The press and the stories

Today marks the last day of the 25th Cebu Press Freedom Week, and my throat and vocal chords are 90 percent healed from the trauma and exhaustion they underwent because of a pageant and a dance competition.

I screamed my heart out in support of our candidates of the Mr. and Ms. Press Freedom pageant last Saturday. I cheered for the CDN dance crew last Sunday along with fellow Siloys who were just as enthusiastic and energetic as this journalist.

Cebu’s celebration of Press Freedom Week is the only one of its kind in the country. It is the time of the year when media practitioners from the print and broadcast industries join hands in solidarity to strengthen freedom of the press and defend it in cases when its independence and integrity are placed in situations where our rights are oppressed and violated.

I exchanged smiles and glances with a couple of media colleagues during the homily of Rev. Fr. Bobby Ebisa as he emphasized the value of upholding the truth as we perform our duties as journalists.

Indeed, the truth is elusive these days especially in the era of fake news. Father Bobby also encouraged journalists to view journalism as a vocation where it is embraced as a calling, a profession with a higher purpose other than self-actualization.

Tonight will be the closing party of this weeklong celebration. The festivities will come to an end and we will all go back to our respective beats and assignments and churn out daily articles and broadcasts and beat deadlines until the next Cebu Press Freedom Week when I will once again subject my throat and my vocal chords to a screaming fest.

Congratulations Sun.Star Cebu for being this year’s convenor! Next year, CDN will be the convenor as we also celebrate our 20th anniversary in this crazy field called journalism.

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It is a bit late, but I’d like to welcome my good friend Mike Lopez to the CDN family as one of our columnists.

His column, Very Open Mike, comes out every Wednesday on this page. Mike and I do not have the same stand in many issues, but we have learned to coexist and respect each other.

Our story goes back to 2007 when he was still working for the National Youth Commission and was invited as one of the judges of the search for The Outstanding Cebu City Youth Leader (now renamed to the Young Sugbuanon Exemplary and Action-Driven Leaders or YOUSEAL).

I was one of the search’s finalists and he asked me a question which involved my willingness to work for the Cebu City government with Tomas Osmeña as its mayor.

I replied: “Yes, I can work for the Cebu City government. But my loyalty is not to the mayor. My loyalty is to Cebu City and its people.”

I think that answer sealed my fate that day. Five days later, I was informed that I was the winner in the college category.

There were several occasions after that when Mike and I worked together as youth leaders. Our relationship grew deeper with a shared passion and commitment for nation-building.

We both share the realization that the Philippines is a painful country to love but it is the only country we have, so love the Philippines we must.

These days even when I do not like some of the people mentioned on his posts or do not agree with what he says or writes, I cannot hate Mike Lopez.

Many times, his opinions and views annoy me (and he may have felt the same way towards me) but I am mature enough to separate the Mike that is my friend and the Mike that is a political communicator. It saddens me when I hear stories of broken friendships because of opposing political views.

I hope these relationships can be mended and that we can all find in our hearts the openness to accept that we can agree to disagree.

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The second run of the literacy initiative called Story Hours will have its culmination program on October 28 at the J Centre Mall. It has been a year of hosting over 300 children from private and public schools and several barangays in monthly gatherings which involved storytelling, story writing, and book-giving sessions.

Story Hours is a commitment of Basadours, CDN and J Centre Mall. The stories which were created by the children are currently being illustrated by volunteer artists.

These works will be exhibited in the mall. The Story Hours is my baby, older than my twin mutants, and was hatched back in 2012.

The first run was held from 2012 to 2013 with Banilad Town Centre (through BigSeed PR and Events), Basadours and Philippine Daily Inquirer Visayas Bureau (through the Inquirer Read-along program).

Clintkamms Corp. — along with its sister companies Phialo Trading Corp., SoLine Publishing Company Inc. and PhiloSophia Library Café — are supporting the culmination program with the generosity of its Chief Executive Officer Caroline “Cayoy” Porras, who is celebrating her birthday today.

Thank you and happy birthday, Ma’am Cayoy!

It’s a bittersweet goodbye to everyone who became part of Story Hours 2, but I am also looking forward to Story Hours 3 for 2018–2019 in another mall.

I am one excited Nanay as we move forward with our advocacy to encourage children to love reading books and listening to stories.