a Ten Outstanding Young Men award and a Nieman Fellowship from the Harvard University. From the Times, where he was also a news editor, he moved to the Manila Chronicle as the editor-in-chief until its closure during the Martial Law era. He was also involved in the TV Times, Celebrity, Ginoo and Woman’s Home Companion publications.

Rod Reyes was publisher of the Manila Standard from 1987 to 1989

Together with the Elizalde Group, Reyes founded Manila Standard on February 11, 1987. He was the publisher, editor-in-chief and chief operating officer of the paper from its first issue until 1990. Reyes also wrote a column in the newspaper, titled “A Journalist’s Memoirs”, which came out every Wednesday, where he gave vignettes of his experiences both as a newspaper and broadcast executive. He served as an executive vice president and news director for ABS-CBN in the 1960s and later returned to the network as the senior vice president of the news and current affairs division in 1990, after the People Power Revolution. He also served as general manager and executive vice president of the GMA Radio Television Arts in 1974, and the Maharlika Broadcasting System (now known as People’s Television Network) in the 1980s. He was also on board the Manila International Film Festival organizing committee from 1983 to 1984. Reyes was appointed Press Secretary for the Estrada administration, serving time from July 1992 until May 1993 under the Ramos administration, and is still mentioned today as one of the most effective officials to hold this job, making the Presidential office more approachable to journalists covering the beat. Under his watch, Reyes strengthened the presidential coverage by setting-up the Presidential News Desk. He was later reappointed by former President Joseph Estrada and worked as Press Secretary from June 1998 to April 2000. He was later appointed as chief of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan.

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Heralds... From E12 Cip Roxas (December 20, 1939 – January 26, 2016) Roxas, is said to be one of the most colorful personalities in Philippine journalism. He started his newspaper career as a “mechanic”, a working student, in the composing room of pre-Martial Law Manila Times. He was “discovered” by Sunday Times Magazine editor Primitivo Mauricio who recruited him as a proofreader. The

diligent Roxas worked his way up from the showbiz beat to executive editor. In 1989, he became editor-in-chief of the Manila Standard when the newspaper was bought by the Soriano family from the Elizalde group and served in that position until 1997. He also became the executive editor of the Journal Group, business editor of the defunct Philippines Herald and later press attaché of the Philippine embassy in Washington D.C.. He also served as bureau chief of the Philippine News Agency covering Los Angeles, USA and Toronto, Canada. One of the memorable moments that went down in journalism history was when he asked President Erap Estrada’s chief-of-staff Aprodicio Laquian about the President’s drinking habits at a televised luncheon event. The chief-ofstaff jokingly replied that he was the sober party and designated driver of the President’s group, implying that the President was still a heavy drinker. Emil Jurado (Sept. 15, 1927) The multi-awarded journalist’s career spans nine Malacanang residents starting with President Elpidio Quirino. He has also rubbed elbows and written about important figures in government and the private sector, working to this day on his typewriter to meet his “To the Point” deadlines in Manila Standard. He is known and beloved in his circles and is described as a friend to almost all the other influential journalists in the country. The late Louie Beltran actually worked as his messenger in the past. A father figure in the industry, it is to him that journalists would go for opinions and advice. It was his other friend, Rod Reyes who persuaded him to join the Manila Standard. In his pursuit of the truth, he has been charged with 17 libel cases and had to apologize four times upon the request of his publisher. He exposed three members of the Monetary Board who were then committing anomalies by playing the stock market, and getting import quota allocations for their favored companies or their own companies. The exposé started an investigation in Congress but also resulted in him receiving death threats and was even kidnapped as a result. It was with the help and protection provided by then-President Magsaysay that he and his family were able to survive the ordeal. His work in journalism was recognized by the Stanvac Oil Company. Under Marcos rule, he served as the first president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, thinking it would be a way to escape censorship, when he still felt pressure to edit the news as head of radio-television network KBS, he resigned, choosing integrity over higher pay. He served as the president of the Business Writers Association of the Philippines for two years and he

STAFF BOX Chairman: Philip G. Romualdez Board members and Chief Legal Adviser: Former Chief Justice Reynaldo S. Puno Treasury Manager: Anita F. Grefal OIC-Ad solutions: Baldwin R. Felipe Circulations Manager: Edgar M. Valmorida EDITORIAL BOARD Publisher: Rolando G. Estabillo Managing Editor: Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Supplements Editor: Gianna G. Maniego Supplements Head: Paula A. Reynoso Sales Team: Edith Angeles Anaﬂor Guzman Christine Herrera Albert Legaspi Aaron Tolosa Contributors: Arman Armero Jenniffer Austria Honor Blanco Cabie Randy Caluag Othel Campos Charmaine Cunanan Maan D’ Asis Pamaran Rose dela Cruz Emil Jurado Jimbo Gulle Alena Mae Flores Glaiza Lee Bernadette Lunas

Advertising Support Group: Sheila Marie Suarez Joan Velasco Eric Jutic Edilyn Elamparo Layout Artists: Jove Atienza Linda Apalisok Vicky Ayeng Alice Estrella Luz Jimenez Rex Perzeus Sardinia

Editorial Assistants: Almira S. Abejo Dhave A. De Castro Vanessa A. Gupit Grhenlie D. Ilagan John Ray P. Villanueva

is the Chairman Emeritus of the Manila Overseas Press Club having been its president and the oldest MOPC member. His zeal for exposing the truth and educating readers on important issues with a look at what is behind the news has kept him going for more than 60 years of tireless writing.

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Three decades... From E11

From broadsheet to tabloid Manila Standard originally followed the broadsheet format until it adopted the tabloid-size on September 19, 1988. The newspaper then started gar-

nering attention because of its size. Manila Standard became known for its convenient size as well as its content, providing serious content with the mindset of giving relevant and signiﬁcant news to its readers. More signiﬁcantly, ownership of the paper changed hands from the Elizaldes to the Sorianos. In 1989, the Sorianos bought the company from the Elizalde group and renamed it Kagitingan Publications. Cipriano Roxas took over as the new executive director. In June 1991, Alfonso Yuchengco

came in as investor, paving the way for the creation of another company, Kamahalan Publishing Corporation, the new publisher of Manila Standard. On February 11, 1993, Manila Standard added six centimeters in size to accommodate more news, photographs, features, and fearless commentaries. The tallman format was one of the many innovations expected to propel the newspaper and help it get ahead of the game in the print industry. In 1997, as it entered its second decade, Manila Standard returned to its broadsheet format despite the perception that the bigger size is what made the newspaper unique from the others. That same year, Enrique Razon Jr. bought shares from the Yuchengcos and Jullie Yap Daza took over the reigns as editorin- chief. In 2001, the Soriano group sold the company to the Razon group, giving the latter sole ownership of Kamahalan Publishing. M a -

nila Standard underwent another change with the merger of the newspaper with with Today, a newspaper published by New Day Publications and owned by then Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin. At the time, the broadsheet changed its name to Manila Standard Today, helmed by Jojo Robles, who sat as editor-in- chief. Green advocacy Victor Agustin became chairman of the Editorial Board, at which time, the company became staunch advocates for the environment. In 2010, the ownership of Manila Standard Today changed hands again. This time, Razon handed over the company to the Romualdez group. In 2015, the publication shifted to a visually-rich tallboy format that adopted interactive technologies. Manila Standard was relaunched and renamed The New Standard in November to reﬂect the changes in the print platform, both in layout and content delivery. On February, The New Standard was formally launched and renamed The Standard. And on April 16th , Kamahalan Publishing Corporation was dissolved to become Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. However, the paper reverted to its broadsheet format on July 25, 2016, taking on its original name, Manila Standard, in the process. Despite various changes over the years, Manila Standard vows to keep providing news that matter and to continuously seek ways to present reliable information to the public.

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XCELLENCE•XPERIENCE•XCITEMENT

Manila Standard

gives back to nature through

Adopt a Tree project

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Employees of Advertising, Circulation, Editorial, Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Production and Purchasing departments actively take part in Manila Standard’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) project ‘Adopt a Tree’ in a bid to help lessen the effects of climate change.

By Bernadette Lunas

APER makes our company go round. On it we print stories, photos, page layout designs and our finished product, the Manila Standard newspaper. It is scattered in every corner of our office and piles up on our tables. Thus it only seems appropriate that a company whose finished product is made of paper is committed to planting trees as its corporate social responsibility (CSR) project. Planting for a greener future Initiated by Circulation department head Edgar Valmorida, Manila Standard’s “Adopt a Tree” project kicked off at Ipo Dam Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan on November 28, 2009. “I first introduced the idea of planting a tree for every new subscriber that will subscribe to then Manila Standard Today,” said Valmorida in recollection, adding, “When I and former Advertising Manager Gina Versoza presented the idea to then President and CEO Rogelio Salazar, he approved it and made it our CSR project.” Turn to E16

The sixth sowing of ‘Adopt a Tree’ on July 23, 2016, was held at Ipo Dam Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

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Ofﬁcials of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) of Bulacan welcomed Manila Standard employees, led by Atty. Jen Go and publisher Rolando Estabillo, at Ipo Dam Watershed.

Manila Standard... From E15

Manila Standard employees actively took part in the ﬁrst leg of the oneday tree planting activity, which was then followed by planting events at Halamanang Pilipino in Luneta Park, Manila; Paco Park and Pook ni Mariang Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna; Marikina Riverbanks in Marikina City in 2010 as part of the government’s rehabilitation program following the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy that crippled the city; and again at the 1.5-hectare land at Ipo Dam for another batch of tree seedlings.

“Adopt a Tree” project’s sixth and latest sowing which happened on July 23, 2016 brought Advertising, Circulation, Editorial, Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Production and Purchasing departments back to Ipo Dam Watershed in Brgy. San Mateo for the third time. Previously a lush range, the watershed has been denuded due to illegal poachers, according to Celia Esteban of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Ofﬁce (PENRO) of Bulacan. But

Each seedling is planted under the names of Manila Standard’s CSR project sponsors

public and private organizations and corporations, the newspaper was able to mount its sixth tree planting activities. And in gratitude for their support, seedlings With the help of several were planted under the ad-

Manila Standard, together with other companies, are working together to help the area return to its original, healthy state.

vertisers and subscribers’s size have a large carbon footprint. Any steps they respective names. can take to reduce those Manila Standard Pub- footprints are considered lisher Rolando Estabillo both good for the company expressed pride in the com- and the society as a whole.” pany’s endeavor. “You will Not only is Manila Stansee however small it is, this symbolizes the importance dard replacing, so to speak, of public and private co- the paper it is using by operation. It doesn’t have planting trees, but is also to be a big project, it’s the working on reducing its sincerity and consistency other negative environmen[that count],” he enthused. tal impacts through its nature-focused CSR project. “With (this project) now Bonding for stronger on its sixth sowing, you relationship can see that we are really consistent in our effort to On top of helping conhelp preserve Mother Naserve and protect the enture,” added Estabillo. vironment and lessen the In an article in Business effects of climate change, News Daily, it stated that Turn to E10 “businesses regardless of