‘Brutal’ closure of a newspaper

Batas Mauricio

DAILY Express, the very first newspaper I worked for after I got out of journalism school at the University of the Philippines in 1977, would have turned on Sunday, May 7. Unfortunately, it was brutally closed down in 1987 by the then President Corazon Aquino simply because the Express was then branded by many Aquino allies as a “Marcos newspaper”, and was viewed by them as a tool of the Marcos dictatorship. I say “brutally” because with the closure of the paper, some 300 or so employees who had nothing to do at all. They lost their only source of income, making life greatly difficult for them!

Yet on May 7, 2017, former editors, columnists, reporters and other administrative bigwigs and staff of the newspaper led by its former executive editor, now 94-year old Enrique “Pocholo” Romualdez, and by its former finance officer, now San Fernando City Mayor Mary Jane Ortega, gathered at the Aristocrat Restaurant on Roxas Boulevard, Manila, and celebrated its 45th year.

It was, I would say, a grand celebration. But it was more than merry making, as Ortega announced in her speech. She said: “Thirty years have passed since we were closed down by the PCGG (or Aquino’s Presidential Commission on Good Government), but the feeling of belonging to the Daily Express Family remains to this day.”

Ever the caring boss of the Express family, Ortega also stressed: “We like to see each other, get updates on our lives after Express, we mourn when we lose the members of our family, we pray for those who need it, we extend a carrying hand to show that we still care. They say, blood is thicker than water. Printer’s ink is like blood that flows in our veins.”

That explains why many came to join the paper’s foundation day, long after it was gone. While its former executives and employees have lived separate lives after it was shut down by a vengeful president, everybody felt and continue to feel that they belong to one big family that one day would be united all over again!

Yes, the first issue of the Daily Express came out on May 7, 1972, and shortly thereafter, it was the only newspaper that was allowed to operate in the country after martial law was declared by President Marcos. Marcos’ law classmate, from UP Law Class 1939, Roberto S. Benedicto, opened the newspaper in support of Marcos.

Calling it as a Marcos newspaper, President Corazon Aquino closed it down after Edsa 1, despite the advice of her lawyers that the paper’s closure amounted to suppression of press freedom, and was in fact violently contrary to her pretensions then as a democratic icon.

This one single act of Cory marked the suppression of many other freedoms of the Filipino people during her term, constituting a curse that ensured an ignominious and troubled presidency for her. May the lesson of the Daily Express serve as a stern warning to tyrants and crackpots who may someday find their way into power once more in the Philippines.

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I suppose that former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez should hasten to answer charges that the reason she was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments, with allies of President Duterte even voting against her, was her having favored a mining company that funded the presidential run of those who opposed Duterte in 2016.

The charges against Lopez has been posted and is now going viral on various social networking sites, and, in the interest of public concern, I would like to reproduce some parts of the post.

“Netizens were quick to react with the recent developments that some of the allies of President Rody Duterte in the Philippine Senate voted ‘No’ to confirm Gina Lopez… They lambasted Sen. Cayetano, Zubiri, Honasan, and Lacson for voting against… Lopez…

“… another netizen defended Sen. Cayetano by exposing why the senator voted no. According to the defender of Sen. Cayetano people should do some research and discover the reasons behind the ‘no’ vote of the senators.

“… In an episode (of a media program), the broadcaster called on the attentions (sic) of those who wanted to vote yes on Sec. Gina’s confirmation due to the decision of the DENR Secretary to allow the operations of controversial mining companies owned by the Enriquez and Erice families, the known financier of Mar Roxas and Liberal Party…”

It would seem that the allies of the President saw this and therefore decided to vote in favor of the confirmation of Lopez. Anyway one looks at this, it would be clear that this accusation against Lopez could even qualify as a violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, or Republic Act 3019, for giving undue advantage to a third party.

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com