The Philippine Daily Inquirer is close to my heart. It was our family's subscription when I was growing up. That all-too-familiar blue was always a welcome sight at our breakfast table. My mom was a fan of the crosswords, and I, a big fan of the comics : A.Lipin and Pinoy Nga by Jess Abrera, Pugad Baboy, plus the foreign ones: Garfield, Baby Blues, etc… I even have a stuffed Guyito (their carabao mascot!), that I won in a contest :). PDI had a big influence on me and my early life choices.
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| JI and Youngblood. Ah, check out the very first check I got paid in my life and for writing! P540.00! |
When I discovered I wanted to be a writer (probably around 5th grade), I wanted to get published in PDI. It was my ultimate goal. With hard work, fuelled by dreams, I got published in the Junior Inquirer (JI) , Youngblood, and 2BU! A highlight of my youth was getting to visit the PDI office as part of the the first batch of JI School Correspondents with "Ate" Natasha Vizcarra at the helm. That was over 14 years ago!
Somewhere along the way, I lost that writer's vibe. (I never lost the love, just the vibe!) Perhaps life took over. Or online self-publishing took over (a.k.a blogging and social media - where instant gratification and free speech reigns). Or maybe I was just too tired of writing other stuff for other people that I lost my voice. I do miss writing for myself… but that's another story.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit PDI once again as part of my DevCom 206 class (Development of Radio and Print Materials). Ms Connie Calagayan, AVP for Corporate Communications, gave a brief talk and gave us a tour of the newsroom. I felt my heart racing once again and rediscovered what excited me about writing and print media. With the entry of online news and radio - the industry has become even more exciting! Ms Connie opened my eyes to the current reality: Print is only a medium. The news industry will always be here and will continue to evolve.
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| Ms. Calagayan was very accommodating and answered all our questions. Thank you! |
Despite my very (very) short career in print media, the visit to PDI felt like homecoming. As we reviewed the news gathering, writing, editing, and publishing process; and as I was welcomed with the smell of newsprint and ink at the printing press, it was a reunion with an old friend who has helped me become what I am today.
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| My exposure to PDI and JI while growing up influenced my aspirations to become a good writer and knowledge-sharer. |
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